The Parkhead icon has revived the Hoops title fortunes in the midst of a difficult campaign
15:40, 17 Mar 2026Updated 15:45, 17 Mar 2026
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Emile Heskey has revealed that Martin O’Neill left in him crying after a dressing room slapdown.
The Irishman is currently leading Celtic in their bid to defend the Scottish Premiership crown, with the Hoops trailing Hearts by two points during the 74-year-old’s second interim stint in the hot seat. But O’Neill was in charge at Leicester City in the nineties as Heskey was taking his first steps in the game.
Heskey would lift two League Cup trophies with the Foxes under O’Neill after winning promotion from the First Division to the Premier League in 1996 via the playoffs. He would go on to represent England and lift the UEFA Cup with Liverpool during a successful playing career.
The retired frontman gives O’Neill major credit for his early progress. Asked by Paddy McGuinness on ‘The Good, The Bad and The Football’ podcast about treatment from O’Neill early in his career, Heskey responded: “He was brilliant.
“Mark McGhee gave my my debut but then Martin came in. As soon as Martin came in he was like ‘you are going to play, I want you to do this, this and this’ – and that was it. I would have been 17-18. He simplified everything.”
But it wasn’t a straightforward journey for Heskey. Quizzed by former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt if he remembered if O’Neill had “gone for him” in a dressing room rant, Heskey went on: “I got battered, and I scored.
Emile Heskey
“He left me crying. He just went for me. He just wasn’t happy with me, Southampton away.
“‘If you don’t pull your finger out you are never going to make it’ – and I’m four seasons in. He must have seen something he didn’t like.”
But he felt like the reaction came from a good place. He added: “If a manager doesn’t talk to you know you’re done, they will just leave you alone.”
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