HE ended up as arguably one of Celtic’s most unpopular players ever.
And after a controversial career on the pitch, this former Hoops star now has a controversial career away from football.
The former Celtic man looks very different these daysWEST HAM UNITED
He now has a very different career back in his homelandOFIRA & BERKOVIC
A talented midfielder, he arrived at Parkhead in a bumper £5.75million deal from West Ham in 1999 – a Scottish transfer record at the time.
While he showed flashes of what he was capable of, the international ace ended up INFURIATING his own fans on several occasions.
Booed in his last appearance by his own fans, Celtic cut their losses and sent him on his way to Manchester City in 2001.
Despite a solid first season in Glasgow, he was gone just a year later as the Hoops cut their losses and sent him on to Manchester City.
The player in question? It’s Eyal Berkovic.
Although he scored 13 times in 42 appearances, the Israel international never endeared himself to the Celtic fans.
He infamously made a fisted, provocative gesture to his own supporters after scoring in a 4-2 win over Kilmarnock in April 2000, something most fans struggled to forgive him for.
Berkovic had already soured relations with Celtic fans before he’d even kicked a ball, when he praised Rangers as a “very good team” before he even kicked a ball for the club.
Signed by John Barnes, his departure was a formality after Martin O’Neill took over.
The two men never saw eye to eye, with Berkovic publicly criticising the boss for his lack of game time.
In his final appearance for Celtic, a pre-season friendly against QPR, Berkovic was booed by the Hoops support.
After being loaned out to Blackburn, he then moved on to Man City, having won a League Cup winners’ medal at Parkhead.
Around that time, his agent Pinhus Zahava claimed Berkovic had a “very bad time in Glasgow because of the supporters.”
Berkovic looks very different to how he did during his playing daysNews Group Newspapers Ltd
Controversy was never far from Berkovic.
Before joining Celtic, he was infamously involved in a training ground altercation with his own West Ham teammate John Hartson, who kicked Berkovic in the head.
After his tumultuous Hoops spell, Berkovic’s time at Man City ended unceremoniously as well.
He fell out with manager Kevin Keegan and also had a difficult relationship with the City fans.
Although he was the club’s player of the season in 2002/03, he had caused fury – once again – among his own fans during the campaign after making a cut-throat gesture towards them during a cup match with Crewe.
After short spells with Portsmouth and Maccabi Tel Aviv, Berkovic retired in 2006.
Although he’s had spells in executive roles with Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Petah Tikva since hanging up his boots, Berkovic is more well known in his homeland now for having a very different career.
Now aged 50, he’s made a name for himself back in Israel as a TALK SHOW host.
Berkovic now co-hosts his own weekly TV show
Appearing on radio and TV, he’s worked for the last six years on “Ofira and Berkovic,” alongside co-host Ofira Assig.
Billed by the broadcasters as a programme where the hosts “ask the questions that no one dares to ask,” Berkovic’s show airs every Friday on Israeli television.
It sees Berkovic and his co-presenter interview a host of figures, including politicians and celebrities.
As was the case on the pitch, Berkovic has found himself at the centre of controversy on more than one occasion on TV.
He’s often clashed with figures with opposing political opinions, with local outlets describing him as an “outspoken” figure.
While some outlets have described Ofira and Berkovic as, among other things, “trashy,” it has been very successful in the country, regularly attracting high viewing figures in its evening slot.
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