Jose Cifuentes cannot believe ‘Joke’ he has just seen away from Rangers

 

Jose Cifuentes cannot believe ‘Joke’ he has just seen away from Rangers

Jose Cifuentes has become somewhat of a forgotten figure at Rangers.

Cifuentes departed Ibrox for a second time within six months last summer, heading out on loan to Greek Super League side Aris Thessaloniki after a previous spell with Cruzeiro in Brazil was cut short in August.

Having made 20 appearances under Michael Beale and Philippe Clement before his loan to Cruzeiro, after only signing from LAFC in August 2023, it remains to be seen if Cifuentes has a future at Rangers.

The 25-year-old Ecuadorian has been a regular fixture for Aris so far, making 24 appearances, 21 starts and scoring once as the Greek Super League prepares to switch to its bizarre end-of-season format.

Cifuentes slams ‘joke’ league structure after Rangers switch

Cifuentes’ career has been a rollercoaster ride over the past two years, playing for four clubs across three continents with differing league structures, and his move to Aris has proven to be the oddest yet.

At the conclusion of the regular 26-game season, Cifuentes’ Aris side are now set to partake in European qualifiers in a four-team mini-league involving OFI Crete, Atromitos and Asteras Tripolis, with a twist.

Jose Cifuentes has played for four different clubs since the start of 2023

Aris finished ahead of OFI by six points and the latter duo by seven, but that gap has now dropped to just three after all four teams’ points were cut in half as part of the format – making Aris far more catchable.

Tagging the Greek Super League’s official account in an Instagram story post, Cifuentes slammed the format, saying: “What a league – is this a joke?”

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Wherever Cifuentes plies his trade, a head-scratching structure seems to be in place, but it’s no wonder that the Ecuadorian is struggling to keep up with the number of different formats he’s had to adapt to.

Cifuentes traded the MLS, with their Eastern and Western conferences and end-of-season play-offs, for Scotland – where the Premiership splits into two for the top and bottom six sides to face off once again.

He’ll have been more used to the non-stop calendar in South America upon arrival at Cruzeiro, but the number of Campeonato Serie A and regional division games in Brazil is hard for anyone to keep up with.

Points tallies being chopped in half – essentially undoing eight months of hard work – is a new prospect for Cifuentes though, and despite his Ibrox career looking all-but over, the midfielder may welcome the opportunity of a second chance if incoming Rangers owners 49ers Enterprises give him one.