Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho has won the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership title with Celtic. Celtic claimed the title after rallying to beat Hearts 3-1 at the Paradise on Saturday afternoon.
The Hoops claimed the title for the 56th time in their history.
Michael Steinwender gave Hearts the lead in the 38th time. The hosts got their equaliser from the penalty spot through Arne Engels late in the first half. Although Iheanacho did not start, he was introduced at the beginning of the second half.
The Nigerian has primarily functioned as an impact substitute under manager Martin O’Neill, and he was called upon to deliver a similar game-changing performance.
While Celtic dominated most of the second half, they struggled to find a clinical breakthrough. The atmosphere at Celtic Park was palpable with tension, knowing a single goal would determine whether the Premiership trophy stayed in Glasgow or travelled to Edinburgh.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 87th minute, and it belonged to Celtic. Talisman Daizen Maeda connected with a cross from Callum Osmand, smashing a close-range shot into the back of the net to send the home fans into raptures.
Iheanacho has been impressive in the season. He scored late on to give the Hoops a 2-1 victory over Hibernian at Easter Road.
The Nigerian striker did the same thing at Dens Park last month, while he scored two extra-time goals at Hampden against St Mirren to help the Hoops progress to the Scottish Cup final.
And his goal at Easter Road, a coolly-taken finish from eight yards out, takes his tally to seven for the season.
Iheanacho has established himself as a prominent “super-sub” for Celtic, having scored a significant portion of his goals after coming off the bench. The Nigerian striker has scored six of his goals for Celtic as a substitute.
This season, he developed a reputation for scoring crucial late goals, with four of his goals in a five-match span came as a substitute.
He famously scored a winner just minutes after coming on against Hibernian and scored two extra-time goals as a substitute in a Scottish Cup semi-final. He also scored on his debut against Kilmarnock on September 14, 2025, after coming on as a substitute.
Overall, he has scored these six goals in seven substitute appearances since he arrived to join Celtic on a one-year deal in September 2025 following a stint with Sevilla.
Speaking to Celtic TV after the game, Kelechi Iheanacho said: “I always feel great to come in and help the team to get the win, so I’m happy today. The whole team is happy, and especially the fans.
‘It’s really important to stay patient, especially when you’re playing against 10 men.’
“It’s really difficult because they sit back and wait for you to come, so you need patience to move them from side to side to create spaces, and, at the end, we got our reward.
“In the box you need to be composed but it was a difficult finish, to be fair. I wanted to head it at first but I had a second touch to chest it and then the guys started rushing out and I just had to get it on target and see what happened.