'I've been belittled and disrespected a lot' - Brendan Rodgers on 'proving a point' at Celtic

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has maintained his hunger to succeed will never be dulled in believing that throughout his career he has been “belittled and disrespected”.

Brendan Rodgers sees his current Celtic challenge as showing he can have great moments again at the club after his first spell didn't "end well for many". (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

And Rodgers feels his return to Glasgow this summer - to take over a club fresh from a treble triumph under predecessor Ange Postecoglou - simply provides added motivation to prove himself all over again. In no small part as a consequence of the bitterness engendered among the club’s support by his departure for Leicester City in February 2019 after becoming the first manager in the history of the Scottish game to claim seven consecutive trophies.

‘I think that’s when I’m at my best. I think my journey in my football life, as I sit here today, I’ve probably been belittled a lot and disrespected a lot in my career because I didn’t have any big playing background.,” said the Irishman, forced to retire as a 20-year-old Reading reserve owing to a knee condition. “So there are always questions around ‘will you succeed’, ‘is it because of this’. There’s always a reason why. But I feel that’s when I’m at my best, really.

“It doesn’t worry me, though [about those perceptions]. Don’t get me wrong. I just think in general when anyone has to prove a point, then that’s when you’re at your best, really. It’s that challenge. The number one thing that breeds success is to have that challenge. The challenge to come back to here, especially on the back end of how I left. It wasn’t ideal for many. So I wanted to come back and show we can have some great moments again.”