Brendan Rodgers: Relatives have shunned me for leaving Celtic

Former boss says Parkhead memories will live with him for lifetime

Brendan Rodgers, who left Celtic for Leicester in February last year

Brendan Rodgers claims he has been shunned by some family members because he walked out on Celtic. The Northern Irishman went from hero to villain in the eyes of many Celtic fans when he left Glasgow for Leicester in February last year.

And the 47-year-old has revealed some in that number include his own relatives. Speaking to the Beautiful Game Podcast, Rodgers said: “I had family who were just distraught I left Celtic, just couldn’t believe it. I have relations that haven’t spoken to me since the day I left Celtic.

“Because it meant so much to them. And if you carry on like that too much, you’ll never do anything. But I had some unforgettable memories at Celtic that will live with me for a lifetime, that I still think about now and I then came into my next experience.

“I left school with nothing. No qualifications, no nothing. My life has been based on experiences, hence the reason why I look for the experiences. And this, I felt, from a sporting perspective was going to be the next good experience.”

Celtic went on to clinch a third consecutive domestic treble under Neil Lennon in the months after Rodgers left and he insists he would not have left at that stage if they were not in such a good position.

“I was only the third manager in the history of the club to complete the treble. We were able to do it as an invincible treble and then we did it again. And then people said you could have stayed and done a third one, then done a fourth one. When I spoke with my staff and took the ultimate decision, I felt the team was in a good place, there’s a mentality now within the team and you feel, not just with hindsight, the club could continue – go and win the treble again.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director