‘When He Said To Me’ – Rangers Star Reveals Legend’s Role In NT Call-up | OneFootball

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Rangers striker Ryan Naderi has revealed that legendary midfielder Pavel Nedved called him after his goal against Jablonec, asking him whether he wanted to represent the Czech Republic.

The Gers brought Naderi from Hansa Rostock during the winter window by paying a hefty €6m fee and this season the attacker has been in brilliant form.

Naderi put in two impressive performances against Rangers’ arch rivals, Celtic, scoring a goal and assisting a goal and ex-Gers star Andy Halliday pointed out that he looks like a new player.

The 23-year-old centre forward is currently with the Czech Republic national team, which is his first call-up and Czech Republic general manager Nedved admitted that he is pleased with Naderi’s decision to represent his country.

On Saturday, he made his debut against Spain, coming off the bench in the 67th minute of the game and scoring a goal which was disallowed.

Naderi scored a goal against Jablonec in the Conference League playoff round in August and the Gers star revealed that he received a phone call from Nedved following the game to represent the Czech Republic, which he feels was a nice moment.

When asked about general manager Nedved, Naderi was quoted as saying by Idnes:  “When he said to me, ‘Son, do you fancy playing for the Czech Republic?’ It was a really nice moment.”

Naderi admitted that his debut for the Czech Republic against Spain felt like a fairytale for him and he feels incredible to represent his country.

When asked whether the debut felt like a fairytale, he said: “But you are right that what has happened over the last few days is a bit like a fairytale.

“It is genuinely incredible to be here. 

“You have to believe in yourself, but these are all big steps for me and I am grateful that all of this is happening.”

The Czech Republic will play against England on Tuesday and the 23-year-old will be hoping that he will be able to impress Santi Denia to get into the starting lineup.

Playing on the international stage will raise Naderi’s profile and could well make it more likely that Rangers need to deal with interest in him in the future.