During the 90s, Glasgow Rangers were a force of nature in Scottish football. Not only did the Ibrox side rack up trophy after trophy under the leadership of Walter Smith, but they also signed some of the most exciting players in Europe during this spell.
Smith somehow managed to lure Brian Laudrup – a Champions League and European Championship winner – to Ibrox. After the Dane told the wily Scot that he had turned down the lure of playing for Barcelona, he retorted: “So you'd prefer to play Falkirk on a Tuesday night?”
The next four years saw Laudrup emerge as arguably the finest import to hit Scottish shores, mesmerising defences all over the country.
Paul Gascoigne was another superb signing. Smith signed him from Serie A side Lazio and restored the Englishman’s confidence over the next few seasons, ending his spell in Glasgow by scoring 39 goals in 104 appearances for the Light Blues, winning two league titles and a couple of domestic cups too.
While Laudrup was the big signing during the summer of 1994, Smith also secured the services of a centre-back who looked like he had the whole world at his feet – Basile Boli.
Basile Boli’s Rangers stats
The strapping French defender made his name at Ligue 1 side Auxerre, playing a total of 297 games for the club prior to his move to Marseille in 1990.
The next four seasons saw Boli emerge as one of the best defenders in France, making over 150 appearances for Marseille while becoming a regular feature in the French national side – eventually earning 49 caps for his country and representing them at Euro 1992.
The defender enjoyed great success at Marseille, with the club becoming the first – and so far only – French team to lift the Champions League, with Boli scoring the winner against AC Milan in the 1993 final.
Smith was well aware of Boli’s abilities as Rangers played Marseille twice during the group stages of the inaugural edition of the current Champions League in 1992/93, with both games ending in draws, but it was clear the manager was impressed with the Frenchman.
It may have taken a year, but Smith finally got his man in 1994, signing him for a fee of around £2.7m having beaten off the advances from the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur (how the world has changed) in order to secure the services of the Frenchman.
Adding Laudrup and Boli to his squad must have given Smith a major boost, yet the Light Blues failed to make progress in Europe, while winning just the top-flight title during that season, exciting the cup competitions earlier than anticipated.
Boli played just 31 times for the Gers, scoring three goals in the process before departing after just one season in the summer of 1995 to join AS Monaco back in his homeland.
Despite being one of the finest defenders on the continent, it just didn’t work out in Scotland for Boli, who cost the club around £100k per game.
Player
Club signed from
Brian Laudrup
AC Milan
Basile Boli
Marseille
Alan McLaren
Hearts
Billy Thomson
Motherwell
Via Transfermarkt
Knowing he wasn’t quite settled, it was a stroke of genius from Smith to sell him on after just a year.
How much Basile Boli would be worth in 2024 money
Monaco stumped up a fee of around £2.3m to sign Boli following his largely unsatisfying stint in Scotland ahead of the 1995/96 campaign, which meant Rangers didn’t actually lose that much.
As per Totally Money's index, this £2.3m would now be worth a staggering £22.2m in 2024 if judged by inflation.
Totally Money have taken the 100 most expensive transfers of all time across each season since 1992 in Europe's top five leagues. Armed with plenty of historical financial data they have calculated what footballers of yesteryear would be worth in the present day after taking into account the remarkable rate of inflation.
This certainly proves that Smith struck gold on the French defender that summer, allowing him the licence to add a few more players to his playing squad in order to win more trophies.
This £22.3m fee is more than any current Rangers player is worth according to Football Transfers, showing how much Boli was regarded at the time.
With regard to the current options at centre-back in the Ibrox side, Connor Goldson is currently valued the highest at €2.2m (£1.8m), which isn’t much in the grand scheme of things.
When compared to Boli’s valuation in today’s market, he would be worth 12 times as much as Goldson, once again further evidence of how much Smith hit the jackpot by selling him nearly 30 years ago.
He may not have stayed as long as Smith or the supporters would have liked, but there is no denying Boli’s place in the nine-in-a-row era which saw Rangers take their seat at the top of the table once again.
What Basile Boli did after leaving Rangers
Like his stint in Glasgow, Boli remained at Monaco for just a single season before making the move to Japan to sign for Urawa Reds, ending his career in the land of the rising sun.
He was only 30 as he announced his retirement from the professional game, but there is no doubt about his impact on French football, particularly with Marseille.
The centre-back will be remembered for his goal that won the French side the Champions League in 1993 along with making nearly 50 appearances for France, yet he failed to appear at the World Cup.
Following his retirement, the defender transitioned into television, becoming a presenter for a number of channels, and still continues to do this.
Smith’s eye for a player during the 90s was incredible, bringing some of the biggest names in European football during his first spell at the club between 1991 and 1998.
The likes of Laudrup, Gascoigne and Boli helped Rangers continue their stranglehold on Scottish football during what is the club’s finest ever decade.
The fans can only dream of seeing players like this turn up at Ibrox and play a starring role for the team, with football changing massively in the two decades since.
Clement will have to move a few players on for a profit this summer in order to generate funds for future signings, but none will be of the calibre of Gazza, Laudrup or even Boli for that matter, that’s for sure.
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