Just over 10 years ago, Martin O'Neill was celebrating a place in the UEFA Cup semifinals with Celtic after guiding the team past Liverpool in the last eight.
Portuguese club Boavista lay in wait, and the Hoops boss also had his eye on another third successive Scottish Premier League title.
O'Neill would guide Celtic to a memorable first European final since 1970, when the emerging talents of Jose Mourinho would deny the 10-man Glasgow team the trophy in a 3-2 extra-time defeat to FC Porto.
The 96th-minute dismissal of defender Bobo Balde was a pivotal factor in Celtic's defeat, and O'Neill missed out on the SPL title by a goal difference of one to Rangers.
This was the zenith of O'Neill's time at Celtic, and the former manager is still a revered figure at Parkhead after ending Rangers' dominance in Glasgow and Scotland.
But O'Neill had been no stranger to success before joining Celtic in the summer of 2000 to replace interim boss Kenny Dalglish.
He remains the most successful manager at his first league club Wycombe Wanderers after leading the Chairboys into the Football League for the first time in 1993 and collecting the FA Trophy for the second time in three years in the same season. In their first season in the league, Wycombe were promoted with a 4-2 win over Preston North End at Wembley.
O'Neill left Adams Park in 1995 for an ill-starred six-month stint with Norwich City and immediately joined Leicester City, where the success kept on coming.
The previously underachieving Filbert Street club reached three League Cup finals, winning two under O'Neill and regularly finishing in the top half of the Premier League for the last four seasons of his reign.
His subsequent stint at Celtic from 2000 to 2005 is the stuff of legend for Hoops supporters. From the 6-2 win over Rangers in O'Neill's first Old Firm derby to regular Champions League appearances, these were halcyon times for the fans and the club.
O'Neill's time at Parkhead, especially its latter stages, was dogged by rumours of issues behind the scenes with then-Celtic chairman Brian Quinn, who infamously and accidentally left a message on the mobile phone of a Walsall teenager instead of the club's public relations official in April 2005 (per BBC Sport).
Just over a month later, O'Neill resigned his post at Celtic to care for his wife, Geraldine, who had been receiving treatment for cancer (via BBC Sport). He was replaced by Gordon Strachan.
During his time at Celtic, O'Neill was touted as the man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and was twice overlooked for the England job (per Daily Mail).
However, Ferguson performed a U-turn on his decision to retire, and the Football Association opted for Steve McClaren and Fabio Capello instead.
O'Neill took over at Aston Villa in August 2006 and again proved his Midas touch. He guided the Villans to three successive sixth-place finishes in the Premier League by 2010. He also led the team to their first major final for 10 years in the League Cup against Manchester United.
Again, though, the issue of finances of squad rebuilding was to play its part in his departure, and he quit Villa Park in August 2010, just days before the start of the new season (per Daily Telegraph).
When Sunderland sacked Steve Bruce as manager on Nov. 30, 2011, O'Neill, who had been a Black Cats supporter as a child, was appointed three days later.
His arrival had an immediate impact as the team won four of his first six games in charge. Even without the presence of trusted right-hand man John Robertson at the Stadium of Light, O'Neill's touch hadn't left him.
According to BBC Sport, the 61-year-old was sacked on Saturday evening, with the club hovering a solitary point above the relegation zone and club owner Ellis Short desperate to maintain the club's top-flight status.
From Old Trafford manager-elect to sacked by his boyhood favourites, O'Neill's pride will be hurting after the first dismissal of his managerial career.
But while the former Northern Ireland international may be considered a senior in managerial terms now, his return to the dugout somewhere at another sleeping giant will not be far away.
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