After four years with Celtic, Dedryck Boyata decided it was time for a new challenge and left Parkhead in the summer on a free.
He’d wanted to do so a year beforehand, but eventually stayed for an extra season, eventually running down his deal, which allowed him to choose his next destination freely.
Having already tried England, Holland and Scotland, the defender swapped Celtic for Germany, where Hertha BSC gave him a three-year contract.
Missing the first few games of the season through a thigh injury, the Belgian centre-back returned in mid-September to help turn a poor start around, which he did, as the Bundesliga side have won their last two games.
Ahead of Sunday’s 4-0 win against Köln (in which he scored), Boyata gave a quick interview to BZ-Berlin about his first impressions at Hertha.
Asked about the importance of the first win (the week before against Paderborn), he said it was a great boost for the entire team, especially when they knew they ‘desperately needed points’, and it was ‘important not to be last’.
As for the mood in training after picking up three points, he said: “The mood is better. When you have that pressure, it’s not easy, but I have to say the pressure was higher at Celtic. We had to win every game.”
That isn’t the case at Hertha, and perhaps that’s one of the reasons why he chose the German side, allowing him to enjoy his football without knowing a loss will be the end of the world.
After four years of constant pressure at Celtic, which the club mostly lived up to, it must be a nice break for the 28-year-old, whose aim will always to get back in Roberto Martínez’s good books in the Belgium national team.
