The thoughts if every rangers fan are with you horrible disease which has no cure.... John Former Rangers star Fernando Ricksen breaks down in tears as he reveals hes been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Diseas FORMERS Rangers star Fernando Ricksen has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). The former Dutch international was diagnosed earlier this week. He made the announcement on a Dutch TV show . He played for Fortuna Sittard, AZ, Glasgow Rangers, and Zenit St Petersburg during his career. He also played 12 matches for Oranje. Ricksen signed for Rangers in 2000 from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and went on to make 182 appearances for the club before departing for Russian side Zenit St Petersburg in 2007. The 37-year-old was a key member of the Rangers squad during the 2004-05 season, playing 51 games and scoring nine goals as the side won the SPL trophy and the League Cup. He was given the role as team captain for a spell after injury to goalkeeper Stefan Klos and went on to claim both Rangers Player of the Year and joint Scottish PFA Players Player of the Year alongside Celtic striker John Hartson. In all, he played more than 400 matches during his career. Ricksen is a now a coach with Sittard in Holland, and it is unclear if he will continue. Ricksen is slated to publish an autobiography of his life and career. ALS, a debilitating illness, characterized by progressive muscle atrophy, difficulty speaking, and difficulty breathing. It is possible for someone diagnosed with the disease to die within a few years. In previous reports, Ricksen admitted to living a relatively hard life, with lots of drinking and partying. “After a match I’d stay up drinking until four or five in the morning and I’d spend the rest of my week quietly. Train, play, drink, train, play, drink,” he told the Daily Record in August . “If you trained well and looked after yourself, you could last out a long time. I took good care not to take to the field when I was drunk.” But he added that “90 percent of footballers do what I used to do. I can assure you that out of the 20 players under contract at the club, 16 of them would stay up drinking deep into the night – and they’d sometimes play matches with a hangover.”
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 21:06:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015