Ibrox ace received a standing ovation after his first start in Sunday's 3-0 win over Ukraine.
12:32, 24 Mar 2025
Raskin in action for Belgium against Ukraine last night
Nico Raskin reckons he’s shown he can be a key man for Belgium after starring on his debut against Ukraine.
The Rangers midfielder admits his first start for his country alongside Kevin de Bruyne and Romulu Lukaku couldn’t have gone better.
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Raskin played 89 minutes of Sunday’s 3-0 win in Genk as the Red Devils staged a stunning late recovering to overturn a 3-1 first leg defeat to retain their Nations League top flight status.
Lukaku struck in the 75th and 86th minutes after Maxim De Cuyper opened the scoring on 70 as Rudi Garcia’s side turned on the style.
And Raskin, who was praised by the manager for his “recovery and technical accuracy” in the middle of midfield, admits it was a joy to play alongside the Napoli and Manchester City stars.
The 24-year-old Ibrox ace received a standing ovation from the Belgian support when he was replaced in the final minute.
And he reckons it’s provided a foundation to build for the future under new boss Garcia.
Nicolas Raskin
Raskin said: “I am happy, my family was there and everything went well. It is nothing but happiness.
”We had an attacking team because we had to score three goals, but I don’t mind working for these two great players so that they create chances and goals for us.
"It was good to show a strong reaction, we were able to show ourselves that we were a very good team when we all pulled in the same direction and went all out to achieve our goal.
"It’s on these foundations that we will have to build for the future.”
Raskin was thrown into the starting XI after making a late appearance off the bench in Thursday’s first leg defeat.
It sealed a memorable first call-up to the senior squad ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
And the former Standard Liege star gave himself pass marks.
He said: “I try never to hide. I think I was pretty good. If I had to give myself a grade?
Belgium U21 star Nicolas Raskin is on Rangers radar(Image: Getty Images)
"I don’t like these kinds of games, but I deserve more than 6 out of 10, yes.
"It’s been a long time since I last played in Belgium. I remember the result, the qualification, and the team’s good performance!”
New boss Garcia hailed Raskin’s performance and said his composure in the middle helped them take command of the engine room.
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Garcia said: “Everyone was good. Nicolas Raskin in recovery and technical accuracy. Hans Vanaken was excellent too.
"There was the impact of Jeremy Doku. The central hinge was solid and complementary: the strength of Wout Faes and the speed of Zeno Debast.”