Fernando Ricksen’s funeral: Fans pay respects to former Rangers player
Written by News on 25/09/2019
Fans have turned out in large numbers to pay their respects at the funeral of former Rangers player Fernando Ricksen on Wednesday afternoon.
The Dutchman, who was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in October 2013, passed away in a hospice last Wednesday morning at the age of 43.
The funeral cortege made its way to Ibrox along Paisley Road West for 1pm, where it stopped briefly outside the stadium so supporters could pay their tributes.
It then proceeded to Wellington Church for the funeral at 2pm before a private, family service is held at Linn Crematorium later in the day.
A midfielder who could also play at right-back, Ricksen won two Scottish titles, two Scottish Cups and three League Cups in a six-year spell at Ibrox after joining Rangers in 2000.
He moved to Zenit St Petersburg in 2006, initially on loan, where he won a Russian title and the UEFA Cup, beating Rangers in the final in 2008. Ricksen returned to Holland to finish his career with Fortuna.
After diagnosis in 2013, Ricksen spent his years battling motor neurone disease and raising money to find a cure for the condition.
Ricksen remembered in Sky Sports documentary
An emotional documentary of Fernando Ricksen’s battle with motor neurone disease has been re-released by Sky Sports following the former Rangers captain’s death.
‘Fernando Ricksen’, filmed in 2015, charts the late Dutchman’s lengthy battle with the neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis that took his life at the age of 43.
The documentary followed Ricksen around the time of a benefit match held by Rangers at Ibrox in January 2015, where over 41,000 fans helped raise £320,000 for the Dutchman, his daughter Isabella, MND Scotland and the Rangers Charity Foundation.
The documentary ‘Fernando Ricksen’ is available to download now On Demand.
(c) Sky Sports 2019: Fernando Ricksen’s funeral: Fans pay respects to former Rangers player
