Martin O’Neill is a Northern Irish football manager and former midfielder, born on 1 March 1952 in Kilrea, County Londonderry. He won two European Cups as a player with Nottingham Forest, then built a managerial career that took in Wycombe Wanderers, Leicester City, Celtic, Aston Villa, Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland. At 74, he is back in the Celtic dugout as permanent manager, and this latest chapter is his most scrutinised yet.
This guide pulls together his early life, family, playing years, every major managerial job, his health news, his money and his legacy. Facts were checked against club statements, major news outlets and public records, and the page reflects the position as of 3 November 2026.
Martin O’Neill Quick Bio
| Detail | Fact |
| Full name | Martin Hugh Michael O’Neill, OBE |
| Born | 1 March 1952, Kilrea, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland |
| Age | 74 (as of November 2026) |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Playing position | Midfielder |
| Nationality | Northern Irish, from an Irish nationalist family |
| Schools | St Columb’s College (Derry) and St Malachy’s College (Belfast) |
| University | Started law at Queen’s University Belfast, left before finishing |
| Wife | Geraldine, married 1979 (the year most commonly reported) |
| Children | Two daughters, Aisling and Alana |
| Siblings | Four brothers and four sisters; he was the sixth of nine children |
| Playing clubs | Distillery, Nottingham Forest, Norwich City, Manchester City, Notts County |
| Club playing record | 428 league games, 65 goals (1971 to 1985) |
| International record | 64 caps, 8 goals for Northern Ireland; captain at the 1982 World Cup |
| Player highlights | 1977-78 league title, European Cups in 1979 and 1980, two League Cups, 1979 European Super Cup |
| Managerial career | Grantham, Shepshed Charterhouse, Wycombe, Norwich, Leicester, Celtic, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Republic of Ireland, Nottingham Forest |
| Managerial record | 1,186 games, 625 wins, 278 draws, 283 defeats, 52.7% win rate (to the end of 2025-26) |
| Celtic honours | Nine major trophies: four league titles, four Scottish Cups, one League Cup |
| Current job | Celtic manager, one-year deal signed 11 June 2026 plus a one-year option |
| Honours | MBE (1983), OBE (2004) |
| Estimated net worth | Roughly $10 million to $15 million (unverified third-party estimates) |
| Book | On Days Like These (autobiography, November 2022) |
| Podcast | The Football Authorities, co-hosted with Clive Tyldesley since June 2024 |
Martin O’Neill’s Early Life and Family
O’Neill grew up in Kilrea, a small town in north Derry. He was the sixth child in a family of nine, with four brothers and four sisters. His father was a founding member of the local GAA club, Pádraig Pearse’s Kilrea, so Gaelic football was the family language long before soccer entered the picture.
His older brothers Gerry and Leo played for Kilrea and for Derry. They were part of the Derry side that won the 1958 Ulster title and reached that year’s All-Ireland final. O’Neill has said his mother took him on the long trip to Croke Park for that final when he was a small boy, and that his brothers were his real heroes.
O’Neill played Gaelic football for Kilrea and Derry at underage level before soccer took over. A clash between the two codes would shape his teenage years, as the next section explains.
Education and Law Studies
O’Neill boarded at St Columb’s College in Derry, then moved to St Malachy’s College in Belfast when his family relocated. At St Malachy’s he played Gaelic football for a school side coached by former Derry player Phil Stuart, and the team won the MacRory Cup in 1970.
There was friction behind the scenes. At the time the GAA banned its players from taking part in “foreign” sports. O’Neill was already playing soccer for Distillery, so the Antrim county board refused to let a MacRory Cup final go ahead at Casement Park with him in the team. The colleges moved the game to County Tyrone, and St Malachy’s won.
He then began a law degree at Queen’s University Belfast. It never reached the finish line. In October 1971 he signed for Nottingham Forest and left his studies behind. The legal mind never left him, though. He has long followed criminology and true crime, an interest that started with the 1961 A6 murder case involving James Hanratty.
Nationality, Religion and Accent
O’Neill was born in Northern Ireland and has always been described as Northern Irish. He has spoken openly about growing up in a Catholic, Irish nationalist, working-class family. In a 2008 lecture at Áras an Uachtaráin on Irish identity, he described how the GAA dispute pushed him to think hard about who he was and where he wanted to go.
