Hannes van der Bruggen always thought Rabbi Matondo would make the perfect Kompany man for Anderlecht.
And the Cercle Brugge skipper is adamant the forgotten Ibrox ace can still do the business for Rangers. Van der Bruggen spent 10 months playing beside the Welsh winger during last year’s season-long loan from Schalke, a spell that saw Matondo emerge as the Jupiler Pro League’s hottest import. The speedster’s performances created such a stir in the Belgian market that all the country's top clubs were queuing up to do a deal.
His Cercle captain reckoned the 22-year-old would have been an ideal acquisition for domestic giants Anderlecht and even pitched a proposed hook up with Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany, who at that point was in charge of the Brussels big guns. In the end, it was Rangers who successfully negotiated a £2.5million fee to bring Matondo to Scotland but that hasn’t been much return on that investment so far for the Ibrox side.
Boss Michael Beale admitted Matondo has been suffering a “crisis of confidence” since moving to Glasgow but Van der Bruggen is in no doubt his former team-mate can still be a significant asset for Gers.
“I always felt Anderlecht should have signed Rabbi,” the Cercle midfielder told Record Sport. "At that time, Vincent Komapny was there and I had a feeling that he really would fit into they style.
“Under Kompany, they played brilliant football with quick circulation of the ball and I told Rabbi he would really fit in well there. I know there were some teams from Belgium interested in him and I told Rabbi that he had the perfect profile to be a big success in our league.
“The supporters in Anderlecht especially really like creative players and Rabbi that’s exactly what Rabbi was when he was here with us at Cercle. I knew if he went there the fans would love him. They adore one-v-one players, guys who dribble past defenders.”
The Ibrox faithful haven’t quite taken to him with quite the same fervour after a less than impressive debut campaign. The former Man City trainee has managed just eight starts so far and has yet to open his account for the club.
But there was a hug and a pat on the back from his gaffer on Saturday as he marked his first appearance after a four-month lay-off with an assist for Alfredo Morelos in the win over St Mirren.
“I genuinely thought Rabbi would do well with Rangers,” said van der Bruggen. I saw the game where he played against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League qualifiers.
“I know he’s had a difficult time since then but I was pleased to hear he did well at the weekend. I truly believe in him and I still think he can be important for Rangers.
“I know it’s a bigger club than Cercle, they play Champions League and there’s much more pressure in Glasgow. But as a message to the fans of Rangers I’d say don’t give up on him.
“Believe in this kid’s qualities because he’s still young, he can develop and be important for Rangers.”
Under Dominik Thalhammer, Cercle built their team around Matondo and were reward as he blasted 10 goals off the left wing. With that spot reserved for Ryan Kent at Ibrox, Matondo's struggled to recreate his Belgian displays on the right-hand side with Gers.
However, he did give a glimpse of what he’s capable of as he laid on Morelos’ goal from his preferred flank after making his return off the bench at the weekend. Van der Bruggen said: “Rabbi had a similar start here at Cercle. When he arrived from Schalke he had some knee problems and in the beginning it wasn’t that easy for him.
“But in the 10 months we were together I never once saw him angry. He was a joy to have in the dressing room. I remember him as a guy who was always laughing.
“I don’t know if he’s still laughing now in Glasgow but the Rabbi I knew was always joking and having fun. He’s a clever guy and I think he has the self-confidence you need to be a top player - otherwise you don’t come through the academy at Man City or play for Schalke.
“So I truly believe he has the strength to get over this difficult period. In the second half of last season, Rabbi was the best player in Belgium. He was a revelation.
“He scored 10 goals and had something like eight assists. It was an amazing time for him and after that all the top teams in Belgium wanted him - unfortunately he was just a bit too expensive.
“But he did great for us. He was so important as a team. We actually played on his qualities. If you have seen Cercle Brugge play, we are a pressing team but our coach told him Rabbi didn’t have to defend so much like the other players.
“It meant in those offensive transitions he was so dangerous because he was able to stand in space and with his speed, his one-v-one ability, he was a threat against every team he faced.”
Matondo is still waiting for his first taste of Old Firm action but van der Bruggen remembers a player who thrived on the biggest Belgian stages.
He said: “Last year we won the Brugge Derby. It’s a big game for the whole city but especially our fans as Cercle had gone ages since we last beat Club Brugge.
“In that game, Rabbi was outstanding. He set up a goal with an amazing dribble. Club Brugge were playing Champions League at that time but Rabbi was too good for them.
“Against Anderlecht too he scored an amazing goal. Again, it had been about 10 years since we beat them but Rabbi scored from 25 metres out and we won.
“So you can see from these kind of games against the top teams he would always perform. I just hope he gets a chance to do that in Scotland.”
