It's fair to say that the German Jörg Albertz was one of Walter Smith's best signings during his first spell as Rangers manager. Signed from Hamburg in 1996, Albertz almost-instantly looked like a dynamo of a player, one capable of bursting forth from midfield and either setting up a team mate for a goal or finishing brilliantly himself. Big and strong, Jörg was re-dubbed the 'Hammer' by the Rangers support, mainly due to the mind-blowing speed and precision of his strikes. During one match against East Fife in the Scottish Cup, Albertz infamously struck a free kick so hard that it ruptured the testicle of an opponent nervously standing in the defensive wall! When he wasn't sending rivals to hospital with a football, Jörg Albertz was endearing himself to people of a red, white and blue persuasion. Eventually, the midfielder would leave in 2001, but not before receiving a thunderous ovation during his final match at Ibrox against Hibs in May of that year. It was clear that Albertz had made a splash during his 5-year stay in Glasgow, and some of his goals need to be seen to be believed.
