Verdict: 8/10 Produces a Masterclass, 4/10 Badly Struggles, and the Rangers Player Ratings Against Aberdeen
From the first whistle, he looked sharp. Against a defence that had been set up to stay compact and avoid mistakes, he found pockets of space where others struggled and showed a willingness to take responsibility on the ball. His first touch was tidy, his movement between the lines was intelligent, and he seemed to have a better understanding than most of his teammates about where the openings would appear. Aberdeen’s defenders, who had prepared for a tough evening, had to work hard to keep track of him, and on more than one occasion they were forced to resort to fouls. Aberdeen’s Aremu was booked in the thirty-seventh minute for a late challenge on Bouanani, which is the sort of evidence that a winger is causing problems.
That description of his influence matches what the match reports said. The Algerian international had several efforts on goal as he tried to be the difference maker, and McInnes’s decision to put him in paid off, as he looked very dangerous at Hampden. In a game where so many players were struggling to impose themselves, that was an important contribution. He was the player most likely to create something from nothing, and the manager’s decision to trust him was vindicated, even if the final reward in the shape of a goal or assist did not come his way. A rating of 8/10 reflects the scale of his impact on the contest, not just the numbers on the stat sheet.
It would be wrong, though, to pretend that everything went perfectly. The same report noted that his afternoon was summed up by a gilt-edged chance that he missed in the first half, after a lovely first touch, and by a comical moment when he skinned Emmanuel Gyamfi before delivering a dreadful cross. Those are fair criticisms, and they are the reason that some fans might hesitate to call his display a true masterclass. But football ratings are about the balance of positives and negatives, and the positives far outweighed the negatives. A winger who creates several chances and misses a couple is generally more useful than one who plays safe and never takes a risk, and McInnes will have recognised that.
Bouanani himself was the first to admit his shortcomings. After the match, he said that he should have scored one or two goals and that he needed to work in training, a candid assessment that showed a mature attitude. That self-awareness is one of the most attractive aspects of his game. A player who is honest about his flaws is usually a player who is willing to improve, and the combination of obvious talent and a hunger to get better is exactly what coaches look for. It is also the sort of attitude that wins over supporters, who tend to take to players who are humble as well as gifted.
His background helps explain is composure. He is only twenty-one, but he has already played in France, Germany and now Scotland, and he has experience at the highest levels of European football. He made his name at Nice, where he scored five goals and set up seven in seventy appearances, before moving to Stuttgart in 2025. His opportunities in Germany were limited, which is why he was willing to join Rangers on loan, and the move has given him the regular football that he needed. It also helped that he has a history against the club, having scored for Nice in a 4-1 Europa League victory over Rangers in 2024, so the supporters had a good idea of what he could do.
The question of whether he could one day captain the club is more speculative, and it is worth treating with a degree of caution. Bouanani is on a season-long loan with an option to buy, which means that his future at Ibrox is far from certain. Captains at big clubs are typically players who have been around for several seasons, who understand the culture and who command the respect of the dressing room. At the moment, the armband is worn by Lawrence Shankland, a lifelong supporter, with experienced players like Nicolas Raskin and Dan Neil also stepping into leadership roles. For a loan player to be tipped as a future captain is a big leap, even if he has shown the personality to lead.
That said, there are reasons why the idea is not completely far-fetched. Leadership does not have to come from the armband, and Bouanani has already shown some of the qualities that make a good leader on the pitch. He wants the ball in difficult moments, he is not afraid of responsibility and he plays with a maturity beyond his years. In a squad that has been rebuilt with young talent, there is room for players who set an example through their performances and their attitude. Whether that eventually translates into the captaincy will depend on whether the club exercises its option and whether he stays for the long term, but the instinct behind the suggestion is understandable.
