View: Ex-Rangers title-winner shows Ibrox chiefs made wrong contract call

Leon Balogun is loving life with Cypriot side Aris Limassol in 2025-26, having left Rangers in this season’s summer transfer window.

The 37-year-old defender departed Ibrox upon the expiration of his contract last summer, having moved back to Glasgow following a brief one-year stint with English Championship outfit QPR.

Balogun first joined Rangers in the summer of 2020 from Wigan, and helped Gers win the Scottish Premiership title during his debut 2020-21 campaign.

He’d become an important member of the squad during both his spells at Ibrox, turning out 30 times in all competitions during his final 2024-25 season with Gers.

However, with him not getting any younger and Rangers ready to embrace the future, Balogun left on a free transfer upon the opening of this season’s summer window.

What did Leon Balogun say about staying at Rangers?

Rangers paused contract talks with Balogun last May as they remained in the process of appointing a new manager to replace Barry Ferguson.

However, no new deal was offered to the central defender, which wasn’t something that he nor many Gers fans wanted to see happen.

Speaking in an interview via Herald Scotland last May, Balogun admitted that he wanted to stay at Ibrox, and believed that his performances on the pitch should outweigh the factor of his age.

“It’s hard to say (when I will know), because it’s not in my control. I don’t know what stage the whole thing is,” he said.

“I mean, they’re on the search for a manager, I don’t really know, so it’s not my business really, until it becomes mine, hopefully. I don’t know if there are any deadlines, I can’t say. I would tell you, but I can’t.

“I try not to think about it too much. I’m quite relaxed, to be honest, but maybe that’s just who I am. I can be very, very emotional, but I will keep that for the moment where I have certainty, which I don’t have at the moment.

“(My future) It’s written in the stars, so I’ll trust the big man upstairs … and some people up here in the club, so we’ll see.”

He then went on to talk about why he felt his age shouldn’t matter in terms of Ibrox chiefs deciding whether to hand him fresh terms, saying: “Without trying to sound arrogant, age is nothing but a number.

“I’ve looked after myself throughout my whole career pretty well, I’d like to think, which is the reason why I can still perform at this level.

“If I felt that I was starting to really struggle, I would admit it, but I absolutely do not feel that way.”

How has Balogun fared for Aris Limassol?

So, leaving Glasgow without a new Rangers contract, Balogun bagged himself a deal with Cypriot side Aris Limassol last summer, and he’s been loving life there ever since.

Indeed, he’s started 17 of his 18 league appearances in 2025-26, averaging 88 minutes per game, as per Sofascore.

He’s also scored two goals and provided one assist from those league outings, recording a goal conversion of 18 per cent as well as completing 88 per cent of his passes successfully.

Balogun has recovered a staggering 10.6 balls per game on average this term, with a 60 per cent dribble success rate and having won 68 per cent of his aerial duels.

The veteran defender has committed just 0.8 fouls per game on average, whilst also making 2.3 clearances per match and being dribbled past only 1.1 times per 90 too, which is impressive for a player of his age.

Now of course, and with all due respect, the Cypriot league is not at the same standard as the Scottish Premiership, but even so, Balogun’s numbers over there this season remain very impressive.

Rangers do have a number of quality centre-back options at their disposal, but Balogun is proving his words correct in terms of his age merely being a number, with just shy of 1,600 league minutes under his belt this year.

So, maybe Ibrox chiefs should’ve handed him fresh terms after all, as his experience and the fact he’s still clearly got fuel in the tank would’ve been very useful for Danny Rohl‘s side to have right now.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.