Tom Rogic’s announcement that he was retiring from football brought instant reaction from scores of former Celtic team-mates.
Supporters have been left puzzled by his post Celtic movements but in a very emotional and personal statement it became clear that there are bigger issues in life than the next trophy, contract or international cap.
Earlier this year Aaron Mooy’s wife gave an insight into the challenges that players have to go through to fulfil their dreams, within a couple of months two Socceroos stalwarts have decided that there are other priorities in their life.
Despite spending nine years at Celtic very little was known of Rogic, he kept himself to himself with minimal social media interaction.
That didn’t dull his determination to succeed as a player, in one memorable interview under Ange Postecoglou he told Sky Sports that Celtic had been on top for a decade when he was asked about the pressures of being involved in a title race.
Good guy.
— Lint (@Zeshankenzo) October 3, 2023
Over the seasons Celtic fans enjoyed regular spells of Rogic magic, most famously during the 2016/17 season where he found his niche under Brendan Rodgers, those standards never quite returned but 20 or 30 games a season offered much more than most others could produce.
At the age of 30 it is all over for Rogic but his statement this morning answers many questions, hopefully him and his family are regular visitors to Celtic Park where he can accept the gratitude of fans who admired his skill and deadly knack for delivering on the big occasions.
After careful consideration, I have made the decision to retire from professional football.
I have always been rather private with things in my personal life but I feel given the significance, I think it is important for people to understand why and how I have made my decision.
Throughout the past 7 years, my wife and I have been on an immensely challenging journey with fertility issues. After years of trying and many failed rounds of IVF, my wife and I were fortunate enough to welcome the birth of our daughter in 2021.
I have loved every minute of being a dad and consider it my greatest achievement in life.
After experiencing some more struggles and heartache with fertility treatment, we have recently received the amazing news that our family is growing and we will be expecting twins in 2024.
Given our past and how hard we have fought for this, along with the challenges that will come with having twins and a 2-year-old, now seems like the right time to give my focus and attention to what is the most important thing in my life – my family.
After being away for so many years, my family and I have now returned home to Australia as we look ahead to next year and the arrival of our new family members.
I feel very lucky to have had a career where I spent the majority of my time playing at Celtic Football Club, one of the biggest clubs in the world, playing European football, winning many trophies and playing in front of 60,000 fans each week.
I have also been lucky enough to represent my country with the Socceroos on over 50 occasions and experienced playing in major international tournaments.
As a young boy growing up in Australia I couldn’t have imagined experiencing all I was able to do in football.
I’d like to thank all of my teammates for everything over the past 12 years, it’s been a special journey which I’ll look back on with fond memories. I feel very lucky to have formed some wonderful friendships through football and experienced so many special moments together.
I would also like to thank Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond. Without their help all of this would not have been possible. Through Peter and Dermot, I was put in direct contact with one of the world’s leading medical experts, which eventually led to my wife and I being placed at the clinic that would give us the best chance possible to start a family. I will be forever grateful.
To the managers who supported and guided me through some tough times, I’d like to say a big thank you to Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon, John Kennedy and Ange Postecoglou.
Indeed I would like to thank everyone in football who has given me such great opportunity throughout my career to be part of the game I love.
And finally, I want to thank all the fans who have given me so much support, you have been everything to me.
I’m looking forward to what comes next and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us. Tom Rogic.
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