I was released by Rangers after £1.3m signing now I'm in La Liga

Fabio Cardoso when at Rangers <i>(Image: Stuart Wallace / Shutterstock)</i>
Fabio Cardoso when at Rangers (Image: Stuart Wallace / Shutterstock)
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He was one of the ill-fated signings of Pedro Caixinha's ill-fated Rangers spell. But Fabio Cardoso went on to build himself a strong career.

Signed by his countryman for £1.3milion from Vitoria Setubal in 2017, hopes were high the centre-back had what it took to become a star at Ibrox.

Instead, after just 18 appearances he was allowed to walk away from the club for nothing, costing £72,000 per game.

Caixinha had taken over late the previous season but his Rangers career looked doomed very early that summer when they were knocked out of the Europa League qualifying by Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn.

Cardoso played both of those games, however he would only go on to make 12 Premiership appearances. After Graeme Murty took over, the defender began to be picked less and less and was surplus to requirements for most of the campaign.

That led to him being released the following summer - as the club cut their losses after splashing out over £1m a year prior.



Rangers fans certainly would not have expected him to go on to have the career he has.

Quickly snapped by Santa Clara the day after his Ibrox exit, he excelled in the Portuguese top flight across three seasons, scoring 11 goals on top of his strong defensive displays.

That persuaded European giants Porto to spend around £1.7m to prise him away from their divisional rivals.

He may not have been a key player or regular starter across his three seasons but he did rack up 78 appearances and won one league and four cups.

Cardoso then had a loan spell with Al Ain in the UAE before moving to La Liga giants Sevilla last September.

He has played five times for the Spanish side, four in La Liga and one in the Copa del Rey.

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