What really made the evening special for the Rangers supporters was how it fitted into the bigger picture. The team has been in strong form since the autumn began, winning most of its games and building a reputation for resilience. Reaching a cup final in McInnes’s first few months was a significant achievement, and the semi-final demonstrated the mentality that has driven the improvement. Penrice described the team as having turned a corner, and the numbers back him up. Rangers have now gone eleven matches unbeaten, and their style of play, while not always pretty, has been effective. That sort of momentum is invaluable, and it gives the squad a platform to build on.
The match itself was hard work. Aberdeen defended brilliantly for most of the evening, and Stephen Robinson’s side made life uncomfortable for the favourites. The Dons threatened sporadically, particularly through the long throws of Jack Guinness-Walker, who gave Dujon Sterling a torrid time and forced the Rangers right-back into a booking. They even came close to snatching a late equaliser, with Armstrong inches away in the ninety-second minute after a Guinness-Walker long throw broke to him on the edge of the box. That near miss was a reminder of how fine the margins were, and of how nervous the closing stages must have been for the supporters.
In that context, the winning goal was a moment of release. Ryan Naderi’s finish, an eighty-third-minute strike from close range after a low ball from Penrice, broke Aberdeen’s resistance and sent Hampden into raptures. Bouanani had played a part in the build-up, with his earlier delivery keeping the pressure on, and it was fitting that the player who had been the most dangerous throughout was involved in the sequence. By then, he had done much of the damage, and the goal was the culmination of the pressure that he and his teammates had been building. The celebrations at the final whistle were joyous, and the sight of the players applauding the supporters was one of the evening’s lasting images.
Bouanani was substituted late on, along with Fernandez and Kevin Kelsy, as McInnes brought on Findlay Curtis, Ben Godfrey and Tochi Chukwuani to protect the lead. It was a sensible piece of game management, and it gave the winger a well-deserved ovation as he left the pitch. A crowd of over forty-three thousand had watched the game, and a large proportion of them were Rangers fans, who made enormous noise throughout. Bouanani described the support as crazy, which is a good sign for a player who will have to get used to such an atmosphere. The connection between a winger and a crowd is often decisive, and he seems to have formed a strong bond already.
It is also worth thinking about what his performance means for the competition for places. Rangers have a number of good wingers, and the fight for starting positions is fierce. Gassama has been the regular choice for most of the season, but he has struggled for form, and his omission from the semi-final was a clear message. Minsu Kim, who started on the other flank, had a difficult evening and drew criticism in the ratings. Bouanani’s display puts him in a strong position, and he will be hard to leave out for the final. That is a good problem for McInnes to have, and it should drive the squad to higher standards.
There are questions to answer before then, of course. The team’s creativity in the first half was limited, and the link-up between Kelsy and Naderi was not as good as it has been. McInnes was visibly unhappy at times, and a BBC commentator noted his fury at the lack of communication between the strikers. Those are issues that need to be fixed, and the manager will have plenty of time to work on them. But the fact that Rangers won despite playing below their best is a sign of strength, and it suggests that there is more to come once the problems are ironed out.
For Bouanani, the immediate task is to maintain his level. A single great performance does not make a career, and consistency is what separates good players from great ones. He will need to continue to produce, to improve his finishing and to handle the expectations that come with being named Man of the Match. His own words suggest that he understands this, and that he is determined to keep working. If he does, he could become a central figure in the team, and the talk of a bright future will begin to look less like optimism and more like prediction.
In the end, the story of the night is one of promise realised. A young player was given a chance, took it with both hands and delivered a performance that lifted his team and delighted its supporters. Whether he goes on to captain the club is a question for the future, and a lot will have to happen before that can be answered. But for now, what matters is that Rangers are in a cup final, that a talented winger has announced himself on a big stage and that the supporters have something to be excited about. An 8/10 is a fair mark for a performance like that, and the praise is deserved.
So here is to Bouanani, and to the many nights like this that the supporters hope are still to come. If he can add goals to his game and keep delivering when it matters, the final in December could be the perfect stage for him to show what he can do. The long wait for silverware may be nearly over, and the young winger from Algeria could be right at the heart of the story. For a team that has endured so much frustration, that is a very welcome prospect indeed