His career reflects that mix. He captained Northern Ireland as a player, then managed the Republic of Ireland for five years. His accent is a north Derry one, and decades in England and Scotland have never really softened it.
As a boy he supported Sunderland and Celtic. His favourite player was Sunderland centre-half Charlie Hurley. Both clubs would later become part of his own story.
Martin O’Neill’s Wife and Children
O’Neill’s wife is Geraldine. They are commonly reported to have married in 1979, and they have two daughters, Aisling and Alana. The family appeared together when he collected his OBE in 2004.
Geraldine is central to the biggest decision of his managerial life. In May 2005, at the height of his success, O’Neill announced he would leave Celtic to care for her after she was diagnosed with lymphoma. His last game in charge was the Scottish Cup final win over Dundee United on 28 May 2005. Geraldine recovered, and he returned to management with Aston Villa in 2006.
The family keeps a low profile. O’Neill has said Geraldine is now an even bigger Celtic fan than when he was in charge.
Martin O’Neill’s Playing Career
O’Neill was a clever, quick-thinking midfielder rather than a physical one. He scored goals, read the game early and thrived under a demanding coach. That coach was Brian Clough.
Distillery and the Move to England
Before England, O’Neill played for Rosario and then Distillery in the Irish League. In 1971 he scored twice in a 3-0 Irish Cup final win over Derry City. One of those goals came after a run past three defenders and a powerful finish.
The cup win put Distillery into Europe. O’Neill scored against Barcelona in the Cup Winners’ Cup in September 1971, in a 3-1 home defeat. A Nottingham Forest scout was watching, and O’Neill signed for the English club the following month. He scored on his league debut, a 4-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on 13 November 1971.
European Success with Nottingham Forest
Forest were relegated in 1972, and the early years were modest. Everything changed when Brian Clough arrived in January 1975. Under Clough, Forest won promotion in 1977, then won the First Division title and the League Cup in 1978.
O’Neill’s Forest honours read like a fantasy list:
- First Division champions, 1977-78
- League Cup winners, 1978 and 1979
- FA Charity Shield, 1978
- European Cup winners, 1979 and 1980
- European Super Cup winners, 1979
His European Cup story has a twist. He was injured before the 1979 final against Malmö and started on the bench. He did play in the 1980 final win over Hamburg. In total he made 285 league appearances for Forest and scored 48 goals.
After Forest he moved to Norwich City in February 1981 for £250,000, had a short spell at Manchester City, returned to Norwich and then joined Notts County. A cruciate ligament injury ended his comeback attempts at Chesterfield and Fulham, and he retired in February 1985.
Northern Ireland and the World Cup
O’Neill played for Northern Ireland amateurs against Scotland in February 1971, then made his senior debut that October against the Soviet Union. Between 1971 and 1984 he won 64 caps and scored eight goals.
He captained the side at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Northern Ireland reached the second group stage and famously beat the host nation in Valencia. He also won the British Home Championship twice as a player, in 1980 and 1984.
Martin O’Neill’s Management Career
O’Neill worked at an insurance company after retiring, then started in management at Grantham Town in 1987. Over the next three decades he built a record of 1,186 games with a 52.7% win rate across ten jobs, with peaks at non-league, Scottish and international level.
Wycombe and Leicester City
After a short spell at Shepshed Charterhouse, O’Neill took over Wycombe Wanderers in February 1990. He took them from the Conference into the Football League for the first time in 1993, won the FA Trophy in 1991 and 1993, and secured a second straight promotion in 1994 by beating Preston North End 4-2 in the Third Division play-off final. Wycombe still count him as their most successful manager.
He spent a few months at Norwich City in 1995 and left after a dispute with chairman Robert Chase. Leicester City came next, and the fit was perfect:
- Promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs in 1996
- League Cup wins in 1997 and 2000
- A League Cup final appearance in 1999
- Top-half finishes in the Premier League, including eighth place in 2000
Leicester fans printed thousands of “Don’t Go Martin” posters when he was linked with Leeds in 1998. He stayed until June 2000, then left for Celtic.
