Rangers are bigger than Northern Ireland claims stunned Finnish politician as Glen Kamara receives hero’s welcome

It was a big night for the Ibrox midfield star as he won his milestone 50th cap for his country.

A Finnish politician was left stunned after Glen Kamara was treated like a hero by the Northern Ireland fans during Finland’s 1-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win in Belfast.

The Rangers midfielder played a key role on his 50th cap for his country as Markku Kanerva’s side bounced back from their opening Group H defeat against Denmark to pick up all three points at Windsor Park thanks to a first-half goal from Benjamin Kallman.

And Paavo Arhinmaki, who represents the Left Alliance party in Finland and has been a member of Finnish Parliament since 2007, took to social media to express his surprise at Kamara’s reception as he was cheered by the Rangers contingent among the Green and White Army. Arhinmaki tweeted: “Glen Kamara seems to be the most popular player in the stadium. For Ulster supporters, Glasgow Rangers seems to be bigger than the national team.”

Prior to the game, Kamara admitted his disappointment that Rangers team-mate Steven Davis wasn’t involved in the game as he continues rehabilitation following a knee injury that has ended his season. Kamara, 27, said of the veteran Northern Ireland captain: “I’ve been with him for four years now, he’s helped me a lot in my journey. He’s a great midfielder, we call him maestro at the club. He’s a great professional and hopefully he gets back soon.”

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