Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Mark Pirie

Billy McNeill statue unveiled as Celtic icon remembered in hometown with Lisbon Lion memorial

A statue commemorating the legacy of iconic Celtic captain Billy McNeill has been unveiled in his hometown of Bellshill.

Members of the Billy McNeill Commemoration Committee, along with his widow Liz, officially unveiled a £70,000 statue at Bellshill cross on Saturday before the achievements and life of the legendary Lisbon Lion were remembered at ceremony within Cesar's Bar. The committee have spent the last three years working on the touching tribute to the Celtic heroes passing in 2019.

Celtic fans and supporters clubs and organisations across the country donating to the fund for the statue and crowds gathered in the Lanarkshire town despite the wet weather to catch a glimpse of the statue for the first time. The sculpture built by John McKenna shows McNeill leading the Celtic team out in Lisbon before the 2-1 final win over Inter Milan 55 years ago when he led the club to European Cup success.

Former Celtic players Jim Fallon, Jim Craig, John Clark and Danny McGrain attended the unveiling. Ex-Rangers captain and manager John Greig and former Ibrox player Willie Henderson were also in attendance.

The towering captain and two-time Celtic manager known as 'Cesar' died in April 2019 aged 79, following a lengthy battle with dementia. As a player, McNeill led Celtic to nine successive Scottish titles, seven Scottish Cups and six League Cups. He played 822 games over 18 seasons, before retiring as a player in 1975.

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.

You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.

READ NEXT

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.