History will be kind to barnstorming Alfredo Morelos - Stevie Clifford

The first true Rangers poster boy post-2012 that fans can rally behind. He should be walking out the front door with a host of records and a legendary legacy intact. Sadly, for most, there will be a sense of missed opportunity surrounding a player who at his peak was as good as any striker in modern Rangers' history.

I don’t say that lightly. Morelos had it all. The strength, the power and a burst that made him a handful for so many defences across Europe - just ask Pepe at Porto.

Someone asked who at their peak was the better striker, Mols, Jelavic or Morelos - I said the Colombian. He really was up there in that bracket. Was he technically as good? No, absolutely not but his ability to occupy and dominate defences was unmatched and unstoppable.

His becoming Rangers' top European scorer is a testament to the good work done with Steven Gerrard where the Europa League became his playground. Porto, Champions League quarter-finalists in the same period, were ripped apart and bullied by a rampant Buffalo who lashed in a cracker both home and away.

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It's tempting to remember just the good times but the reality is that his form was sporadic and for a number of reasons he never returned to his 2019 peak. In hindsight, Rangers should have cashed in - not only for the club but the player himself.

We are all aware of the attitude issues, the fitness problems and the pressure from the media. Who can forget the infamous spread in one of the country’s leading red tops littered with references to the Colombian drug trade? Or the shock-jock pundit labelling him ‘Buffalo Brains’. The pressure and incessant scrutiny on a young man must have been unbearable and for a young man in a new country, a lot to handle.

He wasn’t always perfect but with that level of scrutiny ask yourself who could have been?

Away from football, Alfredo is not the monster people often try to portray him as. A gentle softly-spoken man, he makes time for supporters, especially the youngsters. A father himself, he has matured both on and off the pitch. His unwavering charity work via his own Alfredo Morelos foundation in Colombia is a testament to his dedication to others. Who can forget the pictures of him going around his local villages with presents for the youngsters in the winter shutdown?

He is far removed from the snarling stereotype and should be remembered as the powerful, bustling Buffalo who gave us all that bit of hope in a journey in which he more than played his part.

Alfredo Morelos at his 2019 peak (Image: SNS)

Sure, he’s never quite hit the heights of that special six-month run in 2019 but he more than played his part in 55, hitting vital winners at Pittodrie, Easter Road and Paisley in a festive period where Rangers traditionally struggled. Alfredo more or less dragged the team on his back during that run - an incredibly important spell in what turned out to be an invincible team triumph. It wasn’t all him but he stood tall when it was needed.

Alfredo has frustrated me throughout the years because I know what he is capable of and I have continued to say this team could be his own if he puts in the application. He is that capable. That said, three managers have moved to call him out - Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and now Michael Beale. That tells a tale about his professionalism that can't be overlooked.

So he will leave to mixed emotions: happiness at the player we saw and the man who became our first real hero in our time of need and sadness that it has ended with a damp squib. There is tangible frustration that he didn’t quite kick on and deliver that form consistently which would have earned him the move he wanted and the move he deserved.

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The time is now right for everyone.

Michael Beale wasn’t wrong at the weekend, it wasn’t a positive change of energy for Rangers because that spark, the one that lit a fire under Gerrard's team, has now gone. Alfredo needs to get his mojo back. He has to find somewhere his knee slides will be cherished. He needs a place that will kickstart his career and give him a new lease of life.

I hope he finds it. I hope he is adored and smashes it somewhere else, he gave us all memories we will hold close to our hearts for a long time.

History will be kind to him, of that I have little doubt.

The all-action, barnstorming, European top scorer and integral part of 55 is how I will remember the Colombian who knee-slided his way into everyone’s hearts.

Good luck Alfredo - and thank you for the rollercoaster!