Former Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko has given an emotional interview to The Herald this weekend, opening up on his exit from the club in January 2018.
Sviatchenko’s departure has continued to prove controversial with supporters, who don’t understand why players such as Marvin Compper and Jack Hendry are at the club instead of the Danish international.
The 27-year-old is similarly confused as to what went wrong.
As quoted by The Herald, he said:
I don’t look back and think of my time at Celtic as anything sour. It was a beautiful experience for me and for my family. I loved it. I have Brendan to thank for some of the biggest games of my career.
I played Champions League football and fulfilled a dream of mine to play in that environment. That Invincible season was so special and I have amazing memories of it.
There was a bit of me that wondered why. I don’t really know why it came to an end for me. But I have a lot to be thankful for so I am not sore that I did not get more time but rather grateful for the time that I had.
We developed as a family and developed as humans and I played some of the biggest games of my career. I loved being part of it and I think it will always have a little bit of Glasgow under my skin.
Sviatchenko continues with his effusive praise elsewhere in the interview and it’s clear he cherishes his time at Celtic despite the strange ending to the relationship.
Now back at Midtjylland, he’s currently pushing for another league title to add to his medal collection after great success not just at the Hoops, but with the Danish Superliga side too.
He’ll likely remain a popular figure with supporters and is quite obviously going to be a lifelong fan of the club.
Should he still be at Celtic Park?