Top facts about Michael O'Neill, the Irish legendary coach

Michael Andrew Martin O'Neill MBE (born 5 July 1969) is the coach of EFL Championship team

. He is a Northern Irish soccer coach and former professional player.

Michael O'Neill’s age

is 52. Here you can find out the most important facts about Michael O'Neill, the legendary coach.

The first fact about Michael O'Neill is that he began his professional career with Coleraine in Northern Ireland, before moving on to Newcastle United, Dundee United, Hibernian, Wigan Athletic, and Portland Timbers in England, Scotland, and the U.S. He was capped 31 times for Northern Ireland, netting four goals in the process.

From 2006 until 2008, he worked as a manager at Brechin City. He subsequently moved to Shamrock Rovers, where he won the Setanta Cup and two League of Ireland crowns. He was appointed manager of Northern Ireland in 2011, and the team qualified for their first ever European Champions finals in 2016. O'Neill was named manager of Stoke City in November 2019.

An important fact about Michael O'Neill is that he signed Dundee United for a team record cost of £350,000 in August 1989. When O'Neill refused to extend his agreement and was dismissed from the first squad in 1991, his tense relationship with manager Jim McLean came to a head.

In 1993, he left the club to join Hibernian, where he had three great seasons under Alex Miller's supervision. In 1996, O'Neill accepted a Bosman free move to Austrian club Sturm Graz, but changed his mind after receiving an opportunity to return to English football with Coventry City, where he lasted little over two years.

Following loan spells with Aberdeen and Reading during the 1997–98 season, O'Neill left Coventry in September 1998 to join Wigan Athletic. St Johnstone, Portland Timbers, Clydebank, Glentoran, and Ayr United were among his subsequent clubs.

Top facts about Michael O'Neill:

Former Northern Ireland internationals Bertie Peacock and Jim Platt lured O'Neill to Coleraine, where he made his Irish League debut at the age of 15 and was a regular by the age of 18. O'Neill came close to joining Dundee United after playing against them in a UEFA Cup encounter in 1987.

paid £100,000 to recruit him in October 1987. After scoring 13 goals in 22 games to help Newcastle finish eighth in the Debut Division in his first season, O'Neill was plagued by injuries and a lack of form in his second season, which saw Newcastle relegated to the Second League.

Michael O'Neill early life

O'Neill was born to Dessie and Patricia O'Neill in Portadown, County Armagh. Speaking about

Michael O'Neill’s parents

, it should be mentioned that Dessie, his father, was a hurler for All Saints and Ulster, while Sean, his brother, was a track athlete who participated in the Men's 800m in the 1982 commonwealth Games.

Regarding

Michael O'Neill’s childhood

, it is worth mentioning that he was raised Catholic and attended Presentation Convent Primary School before moving to Ballymena, County Antrim, with his family.

He went to All Saints Primary School and then St Louis Grammar School in Ballymena, where he won the Northern Ireland Schools FA Cup in 1980 against St Oliver Plunkett, a team that contained Jim Magilton.

Before focusing on football, he was a talented Gaelic sports player, representing Antrim GAA minors. He spent four years as a young footballer with Star United in Ballymena before joining intermediate club Chimney Corner at the age of 14.

His manager, Alec McKee, felt it was inappropriate to attempt to integrate a 14/15-year-old into his first squad and suggested he play for Coleraine's reserve side instead.

Michael O'Neill personal life

A notable fact about Michael O'Neill is that he is Catholic and comes from the Northern Irish town of Portadown, which was characterized by violent clashes between Protestants and Catholics and bomb attacks with numerous deaths in the course of the Northern Ireland conflict until the 1990s.

The events in O'Neill's birthplace went down in recent history as The Troubles in Portadown. There he met his future wife Bronagh, a modern primary school teacher, who was a young champion in Irish dancing. The couple have two daughters.

Michael O'Neill professional career

O’Neill was appointed manager of Northern Ireland on 28 December 2011. His first game in charge ended in defeat with a 3–0 loss to

.

Michael O'Neill club career

An important fact about Michael O'Neill is that he started at Coleraine FC in the Northern Irish Irish Premier League when he was 15. In 1987, when he was 18, he moved to English first division club Newcastle United for £ 100,000, where he played with Paul Gascoigne. In two seasons, he scored in 48 games 15 goals.

