Derby County free transfer became a cult hero in two years | OneFootball

The striker joined the Rams in 2020, and despite reservations on his arrival, he became a key player for Phillip Cocu and Wayne Rooney.

The 2020/21 season was one that Derby County supporters are still trying to forget to this day, as the club came incredibly close to relegation to League One.

After a 10th place finish under Phillip Cocu in the campaign prior, there were hopes that the Rams could push on and force their way into the play-off picture after a decent end to 2019/20.

However, a poor summer, coupled with a terrible start saw the East Midlands side bottom of the table by November, leading to their Dutch manager losing his job, and Wayne Rooney taking over the role, firstly on an interim basis.

Derby's plight was something that few predicted, and they found it incredibly difficult to see out games in the Championship. Nevertheless, one of Cocu's final signings, Colin Kazim-Richards, proved to be one of his most brilliant, and he surprised fans during his two years at Pride Park.

Kazim-Richards gave renewed hope for fans after a difficult start

The signing of the then 34-year-old was not one that had impressed supporters, with his goal record poor in the seasons leading up to his arrival at DE24.

Once dubbed the "Coca-Cola Kid", Kazim-Richards spent time in Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands, Scotland and Turkey before returning to England, last playing in the country in the 2012/13 campaign with Blackburn Rovers.

It was an extremely surprising move, and there was a lot of apprehension after his first few weeks in black-and-white with the striker struggling to find the back of the net.

However, a header against Coventry City in his eighth appearance proved to be the catalyst for what was his best season statistically for six years.

Derby had an extremely positive festive period in 2020, and slowly but surely, their fortunes were starting to turn. The Rams went through a run of form akin to a team vowing for promotion, and Kazim-Richards played a huge part in that, scoring goals and leading from the front.

He scored winning goals against both Bristol City and QPR in successive weeks in January 2021 to help take his side out of the relegation zone for the first time in three months, and hope was restored that Rooney's side could drag themselves towards mid-table.

A late equaliser against Nottingham Forest wrote the striker's name into history in the East Midlands derby, and he was only endearing himself to supporters more and more as games went by.

But, the wins soon dried up once again, and the former Turkey international struggled in front of goal once again.

He grabbed his eighth and final goal of the season against Birmingham City in a 2-1 defeat with just three games to go, before playing a big part in ensuring Derby's survival on the final day of the campaign in a 3-3 draw against Sheffield Wednesday.

Kazim-Richards stuck by the Rams, rewarding himself with cult-hero status

After staying up by the skin of their teeth in 2020/21, the next season proved to be an even bigger challenge, with off-field issues meaning that new contracts were unable to be signed, and the Rams' squad was depleted heading out of the summer.

Kazim-Richards, however, had earned an extension on his original deal at Pride Park in February 2021, and his future was already secured until the summer of 2022. This was something that Rooney was in desperate need of, as experience was lacking.

Injuries played a part in the 2021/22 season for the 35-year-old, both at the start and back end. However, it was clear that he was still playing a part, and his leadership was being felt even while he was off the pitch.

His three final goals for Derby all came in consecutive matches, with two of those being winners against West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City, before scoring the Rams' first in a dramatic late comeback against Reading in their first game of 2022.

Administration had ripped Kazim-Richards' side to pieces over the course of the season, but he stuck by the club that had given him another chance in the Championship, and he left as a fan favourite and a cult-hero.

Now retired, the striker is still remembered fondly, and the sacrifices and effort that he put in will never be forgotten by supporters.