Findlay Curtis (2022 to date)
Findlay has been associated with the club since the age of six, progressing through the Academy and Under-18 side before going on to make his competitive first team debut in season 2024/25.
A wide player capable of scoring goals, Curtis was deservedly handed his debut by Philippe Clement on 19th January 2025 during a 5-0 Ibrox victory over Fraserburgh in the 4th Round of the Scottish Cup. Appearing as a second half substitute, this was a match in which striker Cyriel Dessers netted his one and only Rangers hat-trick. Goalkeeper Mason Munn also made his debut whilst there was first goal for defender Clinton Nsiala. With Ross McAusland and Zak Lovelace also appearing, Curtis was just one of a number of promising young players looking to force their way into Clement's attacking options. He immediately caught the eye, playing his part in McAusland's 74th minute strike and providing Dessers with the pass for his injury time third.
Just four day later, Curtis came off the bench at Old Trafford as Rangers searched for an equaliser against Manchester United in the Europa League. Whilst Dessers duly obliged, there was injury time heartbreak as Fernandes secured a 2-1 win for the home side. The positive contributions of both Curtis and Rice did not go unnoticed.
Findlay's first start came in the 2-2 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie. With Rangers preparing to travel to Bilbao, caretaker manager Barry Ferguson rang the changes with Europe representing the final opportunity for silverware. Initially asked to perform in an unfamiliar left wing-back role, the willingness of Curtis to play for the team was evident on what was a difficult afternoon following the early dismissal of McAusland. Despite trailing 2-0 and with the numerical disadvantage, 10-man Rangers silenced the home support with a stunning last gasp equaliser from Hagi (by which time Curtis had been replaced by Dessers, Jefte having slotted into the left back position at half-time), the Romanian's last goal for the club.
After showing up well in pre-season in which he netted Ibrox goals in 2-2 draws with Club Brugge and Middlesbrough, Curtis was handed a starting place in the first competitive fixture of the 2025/26 season. Incredibly, despite this being only Findlay's sixth top team appearance, he was playing under his third manager / head coach. The Russell Martin era got off to a winning start and it was, in no small part, down to the positivity of Curtis who turned the game with his first competitive senior goal against Panathinaikos in the UEFA Champions League qualifier at Ibrox.
Findlay would feature in 9 matches of Martin's disastrous short spell in charge, in the main coming off the bench. A last minute effort completed the scoring in a less than convincing 4-2 League Cup win over Alloa Athletic. The following weekend, it was Curtis who would save Martin from his first league defeat when he netted a 78th minute equaliser in Paisley against St. Mirren. The goal was typical of the positivity of the youngster, always looking to shoot as opposed to the, by now, laborious, multi touch football played at the edge of the opponents box.
Findlay's first league start of the season would come under Danny Rohl as Hibernian were defeated 1-0 on 15th December 2025. Without forcing his way into the stating eleven, Findlay would make 11 appearances under the German head coach between November and January. With the high profile loan signing of Andreas Skol Olsen and the return from injury of Oliver Antman, the decision was reached whereby Curtis was allowed to leave on loan during the Winter transfer window in order to secure regular first team starts.
The destination for Curtis was Rugby Park, teaming up with former Gers duo Neil McCann and Billy Dodds who had recently accepted the challenge of trying to save Kilmarnock from relegation. Both, of course, had worked with Curtis towards the end of the previous season having been part of Barry Ferguson's own caretaker backroom staff at Ibrox. Whilst the move made sense for the player and Kilmarnock, there were many friends of Rangers who felt that Findlay's development should continue in the Gers first team. With the form of Gassama having massively tailed off since the start of the season, and with Antman having shown very little to date, Curtis seemed to be as good an option as any in the wider areas. In terms of a willingness to consistently take the game to the opposition and an overall attitude to work, the boyhood Gers fan seemed by far the more valuable asset.
Whilst Olsen's loan spell at Ibrox was a complete flop, Findlay flourished during his five months in Ayrshire. Despite looking certain to face the play-offs (at best), McCann guided his side to Premiership safety, impressively winning 6 of their final 9 matches. The influence of Curtis was huge, his 5 goals in 14 league appearances only telling part of the story. With Gassama and Antman also contributing little to a disastrous post-split run-in, the decision by Rangers to let Curtis leave appeared even more questionable.
Such was the development of Curtis at Killie, he was included in the full Scotland squad for friendly matches with Japan and Ivory Coast only six months on from making his Scotland Under-21 debut against the Czech Republic. Making his full debut as a substitute against Japan, Findlay showed enough to be named in manager Clarke's 2026 FIFA World Cup Squad heading to North America in the summer. He would be accompanied by Gers team mates Liam Kelly, John Souttar and Lawrence Shankland.
It was a whirlwind end to the season for the youngster, still shy of his 20th birthday. Appearing as a first half substitute for the injured Billy Gilmour on 30th May 2026, within 3 minutes it was Curtis who equalised for Scotland in a 4-1 friendly win over Curacao at Hampden. The visitors, managed by Dick Advocaat, had taken the lead but were then reduced to 10 men. Advocaat, now 78, was back at the National Stadium almost 27 years to the day since he watched his star studded side clinch the domestic treble during his debut season in Glasgow. The other two Scotland goals were scored by new Gers signing, Lawrence Shankland. The knee injury sustained to former Gers youth player Gilmour would, agonisingly, rule the Napoli midfielder out of the Finals with the team jetting out the following day.
by Rick Plews
