Rangers Striker Ryan Naderi Faces International Competition

Ryan Naderi has barely settled into life at Rangers, yet the 23-year-old now finds three national teams circling.

According to Bild, the powerful centre-forward is close to a call-up from the Czech national team, with sporting director Pavel Nedved already making contact. The interest is serious. So is the competition.

Naderi’s story is tailor-made for a battle like this. Born in Dresden to a Czech mother and a Bulgarian father, he sits at the crossroads of three footballing nations. Bulgaria’s association has already tried to bring him on board in the past, but he turned those advances down. The report suggests he is far more receptive to representing the Czech Republic.

Germany, though, still loom in the background. If new national coach Jürgen Klopp sees enough potential for a DFB future, he would have to act quickly. Klopp plans to name an unusually large squad for the upcoming window, with Germany set to face the Netherlands, Serbia and Greece twice. The door is open for surprise names. Naderi’s is exactly the type that could appear.

For the Czechs, there is a bureaucratic race against time. Before he can pull on their shirt, Naderi must first apply for a Czech passport. Only then can the federation find out whether he would be eligible in time for the looming Nations League fixtures against Croatia, England (twice) and Spain. The fixtures are set. His paperwork is not.

From Dresden prospect to Old Firm stage

Naderi’s route to this moment has been anything but overnight.

He came through the youth ranks at Dynamo Dresden before moving to Borussia Mönchengladbach at 17, a switch that underlined his reputation as a serious prospect. The real leap into the professional game came in 2024 with Hansa Rostock in the 3. Liga.

There, he started to look every inch the classic No 9 his frame promises. Across 45 league appearances, Naderi scored 13 goals and added nine assists. At 1.94 metres tall, he offers the profile of an old-school centre-forward, but those numbers show there is more than just aerial presence to his game.

Rangers took notice. In the winter, the Scottish club moved decisively, paying a 3. Liga record fee of €5.5 million to bring him to Glasgow. That figure alone said plenty about how highly he was rated.

Since arriving, he has begun to justify the outlay. Naderi has six goals and six assists from 21 appearances for Rangers, a strong return for a player adapting to a new league, new country and the relentless scrutiny that comes with playing at Ibrox.

His latest performance will only have sharpened international interest. In the Old Firm last weekend, Naderi set up one of the goals in Rangers’ 3-0 win over Celtic and played a key role in the build-up to another. On the biggest domestic stage available to him, he delivered.

Now the question hangs over his head: who will he deliver for on the international stage?

The Czechs have made their move. Bulgaria have already tried. Germany, under Klopp, are casting the net wide. A towering striker in form, a three-way battle for his allegiance, and a Nations League window fast approaching — the next call Naderi answers could shape the rest of his career.