Jefté Vital da Silva Dias, our Brazillian fella, born on that very memorable day, the 21st of December in the seemingly not so distant 2003. Only twenty years of age and he's already a fully formed defender, mostly spending his time as a left back for Rangers. I suppose spending a gift of height at 6 feet (1.83m for those of you who prefer a more continental set of measurements) in the flanks isn't exactly your typical waste. The boy weighs in at a respectable 11st 13lb (76kg for the metric-minded), quite acceptable for his jersey number 22, I daresay.
In the chilly January of 2019, 'Jefté' found himself cut from a different brand of cloth entirely in Brazil's Série A, taking up a trainee position at Fluminense. By July of 2023, he had taken his talents Eastward to Cyprus' First Division club APOEL on a temporary basis. His first season there, 2023- 2024, saw him impress with 31 first team appearances and three goals in league matches. A defender scoring goals, now there's a twist.
By July 2024, 'Jefté' wandered even further from home and decided to trade the sunny beaches of Brazil for the oh so delightful Scottish climate. To our dismay, instead of skirting about in the green and white, he ended up at our sibling rivals, Rangers, for a not inconsequential sum of around £680k. Most recently, in the 2024 - 2025 season at Rangers in Scotland, 'Jefté' has strolled about a grand total of five times in league matches.
His participation in the League Cup 2024 - 2025 for Rangers got him two starts. Champions League Qualifiers 2024 - 2025 saw him on the field for Rangers starting once and blessing us with his presence once as a substitute, while the Europa League 2024 - 2025 was livened up by his one start for Rangers. In truth, the lad hasn't made much of an impact yet, but there's always next season for him to add to his growing collection of appearances... or not, we will see.
