NafisaMartin O’Neill appeared to suggest that Saturday’s dramatic title win over Hearts may have been his final league match as Celtic manager at Celtic Park.
The experienced boss returned to the club earlier this season with Celtic trailing Hearts in the title race and the atmosphere around the squad collapsing after poor performances. By the end of the campaign he had hauled the side back to the summit after one of the most dramatic final days Scottish football has witnessed in years.
Even amid the celebrations, uncertainty over his future still lingered over Celtic Park.
O’Neill had already indicated before the match there was “more than a reasonable chance” this would be his last league game in charge at home. After the final whistle, his latest remarks sounded even more like someone preparing to step away once again.
That came despite emotional scenes around the stadium following the comeback victory.
Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand turned the game around late on after Celtic trailed for long periods against Hearts. Once the final whistle went, supporters poured onto the pitch while banners for O’Neill remained draped across Celtic Park.
The manager looked visibly overwhelmed throughout the celebrations.
Journalist Josh McCafferty relayed O’Neill’s latest response on X after speaking to the Celtic manager following the title win.
Those comments contrasted sharply with the earlier uncertainty in his Sky Sports interview when O’Neill admitted he “just didn’t know” whether he still had the energy to carry on.
This time there was a clearer acceptance that Saturday may well have marked the end of his second spell managing Celtic at home.
That would leave the Scottish Cup Final against Dunfermline as his final game in charge if he does choose to step aside after the season concludes.
The timing only adds more emotion to everything surrounding him right now. O’Neill repeatedly admitted after the title win that returning to Celtic had “given me a lease of life” and supporters responded passionately to him throughout the run-in.
The atmosphere at Celtic Park completely shifted after his return earlier in the year. O’Neill often spoke about the crowd driving the team forward and Saturday may have been the clearest example of that.
At 1-0 down against Hearts, Celtic looked on the brink of losing the title. By full-time the stadium had descended into total chaos while O’Neill stood watching another league trophy arrive at Celtic Park.
Now attention turns to whether he has one final match left in the dugout before stepping away once again.
Nafisa
