A SERIES of wild rumours and frantic phone calls regarding claims of Fashion Sakala's untimely demise came at a time when his Rangers career appeared to be dead and buried.
Now the Zambian is a reborn figure and the life and soul of the Ibrox dressing room after being able to laugh off a social media storm that claimed he had been killed.
Sakala was at the centre of a whirlwind of speculation and conjecture in November after suggestions spread online that he had been shot during a botched burglary in his homeland. In fact, the striker was in his kitchen in Glasgow.
The source of the vile prank remains a mystery to Sakala. He had to reassure security staff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst that he was alive and well and then caught his team-mates by surprise after the Ibrox squad became aware of the unfounded chat that went viral.
Sakala returned to Zambia ahead of the win over Partick Thistle to see his newborn daughter and jokes that he 'came back alive again!' to Glasgow. He had found himself in a bizarre situation just months earlier but he tells the story with humour and that now familiar beaming smile.
"I received a call from Gavin the security person at the club and his breathing was very different," Sakala said. "I was like: ‘what’s going on?’
"He asked: ‘are you Fashion?’ and I was like: ‘yeah.’ He said: ‘I just saw something on Twitter saying you were dead.’
"I was like: ‘no, I’m still alive. I’m cooking.’ He said: ‘okay, we will speak later’.
"Immediately, my manager called me asking if I was okay. I said I was okay and he said: ‘I saw something saying you were dead.’ I said: ‘We will talk later, I’m good.’
"I was very surprised. It was funny, but people always have the time to write things. This is not the first time.
"I’ve had a lot of stories in my own country saying ‘he’s had an accident, he’s dead. He and his wife are dead. I don’t know if they are wishing us dead.
"I don’t know if it was people from Glasgow who wrote it or people from Zambia because I’ve had it in my own country before."
That conversation with Van Bronckhorst was one of the last the pair shared. Within days, the Dutchman had been sacked as he paid the price for a Premiership campaign that had spiralled out of control and a series of European embarrassments.
Sakala took no pleasure from seeing his boss removed from office but it has proven to be a turning point in his season. The return of Michael Beale has rejuvenated him and the former fringe forward is now poised to start against Celtic on Sunday.
The message from Van Bronckhorst that he 'liked big strikers' let Sakala know that he was going to find it tough under the former Ibrox midfielder and he believes that his boss 'didn’t know where to put me' as he failed to assert himself as a centre-forward and competed for a berth wide on the right.
The same jersey is up for grabs in Beale's side but the role has changed and he plays more as a second striker, supporting Alfredo Morelos alongside Ryan Kent. The tactical switches have brought out the best in Sakala and he reckons Rangers have benefited as well after being 'very easy to beat' during Van Bronckhorst's reign.
"Yes, everything has changed," Sakala said. "I don’t complain about the former manager but it was a frustrating season. I didn’t play in the first 10 games and it was very frustrating.
"But I kept my patience and the good relationship I have with the players and technical staff all helped me. But it was very difficult but here is such a very good group here and they supported me.
"My first game back after those 10 games without playing I played five minutes, then 10, then 15, 30 and then 90. That’s how it changed.
"It was frustrating but the new coach called me into his office and we had a great meeting. He told me how he wants me to play. That showed me the confidence he has in me.
"But I am not yet there. I am still working hard to get to the best level of my career but I think I am slowly getting there."
Sakala makes for an engaging and honest interview. He is relaxed as he holds court in the office of Malky Thomson, the Women's Team manager, at a media day ahead of the Viaplay Cup final with Celtic on Sunday.
It is impossible not to warm to the 25-year-old and supporters - who serenade him to the tune of 'Waka Waka' by Shakira - have taken him to their hearts. There are technical and tactical flaws in his game, but his enthusiasm for football and willingness to listen and learn make Sakala likeable and relatable as he lives his dream at Ibrox.
There have been trying, testing moments throughout his Rangers career. Even in those dark times, he has tried to light up the room, accepting the role of a motivator to lift those around him with his bubbly persona and love for life.
"It was difficult but you know, it is obviously a dream for each and every player to play games," Sakala said. "But for me I kept my happiness around the squad, because I respect each and every player and the positions they play in.
"What I was looking more at were the results so when the team was struggling, I was not happy. Because I knew what I could add to the club and to the squad and when the team was winning.
"I used to get questions from the players: 'how are you managing the situation and keeping smiling?' I was happy and talking to everyone. I think that was the best way to handle it because if I took it personally in a negative way then it could have affected me even more.
"Even when we changed the coach, if I was not positive about the situation then I think it would have been a different situation again to get back to better performances."
Sakala only worked with Beale for a couple of months before he joined Steven Gerrard and his staff on the road out of Ibrox. His time with the management team that signed him from KV Oostende, primarily to play as a striker, made quite the impression on a man whose rise in the game is a true rags to riches tale.
He has played in a European final and won a Scottish Cup. Another medal on Sunday would be cherished and a reward for his patience and belief as much as his talent.
“I wasn’t thinking about leaving," Sakala said as he assessed the situation in what proved to be the final weeks of Van Bronckhorst's tenure. "But you start thinking if they (the manager) think you should stay. Or do they want you to go?
"At the same time you start thinking about doing everything you can to get the minutes that you want. That’s what I was doing. I kept my patience and was working extra hard.
"As a player you can have thoughts about, 'What if I go? What if I do this?'. But when you think about how massive the club is and how hard I worked to get here when it was such a difficult way. So then it was just all about working hard to make it a success.”
