When was the last time Rangers won the Scottish league?

A sensational start to the 2020-21 campaign has catapulted Rangers well into the lead in the race for the Scottish league, and Steven Gerrard's side will be keen to deny Celtic their fabled '10 in a row'.

It has been a long wait for glory at Ibrox and there have been plenty of wobbles on the Glasgow giants' arduous quest to return to the summit of football in Scotland.

The Gers were forced to work their way back to the top division from the fourth tier back in 2012, but, despite being in the Premiership since 2016-17, they have encountered a formidable Celtic team.

So, when was the last time the blue half of Glasgow tasted national league glory? Goal takes a look.

When was the last time Rangers won the Scottish league?

The 2010-11 season was the last time Rangers won the Scottish league, meaning they have been waiting a decade to get their hands on the title.

Walter Smith was the mastermind behind Rangers' title win - their third in a row - and he also secured the Scottish League Cup at the expense of Celtic in what was his last campaign as manager of the club.

They amassed 93 points in their last title-winning season and won the division by a point, edging ahead of Celtic to clinch their 54th Scottish league title.

The title race went down to the wire, with Rangers securing silverware in last game of the season and they did so in style, by beating Kilmarnock 5-1 at Rugby Park. Afterwards, a relieved Smith told reporters: "I'll have a wee drink just now, I think."

Overall in the league, Rangers won 30 matches, drew three and lost five. Those five losses included two defeats at the hands of Celtic, with Dundee United, Hibernian and Hearts being the other teams to take maximum points from them.

They kicked off the season with a bang, winning nine games in a row, including a 3-1 victory in the Old Firm against Celtic at Celtic Park. Their unbeaten start to the league campaign was ended by Hibernian in November 2010, with the Edinburgh outfit winning 3-0 at Ibrox.

They suffered something of a hangover in the new year, losing two matches in January and more defeats coming in February and April. However, they strung together an unbeaten streak in their final 10 games of the season, winning nine matches and drawing once from the star of April to the middle of May.

Kenny Miller was Rangers' top scorer that season despite joining Turkish outfit Bursaspor in January 2011. He scored 21 goals in 18 league appearances - a tally that was not surpassed by another player that term, with Celtic's Gary Hooper coming closest on 20 goals (in 26 appearances).

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Croatia international Nikica Jelavic picked up the slack in Miller's absence with 16 goals across the campaign, while Steven Naismith scored 11. Fan favourite Kyle Lafferty contributed 11 goals to the cause too, including a hat-trick in the decisive game against Kilmarnock. It was the third season in a row that Lafferty scored on the day Rangers won the league.

"Scoring first, I would have been happy with that, but to get three today was a dream for me," said the Northern Ireland international at the time. "Every single player knew what we had to do - get the three points and we would be champions."

He added: "We have been there for the last three years and we know what it's all about. We've got that winning mentality in the team - we don't know when to stop."

However, as it turned out, things took a swift downward turn for Rangers the following season as they finished second, 20 points behind Celtic.

Things got worse as the club was subsequently liquidated and relegated to the Third Division due to their financial difficulties.

What was the Rangers squad when they last won the Scottish league?

*Players who played in league games only

Rangers boasted a strong squad in 2010-11, which included Steven Davis and Allan McGregor who interestingly are both at the club now. Veteran centre-back David Weir was captain of the team and, despite being 40, played nearly every game.

USMNT international Maurice Edu was a key influence in the midfield, while Bosnia and Herzegovina international defender Sasa Papac chipped in with a few goals from set-pieces.

Accomplished strikers such as Miller and Lafferty were complemented by the signing of players like Jelavic, who joined from Rapid Wien in the summer. Vladimir Weiss was another new addition to the club, joining on loan from Manchester City.

Experienced players like James Beattie, David Healy and El-Hadji Diouf signed for the club that season too, but played only minor roles in the success.

How did the world look when Rangers last won the Scottish league?

David Cameron was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Barack Obama the President of the United States. Facebook was seven years old and Twitter was five.

Spain were reigning world and European champions, while Craig Levein's Scotland were just about to miss out on qualification for Euro 2012.

Prince William and Kate Middleton were newlyweds.

Manchester United became Premier League champions that season and competed in the Champions League final, where they lost convincingly to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. Jurgen Klopp led Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title - his first time winning the German league - and AC Milan won Serie A (their last time to win the league).

Paris Saint-Germain had only two Ligue 1 titles to their name and had yet to be taken over by QSI; they finished fourth in Ligue 1.