Dundee United

Anotable

fact about Michael O'Neill

is that he then moved to the Scottish first division club Dundee United for the club record of £ 350,000.

With Dundee he reached in the first season in fourth the UEFA Cup in 1990/91. In the UEFA Cup, Dundee beat Icelandic runners-up FH Hafnarfjörður in the first round, but failed in the second round against the fourth of the Dutch Eredivisie Vitesse Arnheim.

In the 1990/91 season he missed the UEFA Cup with Dundee in fourth. Due to the 3: 4 defeat after extra time against FC Motherwell in the cup final, in which he was not used, they then also missed the European Cup Winners' Cup.

In 1992 they also missed the UEFA Cup in fourth place and were eliminated in the second round against Celtic Glasgow.

Hibernian Edinburgh

An important

fact about Michael O'Neill

is that he moved after the season due to problems with team manager Jim McLean to Hibernian Edinburgh, who was sixth for no European competition.

With the capital city he was never able to qualify for a European competition, in 1994 in fifth place, in 1995 in third place and in 1996 again in fifth place.

And while his old club won the cup in 1994, he failed with the Hibernians in the round of 16. A year later, the semi-finals could be reached, where the Hibs failed only in the replay against the eventual winner Celtic. In 1996, however, FC Kilmarnock was better in the third round.

Coventry City

In 1996 he moved to the English first division club Coventry City, although he had already given the Austrian club SK Sturm Graz a commitment.

Wigan Athletic

He then moved to the English third division club Wigan Athletic. With Wigan he missed direct promotion to the second division in sixth place and then failed in the play-off semi-finals at third

, which had been relegated from the second division a year earlier and had now returned.

In the following season Wigan missed direct promotion again in fourth and then failed in the play-off final at third FC Gillingham in extra time, in which he was not used.

Later years and retirement

Then he moved back to the north where he successfully fought relegation with FC St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premier League 2000/01. Then he dared the leap across the Atlantic to the newly founded Portland Timbers in the USL A-League and then returned to Scotland to play for FC Clydebank in the third highest division.

After the club was excluded from the league at the end of the season, returned to his Northern Irish homeland and played for Glentoran FC, with whom he became Northern Irish champions in 2003 and won the Irish Cup. He then left his career in Scotland in 2004Ayr United finish off.

Michael O'Neill international career

A notable fact about Michael O'Neill is that he was a member of Northern Ireland's under-21, under-23, B, and full international squads. He scored four goals for his country, two of which came in a 5–3 triumph against Austria.

Michael O'Neill coaching career

In 2004, O'Neill resigned from football and started working in the financial services industry. He got a part-time job as assistant manager at Cowdenbeath alongside Mixu Paatelainen a year later.

Brechin

In April 2006, O'Neill took over as manager of Brechin City in Scotland. In both December 2007 and October 2008, he was named Second Division Manager of the Month. On December 13, 2008, O'Neill was released by Brechin City to join Shamrock Rovers.

Shamrock Rovers

An important fact about Michael O'Neill is that he named Gordon Strachan as his key managerial influence during the press conference when he was revealed as Rovers manager. He was named Manager of the Month by the Irish Soccer Writers in July 2009, and he led The Hoops to second place in the 2009 League of Ireland.

In October 2010, he led Shamrock Rovers to their first League of Ireland title since 1994, winning the 2010 League of Ireland Championship. O'Neill was the first manager of a League of Ireland club to reach the group stages of a European tournament after leading Rovers to the 2011 Setanta Sports Cup.

In the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League play-off round, Rovers beat Partizan Belgrade. In the 2011 season, Shamrock Rovers defended their league championship. O'Neill's contract negotiations with Shamrock Rovers stalled, and he departed in December 2011. In 2011, O'Neill was named the Soccer Writers Association's Personality of the Year.

Northern Ireland

On December 28, 2011, O'Neill was named manager of Northern Ireland, according to one account, making him "the first Catholic to manage Northern Ireland in 50 years."

Previous leaders Lawrie Sanchez (2004–07) and Lawrie McMenemy (1998–99) were both educated in Roman Catholic schools; hence this is probably definitely inaccurate. With a 3–0 loss to Norway, O'Neill's first match in command ended in defeat.

