Rangers star Joe Aribo ends season as player with most matches in Europe

Super Eagles and Rangers star Joe Aribo enjoyed a productive 2021-22 season as he built on the success of the 2020-21 season where he won the Scottish Premiership with his club. This season, he played 68 times for club and country, more than any other player in Europe, with the midfielder playing in a variety of positions.

Joe Aribo started his season on July 31st 2021 as Rangers took on Livingston in the Scottish Premiership opener. The midfielder started his European journey in the following month as Rangers fell to Malmo in UEFA Champions League Qualifying. In the same month, he featured for his club in the UEFA Europa League Qualifying round as Rangers booked their place in the group stage of the competition.

Aribo played his first international match of the season for Nigeria in September as they took on and defeated Liberia 2-0 in their 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier.

Joe Aribo featured in eight different competitions for club and country, including the Scottish Premiership, Scottish FA Cup, Scottish League Cup, UEFA Champions League Qualifiers, UEFA Europa League Qualifiers, Africa Cup of Nations, FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the UEFA Europa League. The midfielder revealed in an interview that his love for pasta helped him recover quickly between games.

The 25-year-old former Charlton Athletic midfielder played 34 times in the league for Rangers as they finished second behind Celtic. He missed only four matches in the league, and two of those were because of his AFCON engagement. He played in every round of the UEFA Europa League, never missing a match throughout the entire campaign as his side lost in the final to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Aribo played three times in the League Cup and twice in the FA Cup, which his side won. He also played twice in Europa League Qualifying and once in Champions League Qualifying. The midfielder featured three times for Nigeria at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon and seven more times in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Aribo played under four different managers over the course of the 2021-22 season including Steven Gerrard and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst at Rangers, and Gernot Rohr and Augustine Eguavoen with Nigeria’s Super Eagles. The talented midfielder has featured as a Central Midfielder, Attacking Midfielder, Winger, Striker and Defensive Midfielder this season.

Joe Aribo contributed nine goals and nine assists for Rangers in all competitions this season, including his goal in the Europa League final. The midfield maestro has been linked with a move to the English Premier League after an excellent season with Rangers.

Here is a breakdown of his appearances this season:

• Scottish Premiership: 34
• Scottish FA Cup: 2
• Scottish League Cup: 3
• UEFA Europa League: 15
• UEFA Europa League Qualifiers: 2
• UEFA Champions League Qualifiers: 1
• Africa Cup of Nations: 3
• FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: 7