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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Paul Thomson

Celtic legend John Hughes dies aged 79 after short illness

Celtic legend John 'Yogi' Hughes has passed away a short illness, his family has announed.

The 79-year-old, who hailed from Coatbridge, scored an incredible 189 goals for the club between 1959 and 1971, winning seven Scottish league trophies, four League Cups and four Scottish Cups.

He also won a European Cup winners' medal in 1967 but was not in the Lisbon Lions team that beat Inter Milan in the final.

'Yogi' went on to play Hughes down south for Crystal Palace in 1971 and also featured for Sunderland alongside his younger brother, Billy.

Later in his career he took the step into management at Baillieston Juniors and Stranraer.

A statement from his family last night read: "John 'Yogi' Hughes, age 79, passed away peacefully in hospital today, after a short illness.

"He was surrounded by his loving family. He was dearly loved and will be sorely missed. Always remembered and celebrated with love by his wife Theresa, his sons Kevin, Martin and John, his daughter Joanna and his six grandchildren and extended family.

"He now joins the ranks of those who will be immortal as long as there's a Glasgow Celtic.

"The family ask for privacy at this terribly difficult time, and will release details of his funeral arrangements in due course."

Celtic also paid tribute to the striker. Their statement read: "Everyone at Celtic Football Club is extremely sad to hear of the passing of Lisbon Lion, John ‘Yogi’ Hughes, who has died at the age of 79, and the thoughts and prayers of everyone at the club are with John's family and friends at this extremely sad time.

"John spent 12 years at Celtic between 1959 and ’71, playing his part in a golden era for the club and establishing himself as an all-time great in the green and white Hoops. In 416 appearances, he scored an impressive 189 goals, making him one of only 29 players to have scored over a century of goals for Celtic.

"He made his debut in a League Cup tie against Third Lanark in August 1960, when he scored in a 2-0 win for the Hoops, while his 189 th goal also came in a League Cup tie, this time in a 3-0 away win against Ayr United in August 1971.

"His list of honours is an impressive one – seven league titles, five League Cups, four Scottish Cups and, of course, the European Cup in 1967 when he was part of the legendary squad which became the Kings of Europe, playing his part in many of the ties on the road to Lisbon.

"There are so many highlights from John’s time in the Hoops, including the famous occasion where he scored five goals in an 8-0 win over Aberdeen at a frosty Celtic Park wearing a pair of ‘sannies’ in January 1965.

"He played in the 1965 Scottish Cup final when Celtic beat Dunfermline Athletic at Hampden, a triumph that heralded a period of unprecedented success under Jock Stein.

"And later that year, when Celtic won the League Cup, it was John Hughes who scored both goals in the final as the Hoops beat Rangers 2-1.

"On the European stage, he also scored a famous goal in the European Cup semi-final second leg victory over Leeds United at Hampden, in front of a record crowd of 136,505, a result which saw Celtic reach their second final in three years.

"John Hughes left Celtic in 1971, joining Crystal Palace, while he also had a short spell with Sunderland before retiring. He was also capped eight times by Scotland, scoring one goal.

"John ‘Yogi’ Hughes was hugely popular amongst the Celtic support, who always recognised him as one of their own, and the whole Celtic Family will mourn his passing."

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