Swansea City: Roberto Martinez sourced £10k Swans legend on striker shopping trip | OneFootball

Roberto Martinez went searching for a striker in the summer of 2007 but instead found Angel Rangel

Angel Rangel is remembered as a Swansea City legend after his 11-year stay at the club, which saw him play a pivotal role in their journey from League One to the Premier League, and subsequent cup glory.

However, it's fair to say that the Spaniard wasn't a household name in south Wales when he arrived from lower league side Terrassa, and nobody could have envisaged the impact he'd make in English football, perhaps not even Roberto Martinez.

Rangel became a Swansea legend almost by accident, and it was by pure luck that Martinez spotted him and decided to bring him to the club, a deal which will go down as one of the Swans' finest in recent times.

Roberto Martinez went on striker shopping trip and came back with Angel Rangel

In the summer of 2007, Martinez returned to his homeland in Spain on a scouting mission, scouring the lower leagues of Spanish football for suitable additions to his side.

The Swansea boss was looking for a striker, and went to watch him in action, but instead, the opposition right-back Rangel impressed Martinez, and he was subsequently signed by the Swans.

Swansea found Rangel by accident playing in the lower leagues of Spanish football, and the £10,000 transfer fee they paid for him meant that he was more of a punt than anything, but it proved incredibly shrewd business.

Incredibly, Rangel paid some of that transfer fee himself just to ensure the deal was completed, and he wasted no time in getting up to speed and impressing the Jack Army after his arrival.

He started all but three of Swansea's League One games during the 07/08 campaign, helping his side lift the title, and he continued his impressive form as the club moved up the divisions.

Rangel would continue to be a mainstay in Swansea's side under Martinez, Paulo Sousa and Brendan Rodgers as they spent three years in the Championship, before winning promotion to the Premier League in 2011.

It wasn't always plain sailing for Rangel's relationship with the Swansea supporters after trying to force a move to Premier League side Blackpool in 2010, but the club's decision to keep him paid dividends when they reached the top-flight the following year.

Just four years after signing for Swansea for a fee of £10,000, Rangel was to become a Premier League player, and he certainly didn't look out of place in the top-flight.

Angel Rangel became a Swansea City legend

Swansea's ascent to the Premier League was the stuff of dreams, and Rangel's journey from Spanish semi-professional football to England's top-flight was scarcely believable either.

Again, he was one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Swans, and he helped the club lift their first ever major trophy in 2013 when they won the League Cup at Wembley Stadium.

That ensured they qualified for the Europa League, being drawn against Swiss side St. Gallen, Russian outfit Kuban Krasnodar and Spanish giants Valencia.

Rangel was handed the captain's armband at the Mestella as his side recorded a famous 3-0 win over Valencia, one of the greatest in the club's history, and it was a proud moment for the Spaniard, captaining his side against one of the biggest clubs in his homeland.

It emphasised just how far the right-back had come, and the fact that he was a mainstay in the squad during Swansea's seven-year stay in the Premier League, arguably the greatest period in the club's history, showed just what an impact he made.

It wasn't just his actions on the pitch that made him a legend but the way he conducted himself off it too, taking to the streets of Swansea in 2013 to feed homeless people, while he's currently coaching a local football team in the local area.

He departed in 2018, joining QPR after Swansea's relegation, and despite his age meaning his best days were behind him, he made a positive impression at Loftus Road too, becoming popular with supporters.

For £10,000, Rangel will go down as one of Swansea's best ever signings without a doubt, and it's strange to think of just how different things could have been if Martinez hadn't embarked on his scouting mission to Spain in the summer of 2007.