Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho is targeting his first major title with Celtic as the Scottish champions prepare to face St Mirren in the 2025 Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park on Sunday.
Iheanacho has just returned from a two month hamstring injury that sidelined him earlier in the season and played in Celtic’s 3–0 Europa League defeat to AS Roma on Thursday, though the club suffered a tough night in Europe.
New Celtic head coach Wilfried Nancy indicated that Iheanacho could start on the bench as he is eased back into full match fitness, emphasising the need for careful management after a long lay-off. “He has trained well. After that, he needs minutes … it has been a long time, two months since he really played,” Nancy said ahead of the final.
Celtic enter the final bidding to win one of the few trophies that has eluded them recently they have had mixed fortunes in domestic cups, including a Scottish Cup final loss to Aberdeen on penalties last season.
A victory on Sunday would see Iheanacho lift his first major trophy with Celtic and help the club secure silverware after a turbulent period early in Nancy’s tenure.
Editorial
There are junctures in a footballer’s journey that matter not for the scarcity of minutes, but for the weight of significance those minutes carry. Kelechi Iheanacho’s return to action and the prospect of him lifting the Scottish Cup with Celtic is precisely such a moment.
Injuries have a way of distorting narratives: they interrupt rhythm, cloud form, and test resolve. Iheanacho’s hamstring setback kept him on the periphery during critical phases of the campaign. Yet here he stands, on the cusp of redemption, ready to chase the silverware that has thus far avoided him in a Celtic shirt. That alone speaks to resilience an attribute as vital as any physical prowess.
Celtic’s season has been a tapestry of contrasts European frustrations, managerial change, domestic inconsistency. But cup finals have a habit of elevating the individual within the collective. A day at Hampden Park is not just another fixture it is a narrative in miniature, where careers find definition and history is rewritten in 90 minutes plus.
Iheanacho will likely begin on the bench as Wilfried Nancy manages his comeback cautiously yet football history rarely remembers where you start a final, but how you influence its course. Should he enter with intent, pace and invention, he could tip the balance in Celtic’s favour. And if he lifts that trophy, it will not just be a personal first it will be a testament to patience, perseverance and purpose.
Did You Know?
- Celtic lost the 2025 Scottish Cup final to Aberdeen on penalties, a rare slip in their long history at Hampden Park, conceding the title after a 1–1 draw and a 4–3 shoot-out defeat.
- Iheanacho made his Celtic debut earlier in the season with a late penalty winner in a 2–1 league win over Kilmarnock a moment that instantly endeared him to fans.
- This Scottish Cup final is being played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, the traditional home of Scotland’s most prestigious cup finals.
- Celtic have won the Scottish Cup over 40 times one of the most successful records in the competition’s history.
- Although European competition has yielded more challenges this season including recent heavy defeats the domestic cup remains a route to silverware and a morale boost for Celtic under their new manager.
