Buffel going for gold

By Alex O'Henley

Thomas Buffel is hoping to win his first medal at senior level later this month when he lines up for Rangers FC in the final of the Scottish League Cup against Motherwell FC.

First trophy
The 24-year-old Belgian international has taken time to settle at Ibrox since his move from Feyenoord during the winter, but having scored his first goal for his new club a 7-1 semi-final win against Dundee United FC, Buffel is eyeing glory at Hampden Park on 20 March.

Dutch medal
"My only medal so far came when I was with [SC] Excelsior on loan in the Netherlands when we won promotion from the first division," Buffel told uefa.com. "This final will be an opportunity to get my first senior medal, but I am sure the Motherwell players will give us a very hard game."

Gullit factor
Having scored 32 goals in two seasons, Buffel was a firm favourite with the Feyenoord fans, but his fortunes changed when Ruud Gullit took over as coach last summer. Buffel was relegated to the substitutes' bench and quickly realised he would have to move elsewhere to play first-team football.

Important conversation
FC Schalke 04, VfB Stuttgart, SL Benfica and RSC Anderlecht were all credited with an interest in the creative midfield player, but a firm bid from Rangers and a conversation with manager Alex McLeish convinced Buffel to put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half year deal with the Glasgow club.

Simple solution
"The manager contacted me personally and when you know someone wants you, that is very important," he added. "Rangers wanted me at the beginning of the season but the price was too high. Fortunately that situation changed because I didn't play so much, but basically Alex McLeish wanted me and Ruud Gullit didn't."

Feyenoord support
Buffel added: "I am not bitter towards Gullit - that's football. New coaches come in and they either like you or they don't. It was a difficult time for me but the Feyenoord supporters kept me going. They would call for me to come on in every game and would cheer me every time I got to play."

Best position
Buffel's early appearances for Rangers have prompted a debate over his best position with some viewing him as a midfield player while others look to his former successful partnership with Pierre van Hooijdonk at Feyenoord and wonder if he might be more effective in a striking role.

Free role
"I'm somewhere in between, I think," said Buffel. "I can play in different positions but I think I am at my best if I have a little bit of freedom to play. That can come from the centre or the wide areas, but I like to drift into areas where I can create dangerous situations."

Continued development
Buffel is convinced the move to Scotland will aid his development. "I think I can become a better player here," he said. "I can become stronger physically and because the tempo is higher than Dutch football I have to think faster which is good for my overall development."

Belgium challenge
It may also help Belgium as they aim to salvage something from a stuttering FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. "It would be a major achievement to take part in a World Cup but there's a lot of hard work ahead of us before we can start thinking about that," said Buffel. "For the moment I am thinking only about Rangers and winning my first medal with the club."