Brendan Rodgers and Martin O’Neill are two of Celtic’s greatest-ever managers.

The European Cup-winning master Jock Stein stands above them all, but Rodgers and O’Neill are certainly modern-day greats.

They have one thing in common: winning the Treble in the colours of Celtic, with Rodgers now in his second spell as manager.

When Celtic announced Rodgers as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement in the summer of 2023, his return surprised some because of how he initially left the club.

The former Liverpool boss proceeded to leave the Glasgow giants in February 2019 for English Premier League side, Leicester City.

Despite winning trophy after trophy in Scotland, including leading the Premiership table by eight points when he departed, the reaction from the supporters wasn’t pleasant and it left many angry.

Well, ahead of Celtic’s second-leg showdown with Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night, that topic of him leaving was brought up, whilst in conversation with O’Neill.

Martin O’Neill puts Brendan Rodgers straight over why he left Celtic in 2019

One thing you have got to love about O’Neill is that, just like his former Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough, he is no-nonsense and says it like it is.

So, when Rodgers, in an interview for Amazon Prime, explained that he left Celtic in 2019 because he felt ‘I had taken Celtic as far as I could’, it drew a pretty brutal response from the man sitting opposite him.

O’Neill was quick to correct the current Celtic manager by saying, ‘no, you just wanted to leave’, before that drew an awkward laugh from Rodgers.

“How have you felt about coming back here, the second time around,” asked O’Neill. “Have you seen some changes? I assume, some of the people that were here before are still here.”

Rodgers responded: “I enjoyed every second of it, Martin. It was clear when I was here the first time that I had a great spell. Then, probably more in my own mind it was football, I felt maybe I had taken Celtic as far as I could.”

O’Neill then interrupted by pointing at Rodgers who laughed: “No, you just wanted to leave, young man. You wanted to leave. That’s the point.”

Amazon host Alex Aljoe then jokes: “Can you continue that conversation off-camera.”

Rodgers admits he ‘hurt’ people by leaving Celtic for Leicester City

Given that the 10IAR was around the corner, it was another reason why Rodgers’ departure stung.

But, reflecting on all of it years down the line, he understands that he ‘hurt’ people and he only realises now ‘what me leaving meant’.

In truth, all of that noise has now drained away because the trophies continue to come into Celtic like they are on a conveyor belt at an airport.

“But I always felt that, and I really should have known better in myself, that it was only really when I left that I realised probably what me leaving meant,” explained Rodgers.

“Not in an arrogant way, but in a way that hurt people. I should have known that being a Celtic supporter. But I was more thinking about football and the next football move.

“I was very conscious that I had hurt people when I left and I wanted to make that when I come back that I recognised and realised it is more than that as a Celtic manager.

“It’s people’s life. The love and passion for Celtic is incredible. What that did when I left it didn’t sit well with me and I didn’t want that as my legacy.”