LEON KING will have been told of Rangers’ Champions League tales and seen footage of the finest names in the game gracing Ibrox.
Now he has the chance to hear the famous theme music for himself and take to the biggest stage with his boyhood heroes.
King was still in his infancy at Primary School the last time that Rangers played group football as Walter Smith’s side faced Manchester United, Valencia and Bursaspor in 2010.
On Wednesday night, the 18-year-old watched on from the bench as Giovanni van Bronckhorst guided Rangers to a famous win over PSV Eindhoven and secured a return to the top table on the continent.
The Group A campaign will begin with a trip to Ajax next month and glamour fixtures with Liverpool and Napoli also await during a thrilling run of domestic and European outings.
King can dare to dream of playing his part. He has already realised one lifelong ambition just by seeing Rangers end their long wait for Champions League action.
King said: “It could be [a spark] but the team has been so together. Since we met up and flew to Portugal everyone has been lively and happy.
“Wednesday is a boost because we’re back where we should be and we just need to kick on from there.
“Being a centre-back at a club like Rangers you need to play and commit players and it’s something we’ll try to do a bit more as the season goes on.
“I don’t think it’s quite sunk in because there’s so little time between each game.
If I get a minute to sit down and take it all in I’ll be taken aback. I’m not old enough to remember when the club were last in the Champions League.
“I’m looking forward to all of them, I’ve never experienced a Champions League night at Ibrox so it’s something I’m extremely looking forward to.”
The visit of Serie A giants Napoli will be the first time that King will get to see a group stage outing at Ibrox and could prove to be a defining tie in a competitive section.
But it was 45 minutes of Premiership action that was his focus on Saturday as the defender helped Van Bronckhorst’s side to a comfortable 4-0 win over Ross County.
King was introduced at the break as Van Bronckhorst decided to replace James Sands after a booking and red card scare before goals from John Lundstram and Antonio Colak.
The Croatian netted after the break and Steven Davis rounded off the scoring on a pleasing afternoon at the office for Rangers as they returned to domestic duty.
The margin of victory could have been even greater had Scott Arfield been able to find the target and get King an assist to add to a solid showing at the back.
A clean sheet was just as important for the youngster and now he has a start in his sights as attentions turn to the visit of Queen of the South on Tuesday evening.
“It’s always great being a young player getting the nod to pay in front of Ibrox,” King said. “It’s still surreal being a boyhood fan of the club. It’s amazing.
“It’s amazing - I have these top class players to learn off and if I get my chance I’m there to grasp it with both hands.
“Everyone has been amazing, especially Connor and Tav, the lads who play alongside me. They take me under their wing and make sure I’m ok.
“I was solely focused on this club and I’m delighted to still be here. It would be amazing to get a runout on Tuesday.
“I’m looking to get 90 minutes in the tank and play as many games as I can.
“Scotty is just Scotty. You can’t be mad. We had a wee laugh about it.
“It was a great run and I managed to pass at the right time. He was unlucky not to score after it.”
