The 7 Greatest Players to Wear Rangers' Number 7 Shirt

Over the course of their illustrious history, Rangers have boasted some of the world's finest ever players, and a fair few of them have worn the number seven.

The number seven shirt has had a fair few owners over the years, from the swashbuckling 1960s to the doom and gloom of fourth-division football, so here's the best seven of the bunch.

Dave Smith

Squad numbers weren't quite as rigid and fixed as they are in the modern day back in the late 1960s, but Dave Smith did infrequently grace the number seven jersey for the Gers. 

Smith spent eight years in Glasgow, consistently sparkling on the left-hand side of the midfield - so much so that he was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame back in 2007 following his years of service.

Smith made over 300 appearances for the Gers during his career between 1966 and 1974, offering flair and trickery unrivalled by the majority of his teammates, while his crowning achievement - winning the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup - showcased his brilliance on the European stage as Smith played a crucial part in the 3-2 final win over Dynamo Moscow.

Gennaro Gattuso

While Gattuso's year-long stint at Rangers was a very short and fleeting part of his career, it certainly paved the way for his blockbuster years at Milan, where the Italian would go on to become one of the most formidable (and frankly frightening) defensive midfielders in world football.

Gattuso's ferocity quickly - and unsurprisingly - endeared him to the Ibrox faithful and the now Napoli manager made 51 appearances for the Gers between 1997 and 1998. 

The enforcer's five goals and a string of impressive performances were undone when he was sold by Dick Advocaat - an ill-advised sale based on the trajectory of the Italian's career following his departure from Rangers.

Tommy McLean 

To say that McLean's trophy cabinet is full to the brim is an understatement. The Scot won 11 trophies in as many years at the club between 1971 and 1982. As well as the famous '72 European Cup Winners' Cup, the nifty winger bagged himself four Scottish Cups, three League Cups and three first division titles as well.

452 appearances after arriving at Ibrox from Kilmarnock, McLean had firmly established himself as a club legend, donning the number seven jersey in Rangers' world-beating team of the 1970s.

A traditional wide man, McLean was a crowd-pleaser in Glasgow and returned to the club at several points in his career as a coach, helping the Gers with his vast wealth of experience both as a player and manager.

Stuart McCall

Arguably McCall's greatest moment in football was when he fell off that car celebrating Bradford's promotion to the Premier League in the late 1990s...but before that he enjoyed a nine-year stint at Ibrox, featuring 265 times for the Light Blues and scoring 19 goals.

Similarly to many of his Rangers teammates of the era, McCall was inducted in to the club's Hall of Fame in 2008 after winning ten trophies during his time in Glasgow, including five league titles.

The luscious ginger hair of McCall was closely associated with the incredible success enjoyed by the Gers throughout the 90s, and the 40-cap Scotland international even went on to briefly manage the club in 2015, but didn't enjoy the success he did as a player.

Claudio Caniggia

The Argentinian's Rangers career may have been something of a swansong, but the forward was remarkable at his best and still picked up five trophies in just two years at Ibrox, while becoming a fan favourite along the way.

He went on to play 50 times for the Light Blues and Argentina each in a dazzling career across three continents that was littered with phenomenal moments from start to finish.

His most important goal for the club came in the 2003 Scottish League Cup final, opening the scoring in Rangers' 2-1 win over bitter local rivals Celtic on the way to the trophy.

Davie Cooper

The late Davie Cooper - who tragically passed away aged just 39 - won a staggering 12 trophies in as many years during his career at Ibrox, while also being inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame following his remarkable contribution to the game.

Cooper was one of the finest wingers of his generation, boasting tremendous agility, speed and power on the flanks - all while wearing the infamous number seven jersey. He played a whopping 376 games for Rangers, scoring 49 goals in the process and firmly writing his name in to club folklore.

Cooper scored one of the most spectacular solo goals Scottish football has ever witnessed in the 1971 Drybrough Cup final against Celtic, chipping the ball over three players in succession before tucking beyond the onrushing goalkeeper.

A special goal scored by a special player.

'Wee' Willie Henderson

Dubbed 'Wee Willie', the rapid right-winger was just 5'4, but made a gargantuan impact at Rangers. 

Arguably the greatest number seven the club has ever had, Henderson is rightly thought of as one of the finest Scottish players of all time, ripping up the playbook during his 12-year spell at Ibrox. 

Henderson made over 400 appearances for the Gers, as well as just under 30 for Scotland, and was part of one of the greatest Rangers sides ever, but missed out on the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup triumph after leaving the club following a fallout with manager Willie Waddell.

Regardless, Wee Willie was one of the most creative and ingenious players Rangers fans have had the pleasure of witnessing over the years, and made the number seven jersey what it is today on the blue side of Glasgow.