In his following match, an inexperienced Northern Ireland squad was defeated 6–0 in Amsterdam by the Netherlands. Northern Ireland produced several respectable performances during their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, including a 1–1 draw away to Portugal and a 1–0 home triumph against

.

An important

fact about Michael O'Neill

is that he re-signed as Northern Ireland manager in November 2013 after agreeing to a new two-year contract with the Irish Football Association.

After defeating Greece 3–1 at Windsor Park on October 8, 2015, Northern Ireland advanced to their first ever European Championship, Euro 2016, in France.

It all began on a rainy night at Windsor Park, which was half-empty and depressing. Michael O'Neill's Northern Ireland were on the verge of being thrashed 3-0 by Norway, guaranteeing that the newly-appointed manager had a difficult first night in charge.

The self-styled Green and White Army had only won one of fourteen friendlies at the time, and O'Neill's future seemed as gloomy as it had for most of predecessor Nigel Worthington's dormant tenure.

Northern Ireland may be considered an afterthought in the European football world, but they have fond recollections of the World Cup.

They are still the smallest country to go beyond the first round of international football's showcase, and Gerry Armstrong's group-winning goal against Spain in 1982 is still remembered as one of the tournament's most famous moments.

The European Championship, on the other hand, has eluded them, and when O'Neill's tenure started with a humiliating loss to the Scandinavians in January 2012, it seemed like making a Euros debut was a pipe dream.

Back in September 2013, Northern Ireland was defeated by

, a team who had not won a home World Cup qualifier in 43 years until upsetting O'Neill's side.

The backlash was severe, with O'Neill calling the performance "pathetic" and "embarrassing." 'Face it, Northern Ireland is at rock bottom,' The Belfast Telegraph stated. They were at the time.

They came agonizingly close to qualifying for France 84, but lost out on goal difference despite beating reigning European Champions and 1982 World Cup finalists West Germany at home and away.

It's only natural that their best chance to qualify since then had been for a tournament to be held in France once again. Indeed, because to O'Neill's perseverance and hard work, Northern Ireland currently stood on the verge of its greatest moment since Spain 82.

A notable fact about Michael O'Neill is that he had built on a strong start with 13 points from six games and had placed themselves in a commanding position moving into the final four games.

Although a 0-0 stalemate against Romania at Windsor Park on Saturday night was frustrating – particularly given the home side's advantage – the positives must be extracted from yet another hard-working performance that unsettled the group leaders during a struggle against the weather on Donegall Avenue.

Northern Ireland was never going to be overwhelming favorites in any group, but O'Neill was no stranger to overcoming adversity.

This was the guy who led Shamrock Rovers to the Europa League with a £600,000 budget, becoming the first Irish side to reach the group stages of a European club tournament.

O'Neill, who has 33 caps as a player for the country he then managed, had received significant praise for bringing a group of players to that point, making him a major contender for the national team manager position.

Despite O'Neill's obvious ability for club administration, there was some skepticism around his hiring, which was probably unavoidable given his lack of international experience.

Northern Ireland supporters had been suffering in the Windsor stands for far too long, and they longed for the skills they thought was required to propel the team to new heights and restore the roar to Belfast. In retrospect, the IFA's choice of O'Neill above Jim Magilton, Ian Dowie, and Brian Kerr seems both daring and brilliant.

More than anything else, O'Neill's success in the previous year had been due to his bond with the players. Man-management is an important part of O'Neill's coaching philosophy, and it showed in this team's collective spirit.

Because foreign managers spend less time with their teams than club managers, it may be more difficult to form ties with them, but O'Neill was keen to avoid that problem. The Portadown manager made it his duty to communicate with his players on a daily basis through phone calls and text messages.

The fact that the bulk of the Northern Ireland squad did not play for their clubs' first teams did not stop O'Neill from seeing his side play. He would attend reserve and junior games to ensure that he was keeping track on their growth.

Whether it's a budding star in the North Antrim Youth League or

's Jonny Evans playing at Old Trafford, the Northern Ireland manager would be there; a welcome contrast to Worthington's or Lawrie Sanchez's more conventional tactics.

