Seven years after one of the most public fallouts of Brendan Rodgers’ first spell at Celtic, former defender Dedryck Boyata has finally shared his side of the story.

Boyata, who joined Celtic from Manchester City in 2015, endured a turbulent start before becoming a key part of the club’s Invincible Treble-winning side in 2016/17. But just a year later, he was embroiled in controversy during a crucial Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens—a moment that came to define the fractured relationship between player and manager.

Rodgers publicly questioned Boyata’s absence from the 2-1 second-leg defeat in Greece that knocked Celtic out of Europe, despite the Belgian centre-back claiming he was injured. The fallout led to the Green Brigade unveiling a “Not Fit to Wear the Jersey” banner at the next home game, a message that stung both the player and the fanbase.

Now, Boyata has opened up on the saga, telling The Celtic Way it was a period of deep frustration and sadness.

“There was interest in me when I came back from the World Cup, especially from England, and Celtic still had Champions League qualifiers to negotiate.

“The question was how Celtic were going to deal with me; should I stay or should I leave? The first AEK Athens game was just before the English transfer deadline, and were we taking a risk with me? I had a blowout with the coach over that. I had a hamstring strain, and Celtic felt that I could have done more and participated in the away game.

“The Champions League qualifiers are important to a club like Celtic, and I think they believed that they could have advanced over AEK Athens in the two legs. The transfer window closed, and Fulham had reputedly offered £9 million to sign me. With all the people you have around you and advising you, you just always try to make the right decision.

“It was just sad that all these things went on, as it was all so unnecessary. It did affect me at the time, I cannot lie about that. There was a lot of speculation, and negative things were said about me. It was difficult to concentrate on football.

“It is not nice to be in these kinds of situations. I love Celtic and the time I spent there, but this was an episode that was very sad during my time in Glasgow. I came back from injury and played more games that season, so that showed everybody the kind of character that I had.

“You have the player who finds himself dealing with situations on the pitch, then you have issues off the pitch surrounding family and the future. Then you have the football fan who comes to the game and just wants to see his team win and the players perform. The question for them is that they don’t know how you, as a player, are supposed to feel at home when things like this are affecting you.

“It is different. That is why we have created a shell for footballers to perform every week, because if players were asked to speak every day about their own problems to justify their performance, it would never work. That’s the hard part of the game, but it is far outweighed by the good parts.”

Boyata insists he never saw the now-infamous banner, only hearing about it post-match.

“I am not lying when I tell you I did not see the banner! It was pointed out to me after the match. I think scoring the winner showed everybody at Celtic where my commitment and my loyalties lay.  Up until then, I enjoyed a very good relationship with the coaches and the staff at Celtic.

“When I was put in that situation, it was difficult for me. When you find yourself in those situations, you don’t know how you are supposed to react. It is supposed to be all about the football, isn’t it?

“A player who doesn’t play well is always going to be criticised, but my goal was just to play football. When you play football and you hear fans booing you, it is very difficult, but at the end of the day, it is all about football, and I ended up scoring the goal that day against Hamilton, which turned out to be the winner. That is a good story.”

Boyata was a Marmite-like player at Celtic; some loved the defender while he wasn’t to others’ taste.

He put in some grat shifts at Celtic, but he did have that mistake in him, and fans could never sit easy watching him.

After his spell at the Hoops, he’s gone on to play for Hertha Berlin and now Club Brugge. He made an appearance at Celtic Park for the Half Time Windfall during the Hoops’ Champions League clash against the Belgian side this season.