Wed 07 May 08
Rangers 1
Motherwell 0
Goal

Wed 13 Feb 08
Rangers 0
Panathinaikos 0
Missed Chance

Wed 30 Jan 08
Rangers 2
Hearts 0
Goal

BARRY FERGUSON has lifted numerous domestic trophies with Rangers and captained the side as they competed in the club's first European final for 36 years in the UEFA Cup in Manchester in 2008.

For a player who has gone on to such success Ferguson emergence as a Rangers player on May 10, 1997 was virtually lost in the wild celebration of a record-equalling nine successive Scottish titles.

Few paid much attention to the youthful midfielder who wore the No. 7 jersey as Rangers unimportantly lost 3-1 to Hearts at Tynecastle having seized the crown at Tannadice in their previous match.

From an inauspicious start, Ferguson has gone on to leave his mark as one of Rangers' finest players in recent times.

Initially frustrated at his lack of involvement during Walter Smith's first tenure, it is now agreed that easing him into the first team was the best policy for an emerging talent.

It meant that when Dick Advocaat replaced Smith in 1998 Ferguson was more than ready to become a top team player on a regular basis.

Advocaat wasted no time in securing a new five-year contract for the midfielder and he got his reward with mature performances that belied Ferguson's age.

The UEFA Cup matches against Bayer Leverkusen in particular were pivotal in establishing Ferguson as the top emerging talent in the country.

What was more remarkable was that a young Scot could hold his own in Advocaat's multi-national force that had been assembled at a considerable cost.

Sadly, injury prevented him from being involved in the run-in to the 1999 Treble and he had to watch from the Main Stand at Hampden as the clean sweep was achieved in the sweetest way possible - a Cup Final win over Celtic.

Ferguson was so influential the following season that he was named Scotland's Player of the Year, albeit in a close contest with Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

It is undoubtedly one of the reasons why Advocaat turned to Ferguson in the autumn of 2000 to become his new captain when the Dutchman decided that Lorenzo Amoruso should relinquish the armband.

He went on to prove, particularly under the tutelage of Alex McLeish that he was an exceptional leader on the field.

Yes, there was the silly sending off in a humiliating 6-2 defeat at Parkhead and the petulant throwing of an ice bag in 2-1 Ibrox defeat by Celtic. There were some troubles off the field too.

However, you only have to examine the drive and determination displayed by Ferguson in the treble-winning sweep of 2003 to easily recognise his worth.

He provided the purpose and inspiration on numerous occasions during a remarkable season that produced a seventh treble for Rangers.

Of course, it must be hard to understand why a self-confessed fan would decide to give it all up and move on - but that is all in the past now and he has flourished again in phase two of his Ibrox career.

Phase one, between 1997 and 2003, yielded 241 appearances, a Hall of Fame place and nine trophies - three SPL titles, three Scottish Cups and three League Cups!

Barry, of course, was in place for the business end of the 2004/05 campaign and helped the club secure an amazing CIS Cup/SPL double.

He had completed his protracted return to Rangers from Blackburn Rovers just hours before the transfer window slammed shut in January 2005.

The former Ibrox skipper and treble-winner had endured weeks of uncertainty as the two clubs haggled over a transfer fee before a settlement was eventually agreed allowing him to return.

Season 2006/07 was a turbulent one for both player and club, with Ferguson and former boss Paul Le Guen occasionally having their differences.

Le Guen's decision to step down in January 2007, to be replaced by Walter Smith, seemed to galvanise Ferguson and he once again approached peak form in the second half of the season.

His performances in Smith's first full season back in charge saw him captain the side to a remarkable and unprecedented run in four competitions.

He led the side out in the UEFA Cup final - the culmination of 19 continental matches that took Ferguson beyond Dave Narey's record appearances for a Scottish club in European competition.

Ferguson also overtook Kenny Dalglish to become the Scottish player to have played in the most competitive continental fixtures.

After 61 starts in 2007/08 Ferguson succumbed to injury in the close season and wasn't seen back in a Rangers shirt until a substitute appearance against Inverness in November 2008.

Eased back in from the bench Ferguson took a regular starting berth again when Kevin Thomson was sidelined with a cruciate knee injury on November 9.