Best player in the World – Jose Mourinho praises Rangers’ Dessers in Fenerbahce loss

Fenerbahce head coach, Jose Mourinho, has heaped praise on Super Eagles and Rangers striker, Cyriel Kolawole Dessers, after his brilliant display in the UEFA Europa League last night, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 30-year-old opened the scoring inside seven minutes for Rangers at the Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe, and taunted the fans of the Turkish club by celebrating his goal by cupping his ears with his hands.

As a result, Dessers shared a laugh with Mourinho after the goal, hinting the Portuguese manager enjoyed the feistiness of the Super Eagles forward.

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Dessers turned provider for Rangers' second goal and was heavily involved in the Gers' third before he was withdrawn in the 88th minute, and the manager of the opposition was left awed.

“Dessers is a good player, but today he looked like the best player in the world, but he is not,” Jose Mourinho said in quotes revealed by Rangers Review.

Cyriel Dessers' goal against Fenerbahce took his goal tally to 22 goals this season pic.twitter.com/KBHqFnw63m

— Leagues Reporter (@LeaguesReporter) March 6, 2025

Additionally, the former Chelsea boss lauded Rangers goalkeeper for his solidity at the back. Mourinho admitted his side weren't at their best, but concluded by saying the tie is far from over.

“I know that Butland makes three fantastic saves. I know that there is, I think, a penalty, but to speak about the referee after this performance, I don’t think it's ethical.

“Our performance was bad overall. The chances we had to score, we didn't. The dynamic in midfield was not good. We lost lots of duels. Our passing was not fast.

“Defensively, we made incredible mistakes. They [Rangers] deserve the result, but, for me, it's not over. I know it's 3-1, so we are losing 3-1 when the game starts [next week], but it's not over,” the two-time UEFA Champions League winner concluded.

The return leg will be played at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow next Thursday. Rangers will be hoping they can put up a solid defensive performance in front of their fans as they look to qualify for the quarter final of the UEFA Europa League.