Invincible Erik Sviatchenko was interviewed by PLZ Soccer this week and the former Celtic defender has been discussing his new life in America. The big centre-back left FC Midtjylland earlier this year during the summer transfer window, to start a new footballing adventure across the Atlantic.
Pitching up in Texas, the man who was signed for the club by fellow Scandinavian, Ronny Deila, is now plying his trade in the MLS but has always kept the Hoops in his heart.
Erik was a bargain when he signed from his native Denmark back in 2016 and the player went on to enjoy success in the green and white. However, when Brendan Rodgers came in, the Dane suffered an injury halfway through that campaign and was replaced by Dedryk Boyata who never lost his spot after that. It was a shame as Erik was a very honest player and strong defender who was always great in the air and one-on-one duels.
He subsequently left Paradise and headed back home when it appeared he wasn’t in Brendan Rodgers’ plans anymore in his last tenure in charge of the Parkhead club. Even in spite of this, the player still looks back fondly at the time he spent in the Scottish Premiership and the friendships he made too. He revealed that he likes to keep an eye on the results of his former team when he can, even though the time difference can make it challenging.
Erik has even revealed he has a member of the coaching staff at Houston Dynamo who is a bluenose and the both of them like to wind each other up. When asked about if he likes to watch out for the Celtic scores and matches, he replied: “Yeah, I try. It is always a little bit difficult with the time difference but I always check up on the score. I saw the highlights from the last game, especially because my friend and former teammate plays for Aberdeen (Stefan Gartenmann).
“He said he had a tough day at Paradise. My psychical coach over here is a Rangers fan so it’s always fun to talk about Scottish football a little bit with him. He said ‘there’s only one club in Glasgow and it was blue’ and ‘I said of course it was green and white’ so it just goes back and forth. He comes back with ‘have you heard there is a new player signing, oh and they won this weekend’. I say yeah but there is a big difference in my opinion.”
🗣️’He said there’s only one club in Glasgow and it was blue and I said of course it was green and white’
🚨EXCLUSIVE: Former Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko reveals banter between himself and Rangers fan fitness coach
WATCH HERE NOW ⬇️ https://t.co/Fnh5Luwjy3 pic.twitter.com/320O8pTWlW
— PLZ Soccer (@PLZSoccer) November 22, 2023
Paul Gillespie
