Marcelo Saracchi’s relationship with Martin O’Neill was already obvious on the touchline during Celtic’s title run-in. Now supporters have seen another glimpse of it inside the dressing room after Saturday’s dramatic win over Hearts.

Celtic released behind-the-scenes footage from the title celebrations earlier today in the club’s “Champions Day Paradise” video on YouTube. Among all the chaos after the final whistle, one small moment involving O’Neill and Saracchi immediately stood out.

Saracchi Celtic
5th April 2026; Dens Park, Dundee, Scotland; Scottish Premiership Football, Dundee versus Celtic; Marcelo Saracchi of Celtic on the ball

As the players celebrated inside the dressing room, O’Neill suddenly pulled Saracchi into the middle of the room, wrapped an arm around him and shouted: “Special character.”

The reaction from the squad said plenty.

Players laughed while Saracchi stood grinning beside the manager. It was only a few seconds long, but it summed up the relationship the pair seem to have built over the last few months.

O’Neill has spoken warmly about Saracchi several times already this season.

Back in February after the win over Livingston, the Celtic manager openly suggested the club should try to keep the Uruguayan permanently. He also joked about calling him “Manuel from Fawlty Towers” because of the language barrier between them.

But beneath the humour there has clearly been genuine affection there from the manager.

Saracchi might not have been one of Celtic’s headline players during the title run-in, but O’Neill trusted him constantly in big moments. His energy off the bench against Rangers and Hearts gave Celtic fresh momentum late in games when opponents were tiring.

Against Hearts especially, Saracchi helped change the speed of the match after replacing Kieran Tierney. Celtic became more aggressive down the left and pushed Hearts deeper before the late goals arrived.

Supporters picked up on that.

There is now a growing feeling among fans that Celtic should seriously look at keeping him beyond this season, especially with Tierney’s injury record and another huge fixture schedule coming next year.

What makes the dressing room clip interesting is how natural the moment looked.

It did not feel staged or forced. O’Neill clearly sees something in Saracchi beyond just being a useful squad player. Throughout the second half of the season, the manager repeatedly trusted him during pressure moments when games were on the line.

15th February 2026; Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland: Scottish Premiership Football, Kilmarnock versus Celtic; Marcelo Saracchi of Celtic on the ball

That probably explains why many supporters now believe Saracchi has become one of O’Neill’s favourite players in the squad.

And after seeing that dressing room moment, it is difficult to argue otherwise.