BY ABBIE MEEHAN
“I have honestly always felt lucky in life, in that all I ever wanted to do was play for Celtic and then become their manager, both of which I have achieved.”
And that is not all that Celtic legend Billy McNeill achieved in his extremely successful football career.
Supporters far and wide swarmed to Celtic Park yesterday to pay tribute to the late Lisbon Lion who passed away on Monday night, after a long battle with dementia at the age of 79.
McNeill, who became the first Briton to lift the famous European Cup in 1967, inspired so many through his words and actions.
As a Celtic player, he captained Celtic to a historic 2-1 win over Inter Milan after a fierce battle to the final in Lisbon, where the Lisbon Lions were born.
He also led the team to nine successive titles, six league cups and seven Scottish cups. McNeill later won four titles and four cups in two spells as manager of the club.
Hailed as a ‘giant of the game’, McNeill also managed Clyde, Aberdeen, Manchester City and Aston Villa, all of which sent messages of support to his family today alongside many other clubs and former team-mates.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of our former manager, Billy McNeill, after today’s sad news.
RIP Billy.
#AVFC pic.twitter.com/VDi8udqRDO— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 23, 2019
One such team-mate was Bertie Auld, a fellow Lion. Auld has a massive respect for his teammate and regarded him as a ‘gentlemen’, who was the “perfect player, captain, manager and ambassador for the club.”
McNeill will be remembered as a Scottish football icon and a man who embedded Celtic Football Club into history forever. One thing is for sure though; Billy McNeill loved the Celtic support, and the Celtic fans will forever love Billy McNeill, the man who conquered Europe.
