If truth be told, Glasgow Rangers aren’t the first club, and they certainly won’t be the last to miss out on signing some of the best football players in the world. However, that won’t stop Rangers fans from wishfully thinking about the transfers that got away.

Whilst Alex McLeish is by no means the only man at fault, the former Rangers manager missed the chance to sign some of the brightest talents in a generation, with the likes of Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi firmly on his radar. Without trying to rub salt in the wounds, both would then go on to become Barcelona legends in their own right.

Fast forward a few years later, and Steven Gerrard must be delighted with the striker options available to him at the moment. In fact, it’s fair to say the Gers boss is pretty spoilt for choice, as Alfredo Morelos remains his first-choice striker, with Cedric Itten and Jermain Defoe providing cover and competition, whilst Kemar Roofe marked his successful return from injury with a sensational screamer in the Europa League.

The trouble is, nobody ever really knows for sure if a young player will hit the same heights as an Ally McCoist, say, or even a Barry Ferguson. Some players seem to have the world at their feet, whilst others make a promising start then suffer a career-threatening injury – the least said about Jack Wilshere, the better – Gerrard did once call him a “frightening” prospect.

However, it seems McLeish may have had an absolute stinker here, as he missed the opportunity to sign a world-class striker who would be described as “one of the best” by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

According to a report by The BBC in 2002, Rangers were interested in signing Samuel Eto’o, who was still with Real Mallorca at the time. It was understood that Mallorca were struggling financially and were prepared to sell one of their prized assets, which means that the Cameroonian may have been available for a cut-price deal.

Instead, McLeish, in his infinite wisdom, decided to turn his attentions elsewhere. He told the club’s official website, as quoted by the report: “Samuel Eto’o is a player I like, but there are a lot of players out there that I like.

“He is not the number one target.

“There were a number of excellent players on show in the Cameroon-Argentina game which Andy watched, including Marc-Vivien Foe, who is a midfield player.

“There are a lot of players out there who we would love to bring to Rangers, but we will do it when the time is right.”

In the end, Eto’o scored 67 goals in 155 appearances for Los Bermellones, before he joined Spanish giants Barcelona in 2004 for a reported fee of $29.41m, which roughly equates to £22.96m.

The former 118-cap Cameroon international bagged 130 goals and 40 assists in 199 games for Barca, and won three La Liga titles, two Champions League trophies, two Copa del Reys, and two Spanish Super Cups in the process, via Transfermarkt.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time, he won the African Player of the Year three times in a row, winning the award for the final time in 2010, which just goes to show the longevity of his career.

Once hailed as an “incredible” player by City boss Guardiola, Eto’o went on to enjoy spells with Inter Milan, Anzhi Makhachkala, Chelsea and Everton, before he hung up his boots for the final time after a stint with Qatar SC. Things may have been very different indeed if McLeish had managed to work with Eto’o rather than Tore Andre Flo, who turned out to be a total flop. Just imagine what he may have been able to do alongside the likes of Peter Lovenkrands and Michael Mols, it almost doesn’t bear thinking about.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers have the perfect James Tavernier heir in Nathan Patterson…