Former Leicester City striker celebrates league success after dramatic final-day showdown.
Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho played an influential role as Celtic produced a dramatic late comeback to defeat Hearts 3-1 and clinch the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership title on Saturday.
The Nigerian striker came on at half-time and helped transform the game as Celtic overturned a first-half deficit in front of a tense crowd at Celtic Park.
Hearts had looked set to pull off a historic triumph after captain Lawrence Shankland fired the visitors ahead in the 43rd minute, a result that would have handed Hearts their first Scottish league title in more than six decades.
However, Celtic responded before the break when Arne Engels converted a penalty after a VAR review spotted a handball inside the area, restoring hope for the home side.
Manager Martin O’Neill introduced Iheanacho at the start of the second half in search of more attacking urgency, and the Super Eagles striker immediately added energy and movement to Celtic’s frontline. The former Leicester City forward was heavily involved as the champions pinned Hearts deep inside their own half during sustained pressure.
With the title seemingly slipping away, Celtic finally found the breakthrough in the 87th minute when Japanese forward Daizen Maeda scored after a nervy VAR check for offside. Substitute Callum Osmand then sealed the victory in stoppage time after Hearts pushed everyone forward in search of an equaliser.
The victory secured Celtic’s 56th Scottish league title and completed one of the most dramatic final-day turnarounds in recent Scottish football history.
For Iheanacho, the triumph marks another major achievement in Europe after previously winning domestic honours in England with Manchester City and Leicester City. The 29-year-old Nigerian international has enjoyed an impressive late-season impact since joining Celtic, contributing crucial performances during the club’s title run-in.
Just days earlier, Iheanacho scored a dramatic stoppage-time penalty in Celtic’s 3-2 comeback win over Motherwell, a result that kept the Glasgow club firmly in the title race heading into the final day.
The latest success also makes Iheanacho one of the few Nigerian footballers to win the Scottish Premiership with Celtic, further strengthening his growing legacy among Nigerian players abroad.