Lo and behold, here we find Leon Balogun - a central defender for Rangers, while not a part of our beloved Hoops family, certainly boasts an impressive journey upon the football circuits. He was birthed into this world in 1988 in good old Germany, standing tall at 6ft 2in (1.9m) and weighing a decent 14st (89kg). He even boasted a lovely number 27 jersey. Quite the image, isn't it?
Our fellow Balogun began his foot-trotting career in Hannover 96 in the 2. Bundesliga, back in 2008. Novelty factor aside, he only managed one league match in his debut season, with a further two in the next season. Quite the illustrious start, indeed.
In the spirit of adventure, or perhaps just commitment issues, he transferred to SV Werder Bremen II in the Regionalliga Nord in 2010. Notching 48 appearances and 4 goals over two seasons, it seemed Leon had found his form. A real beacon of progression, that lad.
Packing up his boots again in 2012, he moved to Fortuna Dรผsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga. With a grand total of 28 appearances over 2 seasons. I sincerely hope Dusseldorf appreciated his travelling dedication. Balogun did manage to rack up 23 appearances with 4 goals after moving to Darmstadt 98 in 2014. I'm sure the castles were quite scenic.
In 2015, Leon sallied forth to Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga, notching up a commendable 52 appearances across a stint of 3 seasons, even managing to sneak in a goal. Indeed an achievement worth a pat on the back!
He packed his bags and made way to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League in England in 2018. Leon seemed to have a lighter workload, making 8 appearances with a solitary goal in his debut season. Following with a spell at Wigan Athletic in League One, Balogun added another 11 appearances to his CV.
The bells rung in Edinburgh when Leon Balogun transferred to the Rangers in Scotland in 2020. His Scottish phase has currently seen him round up 69 appearances and a pair of goals, a smashing fest indeed over those seasons. It seems he took a liking for the bagpipe tunes.
But it turns out the nostalgia for the English atmosphere was too strong as he transferred to Queens Park Rangers in the Championship in England in August 2022 and ensured 16 appearances and scored a goal. An unexpected love affair but who are we to judge?
More recently in 2023, Balogun seemed to be missing the Scottish air profusely, took a U-turn back to Rangers in Scotland, gracing the field with 70-plus appearances and a pair of goals so far. Pretty thrilling adventure so far, eh?
Credit where it's due, Balogun played in the League Cup, Champions League Qualifiers, and the Europa League for Rangers. Perhaps not a grand journey, but an interesting walk in the park nonetheless.
