Thomas Gravesen has certainly had an interesting career. The former Denmark international made a surprise move from Everton to Real Madrid in 2005 and had a mixed time at the club.
There were good performances but also spent some time on the bench, and some at the Spanish club found the midfielder’s tough attitude and playing style difficult to deal with.
Just one summer after the move to Spain, Gravesen signed for Celtic, but even the move wasn’t straightforward, with all kinds of rumours before it was made official.
Another good start saw Gravesen look like he could settle in at Celtic Park, but issues soon followed. Gordon Strachan and the player clearly didn’t get on, with the manager speaking out publicly over a frustration with the footballer not pushing hard enough to win his place back at the Glasgow club.
Now 42 years of age, Gravesen has been speaking to Ekstra Bladet, and it’s fair to say the feeling is mutual with Strachan: “I played well and I scored in the important matches. a hat-trick even. I’ve never scored as many goals as up there. If I’d had Morten Olsen as a coach, it would be something else, but now I had Gordon Strachan, there was a panic, a fear, about losing matches rather than winning. He was not interested in the way I did things.
“His attitude to football was so negative! It affected me a lot, and of course I was also aware of what I had been through with Madrid.”
Gravesen feels he just didn’t fit in at Celtic and by the time he went to Everton on loan he was at the end of powers, both physically and mentally.
There have been media reports that Gravesen is worth more than £80m, having invested his career earnings in various business, and the former Celtic player said: “They write so much you know, so you should not see too much in it. I’m not so good taking about money. But it is said that money gives you freedom… I have plenty of freedom!”
