Celtic have today paid tribute to former manager Wim Jansen after he revealed he is living with dementia.
The club said on the official website: “Everyone at Celtic would like to send their best wishes to our former manager, Wim Jansen, after he revealed this week that he is living with dementia.
“Wim, who turns 75 this Thursday, talks about his diagnosis and now living with the illness in a new biography of his life, which is being published in the Netherlands.
“In the book, he discusses how he decided to seek medical advice after reading a book about his former Dutch international colleague, Piet Schrijvers, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, because he recognised the same symptoms.
“Wim will be forever held in the highest regard by the Celtic Family for his success in winning the league title for the club back in the 1997/98 season, the year when the Hoops famously ‘stopped the 10’.”
Jansen remains an icon for many Celtic supporters, not just for that famous title win as the club so eloquently point out above, but also because he was the man who brought Henrik Larsson to Celtic Park.
The Dutchman signed Larsson from his beloved Feyenoord and helped him become a sensation of Scottish football. It would be a signing that set Celtic up for a sustained period of success in the new century after his exit following the 1998 title win.
He also signed a future club captain in Paul Lambert too, who had recently won a Champions League title with Borussia Dortmund.
The subject of dementia in relation to football has become a serious issue in recent years with former striker Chris Sutton taking up campaigning efforts after experiences with his father and Celtic legends such as Billy McNeill also suffering from the condition in his later years.
Supporters were quick to pay tribute to the former manager on social media today, leaving no-one in any doubt about the strength of feeling that still exists for the Dutch legend…
In other news, Celtic heading for yet another impressive sell out.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
