The late Stone Roses bassist Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield admitted to having a soft spot for Celtic.
Tributes poured in for the 63-year-old who died on 20 November, 2025.
He was a part of the Stone Roses from 1987 all the way to when they split in 1996 before reuniting for future shows.
Away from music, ‘Mani’ was a huge football fan and was largely known for supporting Manchester United. But, he also confessed to having an allegiance to Celtic.
Stone Roses star explained why he loved Man United and Celtic
‘Mani’ appeared on the Celtic View in July 2025 to discuss his life in music, as well as his footballing memories.
There, the Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist explained how his love for the Hoops was equally important to him.
“I was always brought up to firstly support United, because I’m from Manchester, then Celtic,” he said.
“Celtic has always been my second team. And the Republic of Ireland. I don’t follow England at all. That’s how I was brought up.
“All my uncles and the Irish half of the family are all Republic of Ireland with leanings to Celtic and United.”
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield recalls his Celtic Park experience
Big-name players like Ferenc Puskas have waxed lyrical about the Celtic fans and for ‘Mani’, his visit to Parkhead was just as exciting.
He recalled how he came up for the famous UEFA Cup semi-final against Boavista, as well as his love for the numbers on the back of players’ shorts.
“I used to love the fact that Celtic had the numbers on the back of the shorts. There’s a weird memory!” said the legendary musician.
“I used to wonder why that was and then I thought, it was obviously so the defender that Jinky Johnstone had just skelped could see who’d just had ‘em as he’s burning past!
“I’ve been up to one Celtic game, it was a game against Boavista. It was amazing. I went with a hat on, a bit of disguise. Did it work? No way. I was getting mobbed, but it was beautiful.”
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