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There have been many days and nights to savour in Celtic's 131-year history but few have produced the unbridled joy of stopping the 10 in 1998.

Amiable Dutchman Wim Jansen proved his mettle by keeping his inexperienced side on course under an incredible weight of expectation to finally prise the title away from Rangers.

But the joy was short-lived as the club's new found hero was gone days after that historic triumph.

The Ibrox side, who had their rivals trapped in a decade-long psychological headlock, were able to instantly wrestle back dominance over the next two seasons under the guidance of coaching heavyweight Dick Advocaat.

Rangers would go on to secure five out of the next six domestic trophies as Celtic's moment of defiance appeared to be merely a singular act of resistance.

Jozef Venglos and John Barnes proved to be overmatched foes for the Little General but the Hoops identified a contender ready to take the Ibrox side's crown

Martin O'Neill's arrival in the summer of 2000 changed everything.

The Leicester boss was highly regarded for his sterling work with the Foxes and he viewed the Celtic renaissance project as the perfect next step in his burgeoning managerial career.

The former Nottingham Forest star hit the ground running and evoked a belief factor that rejuvenated a fanbase that had spent the better part of a decade hiding behind the couch.

The 6-2 thrashing over Rangers just five league games into his tenure set the tone and laid the groundwork for the club's first Treble in 32 years.

Led by the talismanic Henrik Larsson, who netted 53 goals in 50 appearances during the 2000/01 season, Celtic were ready to pit their wits against Europe's best. But a trio of extra curricular learning experiences would also provide a vital education of their continental baptism of fire.

The storied 3-1 triumph against Ajax that secured a place in the Champions League lives long in the memory but O'Neill's achievers were already purring fresh off the back of a 'friendly' victory over Manchester United.

Celtic would put their new-found confidence surge to good use as they powered past the Eredivisie winners to leave the Amsterdam Arena stunned into silence just six days after their English football warning shot.

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Sir Alex Ferguson's side were top dogs down south but got more than they bargained for when 20,000 Hoops supporters descended on the city for Ryan Giggs' testimonial.

A 4-3 win in a glamour tie doesn't sound like much to shout about but the game was played at breakneck speed with both sides desperate to come out on top.

Goals from Lubo Moravcik, Neil Lennon, Paul Lambert and Chris Sutton secured Battle of Britain bragging rights and gave O'Neill's side a taste of success against Europe's best.

The Ajax victory led to a thrilling first season dining at European football's top table with a memorable 4-3 Parkhead triumph over Juventus demonstrating the magic Celtic were capable of conjuring up under O'Neill's spell.

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But the foundations were laid in Manchester. Celtic fans loved nothing more than showing their Premier League rivals what they were all about. No achievement appeared off the table.

And Scotland's champions, fresh from securing their second consecutive title, were back in England in May 2002 to take on big-spending Leeds United to salute Gary Kelly, an Elland Road legend and boyhood Hoops supporter.

Channel 5 aired the clash and every household in Britain got an up close and personal look at O'Neill's men at their pomp as they ran out 4-1 winners. Thompson netted one of his finest ever goals and Larsson headed home from close distance to put English fans on alert just weeks before the Super Swede faced the Three Lions at the 2002 World Cup.

Leeds were jam-packed with with star power such as Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Keane and Harry Kewell but their big-hitters had no answers for the visitors from Glasgow.

O'Neill, who had turned down the Leeds job in 1998, understood the double benefit of Celtic putting their best foot forward against the finest teams south of the border.

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It provided a jolt within the dressing room and strengthened his side's case during a time when top-level discussions were taking place behind the scenes over the possibility of parachuting Celtic and Rangers into England's top flight. A spirited 1-1 draw against Arsenal weeks later at Highbury to salute Tony Adams also earned kudos.

And Hoops star Jackie McNamara, who insists Celtic's stars paid no attention to a potential league switch privately, believes the cross-border encounters built the foundations for the European glory nights that would follow.

McNamara told Record Sport Online :"The European games gave us the credibility but testimonials were certainly taken seriously.

"Being a Celtic player you had a duty to win and perform in every game.

"I remember the Ryan Giggs testimonial well, the Gary Kelly testimonial we were also able to go down and play very well.

"The Leeds games I was playing as a centre half, it didn't matter to me where I played, I just loved playing for Celtic and being part of the starting line-up.

"O'Neill brought fantastic players to the club, like Alan Thompson, like Chris Sutton, but he brought a stability, first and foremost, as well as a great level of player.

"That Ryan Giggs testimonial was treated seriously, I remember Sutton slapped David Beckham in the face and Roy Keane was just standing there laughing.

"As a player I never believed those games were friendlies or testimonials, it was the same for all of us every single day in training. We were all winners who never settled for second best.

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"The testimonials gave us such a lift, we were going down and beating them and that confidence started with the Rangers 6-2 game which gave everyone a shot in the arm.

"Being part of that team and the journey to Seville was incredible."

O'Neill's special Celtic formula consisted of a host of factors but none were more important than the Irishman's final words before his players entered the pitch.

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That was when the Irishman was in his managerial element. The boss, schooled in Brian Clough's hands-off approach, was a peripheral figure on the training ground in the build-up to games but was front and centre when it mattered most.

McNamara added: "I've heard Henrik and the guys talk about Martin's address from Anfield against Liverpool and the one before the UEFA Cup Final in Seville, but I struggle to remember them individually because there were so many incredible speeches.

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"That was Martin's forte, he would press the right buttons before you headed out and make you feel ready to go through a brick wall, you were itching to get out there.

"It felt different with Martin, under Tommy (Burns) we were very unlucky. I played in the team under Wim that stopped the 10 and that was unbelievable.

"But with Martin there was an aura, along with John Robertson and Steve Walford, it just took us to another level, a level that had us, in my opinion, punching beyond our weight in terms of Europe and compared to Premier League teams.

"It's probably the closest the gap has ever been on the pitch (between Celtic and Europe's best), even though there were was still a significant financial gap."

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Celtic suffered Champions League heartache at the hands of Basel in 2002 but quickly dusted themselves down from the monumental setback.

O'Neill guided his side all the way to the UEFA Cup Final in 2003 as 80,000 supporters flocked to Seville to see their side in their first European final in 33 years.

The trophy proved beyond reach as Jose Mourinho's streetwise Porto eked out a victory in extra time but supporters were treated to an array of memories to last a lifetime.

McNamara insists all the big-game experience accrued in O'Neill's three seasons at the helm were vital in triumphs over the likes of Blackburn, Liverpool and Boavista.

He said: "Seville was an incredible journey and the big testimonial games certainly helped us, all the big games mattered.

"Martin brought the belief and the high standards, the quality we had meant we always had the chance and our home record was very, very strong.

"We coped with the knockout football of the UEFA Cup brilliantly."

Testimonials throughout history have been when the handbrake comes off but O'Neill and Celtic understood the value of going through the gears.

Coming out on top in non-competitive tussles doesn't appear the obvious first step en route to a European final but those games against England's best, for a team starved of moments to savour, showed supporters the good times were most certainly on their way back.