JOZO SIMUNOVIC has revealed that he is already planning for life after football – and could hang up his boots aged just 28.
The former Celtic defender, who was part of Brendan Rodgers’ Invincible side of 2016/17, is at a crossroads with his career and is unsure if he will continue playing.
He made history with the Hoops under the Irishman as he helped Celtic win 17 successive matches in all competitions during their unbeaten campaign.
It was the club’s best winning streak since Jock Stein’s legends won 25 in a row in 1966.
Simunovic spent five years at Celtic after joining from Dinamo Zagreb in 2015.
He ran down his contract at Parkhead and left in 2020 but it took him a year to find his next club.
He then returned to his homeland to sign for HNK Gorica but his spell didn’t last too long as his stint with the Croatian side ended the following year.
Simunovic, 28, is still in Croatia without a club, and is weighing up whether to continue with his football career.
The defender hasn’t played for a year after he took time away from the game to focus on completing a sports management degree and his coaching badges.
The centre-back has admitted that he could make a return to football next season, but is planning for his future away from the pitch.
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He told SunSport: “Life is good. I have a one-year old baby now and I am very busy!
“Come the summer I will decide whether to start playing football again or not. We will see how it goes.
“Right now, I have a lot to be busy with. I’m at university and also doing my badges.
“I am studying sports management. I have been doing that for the last two years and I enjoy it.
“It’s going OK and I am combining that with my coaching qualifications.
“If I don’t go back to playing, I will stay in football — it’s really all I think about.
“That could be coaching, agency work or sports management.
“Let’s see what happens.”
Simunovic was gutted to leave Celtic back in 2020 but insists the club remains close to his heart.
He said: “I spent five years in Scotland. It was a long time and I have so many happy memories.
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“We played in big games, we won a lot of trophies and I will always see Celtic as a special place.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
