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Kemar Roofe reveals he turned down Celtic before Rangers

Kemar Roofe reveals he turned down Celtic before Rangers

Glasgow Timesa day ago
The forward, who spent four years at Ibrox and contributed to the club's 55th title win in the 2020/21 season, revealed his decision on the Open Goal podcast.
He also won the Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup during his time in Glasgow.
The 32-year-old was playing in Belgium's top flight at the time and had a choice to make.
🎥⚽️| KEEPING THE BALL ON THE GROUND
Kemar @roofe reveals that he turned down @CelticFC right before Steven Gerrard called & convinced him to sign for @RangersFC!
YouTube 📺 https://t.co/mA3hPCnRKu
w/ The Clubhouse | 20% Off Food | Quote OPEN GOAL | https://t.co/NLEbzVKvPB pic.twitter.com/bY9iGIctET — Open Goal (@opengoalsport) August 5, 2025
Roofe said: "It was Celtic first.
"Celtic asked my agent about it but I said no because my focus was just to play for Anderlecht.
"A week before that I'd spoken to Vincent Kompany (then manager) and he said 'We still want you here.'
"In my head, I was going to play the full season again at Anderlecht.
"So, I said no."
However, his plans changed when Rangers made their interest known.
Roofe explained: "Then about a week later, I got a phone call from Vincent Kompany saying Rangers have put in a bid, and the club have accepted.
"The difference was Rangers actually put in a bid.
"As soon as the bid came in, the club was in a financial situation because of Covid, so they said yes straight away.
"Then it was up to me to say whether I'd go to Rangers or stay at Anderlecht."
Roofe was signed by Steven Gerrard in 2020, and he recalls their first conversation vividly: "Come in, be our number nine and win the league."
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