6th December 2000, Neil Francis Lennon signs for Celtic in a £6m move from Leicester City. Martin O’Neill finally got his man after several failed attempts to capture his signature and the lifelong Celtic fan realised his dream of pulling on the hoops.
Lennon made over 200 appearances for the club and in his first season attained legend status as being part of the first Celtic side since 1968 to win a domestic treble. During his playing career Lennon with Celtic he won two league titles and two Scottish Cups and was an integral part of the famous Celtic side that went on a charge to the UEFA Cup Final in Seville in 2003.
Gordon Strachan arrived at Celtic in 2005 and instantly made Lennon his captain and led his side to a Scottish Cup, League Cup and two League Titles.
Lennon left Celtic in 2007 but returned three years later to take over from the disastrous Tony Mowbray era where he famously stated that he wanted to “Bring back the Thunder”. Lennon certainly did that and over his tenure as he took Celtic to three League titles and two Scottish Cups. Lennon also won the SPL Manager of the Year in 2011-112 and the Football Writers Manager of The Year in 2011-12, 2012-13.
In Europe, Lennon qualified for the Champions League twice during his first stint as manager and is most famous for the 2-1 victory against Barcelona on the clubs 125th birthday.
After Brendan Rodgers left the club more than midway thru the 2018-19 season, Lennon signed on for a second stint as manager on the 26th February with the remit of securing the 8th title in a row and third domestic treble in a row. He is currently looking to secure his very own treble in December this year, as he looks to win last seasons Scottish Cup against Hearts.
Lennon now leads the team as he attempts to win a record breaking 10th title in a row.
Lennon is no doubt a club legend and after 20 years of service as both a player and manager, his contribution to Celtic’s illustrious history will never be forgotten.