Lustig talks rejecting West Ham and Fulham and the size of Celtic…
Mikael Lustig revealed that he joined Celtic instead of moving to the Premier League, admitting that his defensive shortcomings played a part in that decision…
The Swedish full-back quickly became a fan favourite at Celtic Park following his move from Rosenborg in 2012, though he had previously attracted attention from Premier League sides West Ham and Fulham.
Both English clubs had just been promoted from the Championship and were expected to battle against relegation, a scenario Lustig felt wouldn’t have suited him.
The former Celtic right-back admitted he wasn’t the strongest defensively back then and that constantly defending would have made the experience unenjoyable for him. That ultimately was akin to a Gates of Olympus casino win for Celtic as Lustig went on to have an outstanding career at Celtic winning an incredible 16 major honours in the Hoops.
Lustig ultimately joined Celtic under the guidance of Neil Lennon, where he spent seven successful years which were filled with silverware and memorable achievements both domestically and in the Champions League.
Speaking via Swedish podcast Lundh, Lustig said: “I had the chance to go to West Ham and Fulham when I was at Rosenborg. But they were two teams that were in the Championship one year, then the Premier League one year and fought at the bottom.”
“At that time I really couldn’t defend. I couldn’t go there and just defend, then I would be completely depressed. When I chose, it was really that I needed to go to a team that fought at the top and won a lot of games, because that was the offensive game I had.”
It wasn’t until Lustig encountered Celtic supporters in places as distant as the United States that he truly understood the global reach and magnitude of the club he had joined.
“It’s such an incredibly big club,” he continued. “Everyone who goes there says that Celtic is a big club, but I don’t think people really understand [how big the club is].”
“When you’re there and especially when you go abroad, it doesn’t matter if it’s in the USA or Spain, there are always Irish pubs where you see people in Celtic shirts. Then you realise that it’s not just in Glasgow that people talk about Celtic. The club is very big.”
Mikael Lustig’s trophy haul at Celtic is considerable: he won 16 major honours, including eight consecutive league titles (2012-19), four Scottish Cups, and four Scottish League Cups. A highlight was the 2016-17 season under Brendan Rodgers, when the team went undefeated domestically, often referred to as an “invincible” campaign.
At West Ham or Fulham he’d have won nothing at all so not a bad decision opting to sign for Celtic, regardless of the reason.
Meanwhile Lustig recently revealed his next venture, some three years after finally hanging up his boots. The ex-defender retired in 2022 after an 18-year career, finishing at Swedish club AIK. During his seven-year trophy-laden spell in Glasgow.
Capped 94 times for Sweden, the former full-back has turned to a new project, launching a YouTube golf series with a lineup of celebrity guests. The debut episode included singer Victor Leksell and ex-players Pontus Wernbloom and Anders Svensson joining Lustig on the course.
Speaking via a Swedish outlet, Lustig said: “I’ve been playing golf for about four years. I got really into it when I moved back to Sweden. The plan is that I travel around Sweden and meet Swedish profiles. It will be a two-man scramble, so two against two. There will be some interviews and good conversation.”
“I don’t know if there’s anything more fun. There’s always a belief that the next round will be the best of your life. As fun as a round can be, it can also be just as hard. But you always have a feeling when you’ve finished the last hole that you want to go out and play again. And there are very few sports that do that to you.”
When asked if he considers a career in coaching, Lustig added: “There is an extreme amount of work that goes into becoming a head coach. If you are going to be a head coach, you might have to be ready to move and change cities. I am not there right now.”
“But, working within a team, helping players, working with sponsors or scouting players – I can definitely imagine doing that.”
