Filip Benković

Made of glass

 

Maybe an unpopular opinion but he was not outstanding here and most of the hype was around his ceiling rather than his performances. Looks like he hasn’t hit the heights at all.

wish him all the best and hope he can kick on tho

 

Disagree, he was excellent for us for the majority of his loan spell. I remember he looked an absolutely class act in the Europa league that season. He got injured and then never really played much near the end of his loan spell when Lennon came in and it was apparent he was heading back there.

No idea what happened to him that it went so badly wrong for him since he left here because he had all the tools required to go on and become a very good centre half.

 

Surely on a free its a no brainer

 

He could have came on loan but chose Bristol city the. A club in Belgium


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Is it? Why has he played so little since leaving us? Only 10 games at Bristol City, 1 at Cardiff and none for Leuven in a league Hendry seems to do well in.

 

For quite a while now they have been a lower bottom half team often being near relegation.

 

This has all the hallmarks of Kennedy pointing him out and lazy scouting and why we should have a head of recruitment and the player probably had the chance to sign for us a few seasons ago but decided to stay down south .

 

Should be a lesson to anyone, picking a Bristol City or a Middlesbrough over us. Such a promising talent, thought he was solid for us. Would I have him back now? Not a chance, he can away prop up the bars wae his pal Jozo and talk about the good auld days.

 

Eh

 

To be fair, he's just signed for an established Serie A side. Not a bad move.

 

Some players have spent years at Celticwithout picking up a single piece of silverware.

Fans who lived through the 90s will remember all too well the turmoil at Parkhead as Rangersenjoyed a decade of dominance. In Glasgow, they say the big wheel always spins and it's now Celtic's turn to savour one of the most successful eras in the club's history.




Many stars have come and gone during a golden chapter in the Hoops' story, where they romped to a second nine-in-a-row triumph and an unprecedented quadruple Treble. Filip Benkovic was one of them, and although the Croatian only spent a season in Glasgow's east end, it's fair to say Celtic left a mark on him after picking up three winners' medals and leaving as a Treble Treble-winner



Every person who asks me about my time there, I will say that it's probably the best year of my football career so far," Benkovic explains in an exclusive interview with Football Scotland.

"Since the first day at Celtic, I could see how big the club is and everything around the club, the dressing room, everything. It was first class.

"The Treble has to be the highlight, and the sugar on the cake. It's an honour to be part of that historic result for the club. Sometimes I cannot explain how much I enjoyed being at that club. It was an incredible achievement. It's a special memory in my career



Benkovic joined Celts on loan just three weeks after completing a £13million move to Leicester City from Dinamo Zagreb. The centre-back made a big impact too, featuring heavily during the first half of the campaign and establishing himself as a fans' favourite. He also starred on the European stage, helping Brendan Rodgers' side overcome RB Leipzig at Parkhead.




He said: "That was the best [atmosphere] I experienced. 60,000 people, especially on a European night, it's extra special. You get those goosebumps once you step on the pitch.

"Before the match when you are in the tunnel, it makes you so motivated. You think in your head, this is why you play football. You'll Never Walk Alone before the game, it's unbelievable."

It was a whirlwind beginning for the player, who started in the Betfred Cup Final win over Aberdeen, the first trophy on the way to a third successive Treble. Benkovic even earned his first and only cap for Croatia but suffered an injury setback in January 2019 that would, unfortunately, derail his Parkhead career.

Sidelined for around three months, Benkovic struggled to win back his place in the team, with Kristoffer Ajer and Jozo Simunovic cementing their positions in the backline




For me, it was frustrating because I started playing regularly", he said. "The first half of the season I played so many games. It was a pity, I was angry because I always want to push, push, push and then I injured myself twice and made bigger problems than there should be.

"It was disappointing, but that's part of football. You have to deal with it and it makes you stronger in the head."

As Benkovic recovered in the treatment room, boss Rodgers stunned Scottish football by walking out for Leicester City in February 2019. His sudden departure left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Celtic fans, but Benkovic had mixed feelings as the Northern Irishman took over at his parent club.

