Mikael Lustig reveals one thing that he hated at Celtic

Mikael Lustig spent eight very successful seasons at Celtic Park winning 16 trophies before leaving for Gent earlier in the summer. And now the former Celtic vice-captain has revealed the one thing that he hated about playing for the Scottish champions.

It is safe to say that it was a huge loss for Celtic when Mikael Lustig left the Scottish champions to join Jupiler League side Gent earlier in the summer on a free transfer. His seven and a half years at Parkhead was one of the best periods in the club’s history which saw them lift sixteen trophies. But now the former Celtic vice-captain has revealed the one thing that he hated about his time at the club.

One of the most successful players in Celtic’s modern era, the right-back faced heavy criticism from the Hoops fans during his last few seasons at Parkhead after seeing his performance levels diminish over the years. And it was this pressure of always being at the top of one’s game as a Celtic player that Lustig does not seem to have been very fond of.

He seems to be enjoying the much more laid-back nature of the Belgian league compared to the Scottish Premiership where one loss might send alarm bells ringing at the top clubs. Speaking to the Daily Record about his time playing in the green and white of Celtic, the Swede said:

"“Celtic are an extremely large club and it means an awful lot to people in Glasgow. Life in Gent is different. Of course the people care there, but it’s not like people know who I am in if I go into town.“There is a massive difference. It’s nice to escape that side of things. I lived under that pressure for eight years.“I did like it at certain times, but it’s not nice to know that if we lose then you can’t go an eat in a restaurant for the next three weeks.”"

It is true that playing for the Hoops comes with its fair share of pressure and Lustig has certainly earned the right to spend his last few years as a professional footballer the way he wants to. Celtic on the other hand have done very well to replace him and currently have an exciting set of options available at right-back at the club right now in the form of Hatem Abd Elhamed, Kris Ajer and Jeremie Frimpong.