Celtic’s Treble and European Final
O’Neill’s first Old Firm game in August 2000 ended in a 6-2 Celtic win over Rangers. His first season brought a domestic treble, Celtic’s first since 1968-69. He retained the league in 2001-02 and then led Celtic to the 2003 UEFA Cup final in Seville.
The road to Seville went through Blackburn, Celta Vigo, Stuttgart, Liverpool and Boavista. Celtic lost the final 3-2 after extra time to José Mourinho’s Porto. It was the club’s first European final since 1970.
The numbers from his first spell are hard to argue with:
- 282 games, 213 wins, 29 draws, 40 defeats
- A 75.5% win rate, the best of any Celtic manager
- Three league titles, three Scottish Cups and a League Cup
- A British record 25 consecutive league wins in 2003-04
- A record seven straight Old Firm victories
Aston Villa, Sunderland and Ireland
O’Neill took over Aston Villa on 4 August 2006 and turned them into regular top-six contenders. They finished sixth three seasons in a row and reached the 2010 League Cup final, losing 2-1 to Manchester United. He resigned on 9 August 2010, five days before the new season, after a dispute over transfer funds.
In December 2011 he took charge of Sunderland, the club he supported as a boy. They climbed the table early on, but an eight-game winless run ended with his sacking on 30 March 2013.
In November 2013 he became Republic of Ireland manager, with Roy Keane as his assistant. The highlights:
- A famous qualifying win over then world champions Germany
- Euro 2016 qualification via a 3-1 aggregate play-off win over Bosnia and Herzegovina
- A 1-0 win over Italy at Euro 2016 to reach the last 16, where Ireland lost to France
- A 2018 World Cup play-off exit, losing 5-1 to Denmark in Dublin after a 0-0 first leg
He and Keane left by mutual consent in November 2018. A short spell at Nottingham Forest followed from January to June 2019, ending in a ninth-place finish and his dismissal.
Celtic Return and Latest Developments
Few people expected a 73-year-old to be back in top-level football. Here is how the story unfolded:
- 27 October 2025: O’Neill returned as interim manager after Brendan Rodgers resigned. Celtic beat Falkirk 4-0 in his first game back.
- November 2025: He guided Celtic past Rangers 3-1 in the League Cup semi-final and to a first away European win in over four years at Feyenoord.
- 3 December 2025: He left after seven wins in eight games when Wilfried Nancy was appointed.
- January 2026: Nancy was dismissed after 33 days, and O’Neill was named manager again on 5 January.
- 17 May 2026: Celtic beat Hearts 3-1 on the final day to win the league from six points behind.
- 23 May 2026: Celtic beat Dunfermline Athletic 3-1 at Hampden Park in the Scottish Cup final to complete the double.
- 11 June 2026: O’Neill signed a one-year contract as permanent manager, with an option for a further year.
That double took his Celtic haul to nine major trophies: four league titles, four Scottish Cups and a League Cup.
The 2026-27 season has been tougher. Celtic opened with a 1-0 win over Dundee, then lost a League Cup quarter-final 3-0 at Ibrox, lost 3-1 at home to Ferencvaros in the Europa League and lost 1-0 to Rangers at Celtic Park in the league. After that Old Firm defeat O’Neill said it might be time to wrap it up, but chief executive Michael Nicholson publicly backed him, and by early October he said he was determined to see the season out.
On 1 November 2026 Celtic lost 2-0 at Falkirk, their sixth defeat in ten games, although they remain four points clear at the top of the Premiership. Pundits such as Chris Sutton and Kris Boyd have questioned his selections, and the fixture list will show whether he can steady the ship.
Health and Recent Absence
In August 2026, just after the league opener, Celtic confirmed in a short statement that O’Neill had undergone a “small procedure” in hospital. He went home the next day, and the club asked for his family’s privacy to be respected. No details about the procedure were released, so it would be wrong to guess.
Assistant manager Shaun Maloney took charge of the 5-1 win at Kilmarnock while O’Neill recovered, and O’Neill still gave the pre-match team talk at the players’ hotel. He then said he was feeling much better and went back to work. Nothing has been reported since to suggest any lasting problem.
