Rangers today announced on their official website that they have secured the signing of Portuguese veteran defender Bruno Alves on a two-year deal.

He becomes Pedro Caixinha's first ever signing at the club and it signals a real statement of intent that the club are aiming to push Celtic hard in next season's Scottish Premiership campaign.

The 35-year-old is a born winner and has a pedigree that you don't usually see arrive in Scotland. While he may not be at the peak of his career, he no doubt has plenty to offer and will be a player Caixinha can rely upon to set the standard of professionalism he expects from his squad.

Supporters are of course full of excitement about the signing and can't wait to see who else the Ibrox boss brings through the doors from his contacts across the world.

That excitement is fully justified and here are THREE reasons why...

His experience at an elite level is huge

Football Soccer - Portugal v Austria - EURO 2016 - Group F - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - 18/6/16 
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Alves after the game 
REUTERS/Christian Hartmann 
Livepic

The sheer weight of the numbers from Bruno Alves' career points to him being a very valuable signing for Rangers. With over 500 professional appearances across his career, almost all of which have come in the top-flights of Portugal, Russia, Greece and Italy, he brings a unique outlook on the game to Ibrox. No-one else in Scottish football has such a diverse and storied career behind them.

Added to that, he's made a huge 89 appearances for his country Portugal since 2007, one of the best international outfits in the entire world over the last 10 years, playing alongside some of the greatest names in the sport, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

As if all that wasn't enough, the amount of appearances he's made in UEFA competition is also huge, 73 in total with Porto, Zenit St. Petersburg and Fenerbahce. Rangers of course will be aiming for success in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers this summer and someone with that kind of experience in Europe could be huge for their chances.

His trophy winning record is better than most others

While all those appearances at a top level are one thing, they don't tell the whole story. Lots of players make hundreds of appearances across their career, but very few win the amount of trophies that Bruno Alves has.

He's won fifteen major honours n three different countries. That's made up of seven league titles, three national cup competitions, four super cup competitions and of course Euro 2016, where he starred in the semi-final that booked Portugal's place in the final.

It's fair to say that bringing this winning mentality to the dressing room could change the whole squad's outlook on what it means to lift trophies. Many of the players currently at Rangers haven't won major honours and none of them have won them on the scale of Alves.

It's impressive stuff and can only benefit the Ibrox club.

He's a big improvement on what is already available

In any context Bruno Alves would likely be a great signing for every Scottish club, even Celtic, but in the context of the Rangers season that just happened and the dire defensive options they currently have available, it's an unbelievable upgrade.

With Clint Hill and Philippe Senderos leaving the club, Rangers needed bodies anyway but in a season that only Hill himself excelled, Alves is a much better option, on paper anyway.

Rob Kiernan didn't have the greatest of seasons either while Danny Wilson and David Bates failed to show real consistency.

In the case of Bates, Alves could bring his game on massively given his young age and potential to learn. Playing alongside one of the most decorated defenders in Europe can only improve him.

In a problem position Pedro Caixinha has delivered and fans can look forward to a stable backline next term.