Nacho Novo has spent much of the past week being embraced by the football community he has been part of for more than two decades — not for anything that happened on a pitch, but for the hardest news any parent can share. The former Rangers striker, now manager of West of Scotland Football League side Darvel FC, confirmed on Instagram that his stepson Ross had died at the age of 26 in September 2026. In his post, Novo wrote that nothing in his life could have prepared him for it, describing the family as “absolutely broken” to share that their “beautiful boy” had tragically passed away, and asking that his family’s privacy be respected during what he called an extremely difficult time.
Darvel FC moved quickly to back their manager, issuing a statement of their own confirming that everyone at the club was devastated by the news and that their thoughts were with Novo and his family. Ross’s mother, Donna Clark — Novo’s ex-wife — also shared a tribute of her own on social media, posting a photograph of her son and echoing almost word for word the anguish in Novo’s own message. No cause of death has been made public by either the family or the club, and out of respect for their wishes, none has been speculated on here.
The response from within football has been swift and heartfelt. Broadcaster Laura Woods posted a message of condolence, telling Novo she was sorry for his loss and wishing his “beautiful boy” rest in peace. Professional wrestler and Scottish entertainer Grado also left a message, calling the news heartbreaking and saying his thoughts were with Novo and his family. Beyond the public figures, hundreds of ordinary supporters — many of whom never watched Novo play in person but grew up hearing stories of his goals — added their own words of sympathy beneath the original posts.
To understand why the football world has responded the way it has, it helps to understand what Novo means to Rangers supporters in the first place. Born in Galicia, in the northwest of Spain, Novo’s route into Scottish football was anything but conventional. He arrived not via one of the continent’s traditional academies but through spells with smaller clubs before catching the eye north of the border. His breakthrough came at Raith Rovers, where he joined in 2001 and quickly built a reputation as an energetic, direct forward with an eye for goal — the kind of player whose effort levels alone could win over a crowd before his finishing ever did.
That combination of work rate and knack for big moments followed him to Dundee, and eventually to Rangers, whom he joined in 2004. Over the following years he made more than 250 appearances for the Ibrox club, becoming one of the most beloved figures of that era of the club’s history — not necessarily its most gifted technician, but arguably its most adored penalty-box operator, a player fans trusted to find the net when it mattered most.
No moment defined that trust more than the 2008 UEFA Cup semi-final against Fiorentina, when Novo stepped up to score the winning penalty and send Rangers through to a final against Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester. For a club with a passionate, historically success-starved European fanbase at that point, it was the kind of moment that turns a useful squad player into a legend — and it’s a moment Rangers supporters still bring up whenever Novo’s name is mentioned, nearly two decades
Novo’s career took him beyond Rangers in the years that followed, including a spell in England with Carlisle United during the 2013–14 season, where he continued to be a popular figure among fans despite being past his peak years as a player. Like many forwards who built their reputation on hustle rather than pure talent, Novo’s appeal travelled with him — supporters at every club he represented tended to warm to his all-action style quickly.
Eventually, as his playing days wound down, Novo moved into coaching and management, taking charge of Darvel FC in the West of Scotland football pyramid. It’s a considerably smaller stage than Ibrox or the European nights he once starred in, but by all accounts Novo has thrown himself into the role with the same enthusiasm that characterised his playing career, and the club’s response to his personal tragedy — public, immediate, and unreserved in its support — reflects the bond he appears to have built there in a relatively short time
What has stood out most in the days since the news broke is not any single tribute, but the sheer breadth of the response. Figures from well outside Novo’s old dressing rooms — broadcasters, entertainers, fans of rival clubs — have offered condolences, a reminder of how a player’s standing in football can extend well past his own supporters once his personality and story become part of the wider footballing folklore of a country. Novo’s request for privacy has, for the most part, been respected: reporting on the story has stuck to confirming the loss, relaying the tributes from Novo, Donna Clark, and Darvel FC, and stopping there. No outlet appears to have pushed for details on the circumstances of Ross’s death, in keeping with the family’s wishes.
For now, football in Scotland is left simply sitting with the news — a reminder that even for a figure remembered for one of the most triumphant nights in his club’s modern history, life outside the game can deliver its cruellest moments without warning. Rangers supporters who once sang his name from the stands at Ibrox are now, in far greater numbers, simply sending him their sympathy.