Martin O’Neill’s Net Worth and Income
O’Neill has never published his finances, so any figure is an estimate. Celebrity wealth trackers put his net worth somewhere between $10 million and $15 million. Treat that range with caution, because those sites use public information and not audited accounts.
A few reported data points help give context:
- Around 2000, at Leicester, he was reportedly earning about £18,000 a week.
- Celtic reportedly offered a package worth around £2 million a year to bring him to Glasgow.
- His current Celtic salary has not been made public.
His income over the years has come from playing, managing, media work and long spells at clubs with big budgets such as Celtic, Aston Villa and Sunderland.
Companies and Commercial Activities
No verified company directorships linked to the football manager turned up in the sources reviewed for this article. Be careful with Companies House searches, because plenty of unrelated people and firms share the name Martin O’Neill.
What can be confirmed is his public commercial work:
- Media: He has worked as an analyst for BBC and ITV at World Cups, European Championships and Champions League matches.
- Podcast: He has co-hosted The Football Authorities with commentator Clive Tyldesley since June 2024.
- Books: His autobiography On Days Like These came out in November 2022.
- Speaking: He is listed with a UK speaker agency for leadership and team-building talks.
Books, Honours and Lasting Legacy
O’Neill’s own book, On Days Like These: The Incredible Autobiography of a Football Legend, was published in 2022. Two biographies cover his career as well, one by Alex Montgomery and one by Simon Moss.
Major honours
| Level | Honours |
| Player (Forest) | First Division 1977-78; League Cup 1978 and 1979; European Cup 1979 and 1980; European Super Cup 1979 |
| Player (country) | 64 caps; British Home Championship 1980 and 1984 |
| Wycombe | Conference title 1992-93; FA Trophy 1991 and 1993; Third Division play-offs 1994 |
| Leicester | League Cup 1997 and 2000; play-off promotion 1996 |
| Celtic | League titles 2001, 2002, 2004, 2026; Scottish Cups 2001, 2004, 2005, 2026; League Cup 2001 |
| Personal | MBE 1983; OBE 2004; FAI International Personality 2004; Philips Sports Manager of the Year 2015; Norwich City Hall of Fame 2002 |
His legacy sits in how he made teams believe. Wycombe, Leicester, Celtic and Villa all played above their reputations under him.
A Career Across Different Levels
Few managers have worked at so many levels. O’Neill has won at all of these:
- Non-league: Took Wycombe out of the Conference.
- Lower English leagues: Won back-to-back promotions.
- Premier League: Lifted Leicester and Villa into regular top-half contention.
- Scotland: Beat Rangers repeatedly and won three league titles in five seasons.
- Europe: Reached the 2003 UEFA Cup final with Celtic.
- International football: Qualified Ireland for Euro 2016 and reached the knockout stage.
It was not all smooth. His stints at Norwich (a few months), Sunderland and Forest ended badly, and Ireland slid in the 2018 Nations League. That mix of big wins and honest failures makes the Kilrea man’s story more believable than a straight line of trophies.
Conclusion
Martin O’Neill’s story runs from a Gaelic football household in Kilrea to European Cup nights with Clough, a treble in Glasgow and a European final in Seville. He left the game’s biggest stage to care for his wife, and he has now come back at 74 to win the league and cup at Celtic.
The current chapter is the hardest test in years, with a run of defeats and growing pressure, but the record speaks clearly. Whatever happens next, his career has already earned its place among the best managers the British Isles has produced.
FAQs
Who is Martin O’Neill?
Martin O’Neill is a Northern Irish football manager and former midfielder who won two European Cups with Nottingham Forest and is now Celtic’s manager.
How old is Martin O’Neill?
He is 74. He was born on 1 March 1952 in Kilrea, County Londonderry.
Who are Martin O’Neill’s parents?
His father was a founding member of the Kilrea GAA club, and his mother took him to the 1958 All-Ireland final. Their names are not widely published.
Is Martin O’Neill married?
Yes. He is married to Geraldine, and they have two daughters, Aisling and Alana.
Does Martin O’Neill have siblings?
Yes. He has four brothers and four sisters and was the sixth of nine children. His brothers Gerry and Leo played Gaelic football for Derry.
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