This had the advantage of making his players feel respected. The players liked O'Neill's rigorous attention to detail, and it's a winning dynamic based on the outcomes on the field. In this national team, the player-coach trust axis is paramount, and when there is mutual respect of this sort, performance improves proportionally.

There was a tint of worry mixed with a light feeling of anticipation as the Euro 2016 qualifying group was revealed. Northern Ireland supporters are taught not to get their hopes up, yet the Green and White Army had been assigned to a group from which they may vie for a qualifying slot.

In a tremendously contested Group D, the men from south of the border were placed against World Champions

, an outstanding Poland team, and a revitalized Scotland.

It would be naive to think Northern Ireland could be in second position after five games in such company, but sometimes in football you have to take advantage of a favorable scenario, and NI had done exactly that.

Building a strong foundation for qualifying is always a plus, and they got off to a fast start in their first game, winning in Budapest for the first time in four years in spectacular manner against

.

That game epitomized Northern Ireland's tenacious tenacity and fortitude over the previous nine months, with Niall McGinn and Kyle Lafferty both scoring in the last ten minutes to seal a memorable win and get their campaign off to the greatest possible start.

The significance of the outcome for Northern Ireland's fragile confidence cannot be overstated. This was just their second victory in two and a half years under O'Neill, and although he claimed afterward that his faith never wavered, one could only speculate as to how his future and NI's campaign would have progressed if they had lost in their opener.

The triumph provided O'Neill with a platform and a fresh feeling of self-assurance. After a 2-0 victory against the Faroe Islands in their next match at Windsor Park, O'Neill sent his team to Athens to face 2004 European Champions Greece.

Recognizing that Claudio Ranieri's reign with Greece was coming to an end – the Greeks had failed to win a single game under the eccentric Italian – O'Neill told his team to push high up the field and attack right away. Jamie Ward scored a well-placed half-volley in the ninth minute after they had done exactly that.

As a confident Northern Ireland established a strong hold on proceedings, Greece looked clearly spooked, and a squad woefully weak on self-belief failed to push over the halfway line. This seemed like a turning point in Northern Ireland's history.

The victory in Budapest was historic, but O'Neill's team's commanding performance in Greece reinforced their status as a force to be reckoned with in Group F. Northern Ireland had established their best ever start to a European qualification campaign thanks to Lafferty's second-half score, which powered them to another three points.

In his post-match news conference, O'Neill painted a picture of a guy who had outperformed his own expectations. He praised the show as "magnificent" and "great quality." 'What were these words?' wondered the Northern Irish newspapers.

The national team had been mired in mediocrity for so long that three consecutive qualifying victory resembled foreign country. It's amazing what a handful of wins can do for a city's enthusiasm and vitality, and there's no question that the national team's fan base had been re-energized by their run through the qualifiers.

The mood inside Windsor for the vital encounter with Finland was a deafening chorus of support for O'Neill's players, with the Kop stand flooded with green scarves and banners, albeit a stark warning that a route to France would be far from smooth. The Dublin Road's Lavery's Bar was packed with ecstatic fans, while the Lisburn Road shook with the sound of 10,000 people inside Windsor.

The game started with all the customary intensity on a warm but windy spring day. The hairs on Northern Ireland's necks stood up in alarm every time Finland went forward, but they were to be punching the air in joy in the 10th minute when Chris Baird's magnificent glancing header hit the corner of Lukas Hradecky's goal.

It was, however, controversially called out for offside, forcing NI supporters to wait, heightening the air of tension in the south Belfast arena.

Ward raced away of the Finnish defense moments later, but his shot was brilliantly stopped by Hradecky. It stayed without a goal. That was until Lafferty delivered a stunning volley that sent Windsor into raptures.

It was two minutes later, and Lafferty was back. The on-loan aykur Rizespor striker pounced on Conor McLaughlin's exquisite right-wing cross this time. Replays showed the ball ricocheting off Lafferty's left shoulder, but luck is easier to come by when you're on top, which was the case for Northern Ireland's no.9.

Needless to say, Lafferty has had a lot of adversities over his club and international careers, which had harmed his form and led to him becoming disillusioned with the game.

His rebirth, on the other hand, had been one of the more satisfying aspects of Northern Ireland under O'Neill. Footballers are creatures that live on positive love and warmth, so keep that in mind. O'Neill had excelled as a friend and an employer, but when he had been called upon to display a firmer side, he had not shied away.

