Swede dreams of remaining a Celt for life
MIKAEL LUSTIG has hopes of finishing his career at Celtic after extending his stay in Glasgow’s east end for another two years.
Brought to the club in 2012 from Rosenborg, the Swedish internationalist has shrugged off his earlier injury problems to become a key part of the Hoops side.
“I’m really pleased to get the new deal over the line,” he said.
“I’ve been here five years already so this almost feels like home now. My family like it here and everything is going well, not just on the football side but in normal life as well. It feels really good to stay for longer.
“Hopefully I am going to have the opportunity to sign another contract as well.
“I am still just 30 years old, so hopefully I have a few years left in me and it would be great to finish my career here.
“In my opinion, Celtic is a massive club and it’s really hard to get that somewhere else.
“The money is obviously better down south. But it’s hard to find many clubs in England that are bigger than Celtic.
“I don’t think I am going to play for a bigger club, so as long as you are enjoying life and you love to play for the club, you should stay here.
“So, fingers crossed. You never know how your body is going to react, but the last two seasons have been really good.”
One of the main reasons for Lustig’s enthusiasm is his belief the Hoops are successfully making the transition from Champions League aspirants to group regulars.
“For the first time in a couple of years, it feels like we are going for something big. It feels like we are going to get better every year,” he said.
“We have the feeling that we don’t need to sell the best players.
“We also have a feeling that we want to be in the Champions League, but not just be happy to be in it.
“We want to develop there, so that in a few years we can become a good Champions League team that can get past the group stages.
“It’s a long road but it feels like we’ve made a good start.
“My main goal was always to stay anyway. But you like to have that feeling when you’re going to training every day that the club is getting better and better. That’s how it feels now.
“I knew Celtic was all about winning before I came here. And, so far, so good! But we just take it a season at a time and hopefully we can continue to meet our goals.
“The way Brendan Rodgers wants to play suits me. It is a different way and it has developed me as a player.”