Rangers star breaks incredible British goal record that has stood for 15 years

Rangers captain James Tavernier has broken an incredible British goal record that has stood for 15 years.

Tavernier moved north of the border to Scotland in the summer of 2015, and scored 10 goals to help Rangers to promotion back to the Scottish Premiership.

The now 32-year-old, who played for Newcastle, Rotherham and Bristol City among others in England, has kept his place in the side throughout the reigns of several managers at Ibrox.

The right-back has been Rangers captain for nearly six years, and produced a sensational 16 assists and scored 14 goals during his first campaign with the armband.

Tavernier is also Rangers' penalty taker, and has scored a remarkable 65 spot kicks throughout his time in Scotland.

That has helped him to become the all-time highest scoring defender in British football history, with the defender reaching the landmark during Rangers' 3-1 win over Hibernian on Saturday.

You can see the goal below.

The highest-scoring defender in British football history 🇬🇧

A special goal from @James_Tavernier #cinchPrem | @RangersFC pic.twitter.com/b7iOpiaEaX

— SPFL (@spfl) April 1, 2024

While the match itself will probably be more memorable for Hibs defender Nectarios Triantis taking out two of his own team-mates with a free-kick, Tavernier's feat was a moment to savour for the hosts - even if he had missed a penalty earlier in the contest.

He now has 131 goals to his name for all of his clubs, which surpasses the 130 goals scored by former Preston North End and Burnley defender Graham Alexander - himself also a free-kick and penalty specialist.

In fact, Alexander brought up his 130th goal with his final kick in professional football, curling in a stunning free-kick from 25 yards for North End against Charlton.

The Scotsman broke Steve Bruce's record of 114 goals midway through the 2008/09 season, before going on to add another 16 goals prior to retiring from professional football in 2012. He is now manager of League Two side Bradford City.

Speaking after his achievement, Tavernier said: "It's crazy.

"If you'd have told me when I first jumped into professional football that I'd have a chance to become the highest-scoring defender in British history, I wouldn't have believed you.

"That's down to all the team-mates I've played with over the years who have helped me through the journey.

"I'll just continue working hard and see how many I can get until I hang my boots up - a long way down the line."