Celtic legends and fans turned out in their numbers yesterday to mark the unveiling of a stunning statue of the club’s greatest ever captain Billy McNeill in his hometown.
There are few more iconic figures in Celtic’s history than McNeill, and his legacy needs little introduction, as the club’s all-time record appearances holder and European Cup-winning captain.
The statue has been in the works since McNeill’s sad passing in 2019 after a long battle with dementia, with over £70,000 donated to the Billy McNeill Commemoration Committee by fans and supporters clubs to fund the project.
A reported by The Sun, McNeill’s fellow Lisbon Lions John Clark and Jim Craig joined John Fallon, who stayed on the bench in the historic triumph in the Portuguese capital, to honour their former captain.
McNeill’s widow Liz stood alongside other Celtic icons in Danny McGrain, Tom Boyd and Frank McAvennie, as well as members from the committee and many local supporters as the statue was formally unveiled at noon yesterday.
Sandro Mazzola, the scorer of Inter Milan’s penalty in the Lisbon final, was also invited to the unveiling, but had to decline on the grounds of health concerns.
The life-size statue, which depicts McNeill leading the side out in Lisbon, was designed by John McKenna, who also crafted the Jock Stein and existing Cesar statues on The Celtic Way, as well as a statue of Jimmy Johnstone in his hometown of Viewpark.
McNeill remains the second-most decorated Celt of all time behind Willie Maley, winning nine league titles, seven Scottish Cups and six league cups in addition to the triumph in Lisbon.
He added to these honours with a further four league titles, three Scottish cups and a single league cup across two spells as manager.
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