However, when the stopper was reunited with Rodgers at the King Power Stadium later that summer, things didn't go as planned and he failed to make a single Premier League appearance.




Benkovic said: "When he left for Leicester, in my mind it was good because I'm coming back probably at the end of the season and he knows me. Everything can be positive and very good for me. But at the end of the season, I had this injury, I was coming back and playing a couple of games [at Celtic].

"Then the international break came, some players said they couldn't play so I played and pushed too much. I then came to pre-season [at Leicester] injured, so that was my fault at the beginning. I came to pre-season not ready and some of the other guys got a chance and took it."

Neil Lennon was quickly installed as Rodgers' replacement as the Northern Irishman returned for a second stint in charge. Benkovic would only make two starts under his new boss, but the 25-year-old shares no hard feelings. Instead, he accepts full accountability.

"It was a good relationship with Neil and also with Brendan, those two are great managers", he says. "It was just that part when you get some bigger injury, and you push more than you should. I was in that circle where I killed myself.

"I don't blame any of them, it was just my way of doing some things which I could have handled better. I take all responsibility for that for not playing in those moments, it's all on me."

Benkovic eventually signed out of Celtic Park with a Betfred Cup, Premiership title and Scottish Cup all in the bag. And if it was down to him, he would have extended his stay with the Scottish champions for even longer.

He said: "After my year there, for me personally, it was always an option to stay at the club. I felt like it was a home. I think from both sides there was interest to stay there. I know from my side there was.

"You know how it is in football, so many times have to fall together to make something happen. If you ask me back then, I said I wanted to stay there many, many times. But so many other things have to fall between clubs. That's why football is a special game."

Plagued by injuries over the last few years, Benkovic's career trajectory hasn't exactly taken the path he envisaged. Loan stints at Bristol City, Cardiff and OH Leuven didn't quite work out, and Rodgers eventually cut ties with the £13m defender in January 2021.

Benkovic quickly found himself a new club by penning a three-and-a-half-year deal with Serie A outfit Udinese. He featured just twice for the Italians, though, before joining 2. Bundesliga side Eintracht Braunschweig on loan last summer.

Here, Benkovic has found happiness and is thankful to the German second-division club for giving him a platform to kickstart his career, after making just 17 appearances over the previous three campaigns. His immediate priority is to help them avoid relegation into the third tier, but what does his long-term future hold? Would a return to Celtic Park one day tickle his fancy?

"Well, you never know in football. From my side, now I'm here in Germany and I'm enjoying playing football for this club," he said. "This club gave me an opportunity to be playing again, I'm so grateful for them to believe in me because not many clubs did last summer because I hadn't played for two years




First of all I want to focus on the remaining games and to give everything and try to help the team as much as I can on and off the pitch. I want to push the team with talking and bringing them the belief that we're a good team.

"Also challenging myself to help outside football as well, on and off the pitch. That's my plan to give everything here and then we'll see after that




While the prospect of Benkovic pulling on the green and white hoops again is a long way off, the Treble Treble-winner still watches on from afar and will be supporting Ange Postecoglou's team in Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers, where a win would put them on the brink of a world record eighth domestic clean sweep.

He added: "I've watched a couple of games. I think the team is doing very well. They are playing very aggressive and attacking football. The atmosphere around the club and everything between the fans and the team is positive which is very important to make a good result in the season.

"I'm hoping that they are going to win all three, the big three trophies. I'm going to watch it for sure and support it as always.

 

Since leaving Celtic he's played roughly the same amount of games as he did with us. No idea what happened to him.

 

Some clearance

 

Wasn't expecting to be impressed by it but definitely was.

Not sure it was actually going in though.

 

I think that's actually going wide

 

A brilliant piece of defending and he seems to injure himself... yup, that's Benkovic alright.

 

Such a weird one with this guy. Honestly thought he was gonna be a right good player.