After Lafferty's international career came to an end when he was sent off against Portugal for a brutal, scything challenge on Joo Pereira, O'Neill delivered a scathing evaluation of the striker's overall effort, calling the tackle "reckless" and "stupid."

Following the game, O'Neill spoke with Lafferty and gave him an ultimatum: start delivering and demonstrating that playing for Northern Ireland means anything, or his international career would come to an end under the present system.

It turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Lafferty, who now had five goals that season and was riding the crest of a wave after becoming O'Neill's hero and talismanic figure.

Once again, O'Neill's astute man-management skills were on display in the case of Lafferty. Lafferty, like David Healy, who scored goals for pleasure under Lawrie Sanchez during the Euro 2008 qualifiers, was now a source of firepower – and inspiration.

Lafferty was in a fighting mode again against the Romanians, making life difficult for the defense at every turn. He almost missed out on another headline-grabbing performance in the second half as he failed to convert a promising chance.

Another spirited showing from the Enniskillen man, who continued to endear himself to his local supporters, might provide optimism.

Northern Ireland qualified for a big event for the first time in 30 years. He took the team to the second round of the competition, where they were narrowly defeated by Wales, but managed a surprise win against Ukraine in the group stages.

Following conversations with the Scottish Football Association, O'Neill turned down an opportunity to lead Scotland in January 2018.

Following his hiring by Stoke City in November 2019, O'Neill originally stayed as Northern Ireland manager.

He had planned to continue on for the UEFA Euro 2020 playoffs, which were supposed to take place in March 2020 but were postponed because to the COVID-19 epidemic. On April 22, O'Neill resigned as Northern Ireland manager, citing the postponement of the Euro 2020 playoffs until at least the fall of 2020.

Stoke City

On November 8, 2019, O'Neill was named manager of EFL Championship team Stoke City. He joined Stoke City near the bottom of the 2019–20 EFL Championship table, where they had struggled under Nathan Jones' management.

On November 9, O'Neill's first game in command of Stoke City was a 4–2 victory away at Barnsley. At the turn of the year, Stoke started to improve, winning crucial games against Wigan Athletic, Luton Town, Sheffield Wednesday, and Huddersfield Town, allowing the club to climb out of the relegation zone.

During the January transfer window, O'Neill canceled Cameron Carter-Vickers, Mark Duffy, and Scott Hogan's loan agreements, while allowing Peter Etebo, Badou Ndiaye, and Ryan Woods to go on loan.

Jordan Thompson, a Northern Irish midfielder on loan from Blackpool, James Chester, a center-back on loan from

, and Tashan Oakley-Boothe, a teenage midfielder from

, all joined the club.

Stoke City defeated Hull City 5–1 on March 7, 2020, bringing the squad three points above the relegation zone with nine games left. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Championship was halted on March 13th.

On May 25, championship teams returned to training with the goal of finishing the campaign behind closed doors.

Stoke's preparations for the new season were hampered when O'Neill tested positive for coronavirus on June 9, forcing the club to postpone a training match against Manchester United. Stoke City won four of their last nine games to escape relegation and end in 15th place, eight points above the relegation zone.

Due to the ongoing epidemic, the 2020–21 season started later in September, with matches held behind closed doors. James Chester, Morgan Fox, Steven Fletcher, and Mikel John Obi were among the free transfers brought in by O'Neill, with Jacob Brown being the lone purchase.

With Tyrese Campbell in good form, Stoke started the season strongly, winning eight of their first 16 games and finishing just outside the play-off spots at the start of December.

However, a series of crucial player injuries, most notably Tyrese Campbell's, resulted in the squad going nine games without a victory at the start of the year.

Stoke City were unable to string together a string of good performances in March and April, and finished the season in mid-table.

Michael O'Neill social media

Regarding

Michael O'Neill social media

, it should be mentioned that he does not have any pages on any social media platforms.

Michael O'Neill body measurements

Speaking about

Michael O'Neill body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the coach is 180 cm and 74 kg.

Michael O'Neill net worth and salary

Michael O'Neill’s net worth

is estimated to be around $15 million. The Northern Irish football manager and former player is one of the wealthiest association football coaches, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.

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