Giakoumakis on celtic exit, 'fragile' ange relationship and moment he wanted out

IN PART TWO OF RECORD SPORT'S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, THE FORMER HOOPS HERO EXPLAINS WHY HE LEFT PARKHEAD AFTER JUST 18 MONTHS 12:38, 20 May 2025Updated 21:53, 20 May 2025 It's been

two-and-a-half years since Giorgos Giakoumakis waved goodbye to Celtic. But there's a tear in his eye when he thinks about what could have been at Parkhead. A prolific goalscorer, a

title winner and a fans' favourite, GG had everything going for him. He felt the love from the terraces every time he pulled on the famous green and white jersey. It's just a shame

he didn't feel that same connection with the manager or the hierarchy. After less than a year at Celtic Park, Giakoumakis knew he was fighting a losing battle to upstage Kyogo, who

followed Ange Postecoglou from Japan to Scotland. No matter how many goals the bargain £2.5million signing from VVV-Venlo scored or defences he ragdolled, Kyogo was always going to be the

main man. That's why, despite finishing as the Premiership's joint-top scorer in his debut campaign, Giakoumakis decided he had to leave Glasgow. In a bombshell interview with

_RECORD SPORT_, Giakoumakis bared all by sharing his side of his Celtic story for the very first time since leaving the club in February 2023. He said: "Well, at first, when I finished

the season winning the league and the top league scorer trophy award, I called my agent and I said, 'We need to go’. And he was surprised. "He said, 'What do you mean?' I

said, 'Listen, we need to go because I have the feeling that with this manager, I'm not going to play next year. It doesn't matter what I did this year. I'm not going to

play. Whenever I play, I'm delivering. And I don't deserve that. I'm a king for the fans. I love them. They love me’. "But I knew what was going to happen. I knew

already. So my previous agent didn't really believe me, or didn't bring me any offers to the table. I just started the season, and it happened exactly as I was feeling. "There

was a special connection that Kyogo had with the manager and the manager with Kyogo. Maybe it was different sides. So maybe Ange was preferring this false nine. "But then again, I was

feeling what was going to happen. I want to feel loved in a place. And I think only the fans kept me at a good level coming from the bench and scoring. "Only the fans showed me the love

they had for me, the song they were singing for me, and all the support. Honestly, it was because of them. I was getting the love from somewhere and that made me deliver. "So I think

in six months I had nine goals in all competitions. Then I changed my agent. Obviously, I wasn't happy with what was going on and not finding a solution. "And I made my mind that

you know what? It's my career and I will never lose my love for the fans. And hopefully, they didn't lose the appreciation and the love they had for me. But yeah, it wasn't a

place that I was feeling happy anymore." Rumours began to swirl around the November World Cup break that Giakoumakis had forced Celtic's hand by rejecting an improved contract. But

the one-time Eredivisie top scorer claims: "The relegation with VVV-Venlo affected me a lot. Imagine scoring 29 goals and then you don't have any offers from any other team until

August 26. Eventually, when Celtic realised that, 'All he has is us', they really took advantage of it. "I had a ridiculous contract and then they told me when I signed,

'Well, if you prove yourself, we're going to sit down in summer and give you what you deserve’. "But of course, that was a lie to bring me there. And when I ended up top

scorer, winning the league, they bought me only for £2.5m, you feel like, 'Ok, I proved myself. I did my part. Now let's do yours’. "So I talked to them and I said,

'Listen, you need to give me what I deserve.' And then they just offered me like £1,000 more per week. That was the offer they made to me. "And I said, 'Okay, obviously

it's not £1k more. It's like you are messing around and you don't appreciate me’. And at this time, I said, 'Don't even make any other offer because I feel

disrespected and you didn't appreciate what I gave for the team and for the fans. The connections I had, I don't care anymore. I am done with you, name a price, I'm

leaving." Both parties were at loggerheads and from that moment, there was no way back as Giakoumakis added: "I think the relationship between me, Michael and Ange in the end was

really fragile. It was really fragile and I think at some point it just broke the glass." Renowned for keeping a distance between himself and the players, Postecoglou's approach

didn't quite sit right with Giakoumakis. But from a coaching and tactical perspective, the ex-AEK Athens frontman said: "He was an amazing manager. He was the best manager I ever

had in my career, football-wise. As a person, it doesn't matter. "Personal relationship and personal opinion is different to every person, for a specific face, for a specific

individual. But as a manager, I cannot say anything bad. He brought me there. "Of course, I wasn't happy when I was not playing. I'm going to tell you something weird. We were

both Greeks, right? In 18 months, I went to his office once to ask permission to go to Greece to undergo surgery for my knee. That was it." Giakoumakis - who donned the iconic No7

jersey - scored his 26th and final goal for the club in a 2-0 League Cup semi-final win over Kilmarnock at Hampden. It was a raw and emotional moment as he ripped off his shirt and

celebrated in front of the fans. His exit had yet to be finalised, but Giakoumakis knew he'd just played his final game for the club. He said: "Yeah, and I think that was also my

last touch. I was really sad that I was leaving. I was super, super sad. "I was sitting on the couch, remembering myself. I had to convince myself, sporting-wise, that it's not

good for you to stay here. It doesn't matter how much you love the club. "It doesn't matter how much you are obsessed with the fans. It doesn't matter how happy you were

this whole time, scoring goals, winning trophies with the team. You have to go, but I had to accept it first. It was difficult." The Greece international had options on the table from

mega-rich Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds and Danish outfit FC Midtjylland but eventually plumped for a move to the MLS with Atlanta United. The 30-year-old watched from afar as Celtic

stormed to a stunning Treble without him. Yet, even with the benefit of hindsight, he doesn't have any regrets about his time in Scotland. Instead, he's just glad it happened. He

said: "I don't think I have any regrets. I think I experienced that adventure in the best possible way. I did my best. "And when I had to leave, I left with the head up, with

much love for the club, appreciation and the fans. "But it had to be done. And I don't regret it. And that doesn't have to do with the feelings that I had for Celtic because I

didn't leave for money. "I didn't leave for a rival club. I left at the point that everyone can understand I should go. If I cared for my career, I should go. "If I was

playing regularly as a starter and getting what I deserved, why should I leave? I was feeling amazing." Adored by the green-and-white faithful, Giakoumakis has told Brendan Rodgers

he'd love a second chance at Celtic Park. If not, then the Cruz Azul forward will have to settle for a place in the stands as a supporter. Summing up his rollercoaster 18 month stint at

Celtic, he said: "It's going to be the biggest flex of my life, my career, because I made my dream come true, playing for a massive club, being a star in this club, and then

having all these fans cheering your name, scoring goals. "I remember the moment the ball was touching the back of the net. It was ecstasy. It was this feeling that the whole stadium was

on the field, cheering and screaming. "And so, at the end of the day, I would say that I'm super proud. I wish it would last longer. I would love to last longer. And if

that's possible, to meet again and, you know, to wear this jersey. "If not, I will try to visit Glasgow on a weekend with the Old Firm derby at Celtic Park. I would love to be

there. Article continues below "And the fact that made me really sad, to be honest, when I left, is that I didn't have the chance to say goodbye to the fans. I would love to take

the microphone and say a proper farewell to the fans. "Maybe it's too much, because it was only one year and a half, but my connection with the fans was not for a player who played

only one year and a half there. "So, I would love to give them a proper farewell and tell them thank you for everything that made this journey special. And what I did, the biggest part

was for them."