Joe Ledley on why leaving Celtic was the ‘biggest regret’ of his career

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Joe Ledley was a cherished player at Celtic who arrived in 2010 before departing for Crystal Palace midway through the 2013/14 campaign.

The former Wales international claimed five trophies at the club, registering 30 goals and 24 assists in 155 appearances across all competitions.

Starring under Neil Lennon in the 2010s, Ledley lasted three years at Crystal Palace before spells at Derby County, Charlton Athletic, Newcastle Jets, and Newport County saw him retire from football at the age of 34.

He is most famed at Celtic for his derby day goal against Rangers, which sent the Bhoys to the top of the table heading into 2012, clawing back a 15-point deficit from earlier in the campaign. His contribution is still widely appreciated among the fanbase.

Now, he has opened up on why leaving the club is something that he does hold some regret about upon reflection.

Joe Ledley on what he regrets about leaving Celtic

Per World Football Index, Ledley explained the thought process behind his decision to leave Celtic for Crystal Palace on Deadline Day in January 2014.

He stated: “Playing in the Premier League is the highest of all European leagues and that was the only reason why I went. I felt that playing at that level would be the icing on the cake for my career as I wanted to be able to look back on playing in the Premier League, Champions League and Europa League while also managing to get to Euros with Wales as well.

“Despite wanting to play in the Premier League, looking back moving at that time is probably the biggest regret of my career. I probably should have stayed, won more games, tried to set even better records than what I did when I was at Celtic.

“On the day of leaving, I’ve never seen anything like it at my house as Garry Parker, Fraser Forster came over then I was with Lenny for ages really not knowing what to do, whether to get on the plane and go to Palace or not. I was honestly torn.

Later, he added: “After that, I had a hard think about it and made my decision to go because I was 26 at the time, only getting older, and if I don’t move then, I probably wouldn’t ever have played in the Premier League.”

Career decisions aren’t easy to make; you don’t get the benefit of hindsight before you take the plunge. Ultimately, Ledley wanted to test himself at the highest level possible, which the Premier League provides the opportunity to do.

Nevertheless, it is intriguing to hear how much he deliberated over the switch to Crystal Palace. The Welshman clearly holds an affinity towards Celtic that is reciprocated by the support, something that is still evident even in the present day.

Either way, the 37-year-old had a distinguished football career that he can look back on with a healthy collection of medals achieved at Parkhead.