Martin O’Neill’s Bodø/Glimt claim isn’t ageing well

Martin O’Neill will always be a beloved figure at Celtic, whatever happens. During his first spell as manager between 2000 and 2005, the Irishman ended Rangers' domestic dominance, picking up three Premiership titles, three Scottish Cups and a League Cup, as well as leading the Hoops all the way to the UEFA Cup Final in Seville. However, the interim manager's comments this week have not gone down well, especially in light of what Bodø/Glimt are achieving.

Following last Thursday's 4-1 mauling at the hands of Stuttgart in the Europa League, O'Neill said the following:

"The money... Premier League teams paying, £80 million for players who does not even get into the team - that is what you are competing against. It is a difficult one here."

Martin O'Neill

Well, while he does also reference the Bundesliga, this wasn't really a relevant argument after a defeat to Stuttgart. Die Schwaben's most-expensive signing of the summer was Tiago Tomás, arriving from Wolfsburg for €13 million, paid for because Enzo Millot was sold to Al-Ahli for €28 million and star striker Nick Woltemade joined Newcastle for a whopping €90 million. Stuttgart's record signing is Deniz Undav, who cost £28 million from Brighton, so quite along way off O'Neill's assertion.

Then, speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the return leg at Neckarstadion, O'Neill then said this when asked if Celtic could learn anything from Bodø/Glimt:

"It would be more the exception that proves the rule rather than anything else."

Martin O'Neill

Across both comments, O'Neill has essentially shutdown the idea that a club from outside any of Europe's major leagues can make much progress in a UEFA competition. Well, given that Celtic have not won a European knockout stage tie since 2004, this is not was supporters want to hear from their manager, especially considering it was Kairat who ended their Champions League campaign this season. They're not exactly juggernauts are they! But, is O'Neill right, or are Celtic simply underperforming?

Bodø/Glimt providing a blueprint

Bodø/Glimt are very much showing that clubs from smaller league can compete with the big boys in the Champions League. After a 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund at Westfalenstadium, Kjetil Knutsen's team have since beaten Manchester City at home, Atlético Madrid away and now Inter Milan twice, comprehensively dumping out the Serie A leaders 5-1 on aggregate to reach the round of 16.

So, how rare is it that a club from outside England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal or the Netherlands features in the Champions League's last 16?

Non-big 7 nation clubs to reach Champions League last 16

This season, with Bodø/Glimt and Galatasaray making it, is the first time since 2018 that two clubs from outside Europe's top-seven ranked leagues have got through to the last 16. There were three consecutive campaigns, and four out of five, where no smaller leagues were represented, while only 13 different clubs have made it since 2013 when Celtic last did so, the same year Neil Lennon's team enjoyed that historic win over Barcelona.

This though is not a one off for the Norwegian side. The Yellow Horde reached the Conference League quarter-finals in 2022, hammering Celtic 5-1 en route, as well as last season's Europa League semi-finals, ousting Lazio on penalties before defeat to Tottenham.

Bodø's reported annual wage bill is around £6.37 million, while Celtic's is almost 12 times that at £74.8 million, so the Eliteserien side really are putting the Scottish champions to shame. What Knutsen's team are doing right now is a bona fide fairytale, so whether they're drawn against Sporting or Manchester City on Friday, they won't go down without a fight.

For Celtic, no supporter is demanding that they win the Champions League, while equally they're well within their right to expect their team to be competitive at Europa League level, which they are not. So, while O'Neill bemoans the fact his team are being left behind, a tiny club from a town with a population smaller than Parkhead's capacity are making him look foolish.