Billy McNeill

Billy McNeill was a Celtic player, manager and ambassador. First and foremost, however, he was a Celtic supporter.

The man known simply as ‘Cesar’ captained the team during the golden era of the late 1960s and early ‘70s, winning nine league titles in a row, seven Scottish Cups and six League Cups. He also cemented his place as a Celtic legend on May 25, 1967 when he held aloft the European Cup in Lisbon’s Estadio Nacional after leading the team to a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan.

He was a one-club man and, for Billy McNeill, that club had to be Celtic. He spent 18 years at the club, joining in 1957 and bowing out in 1975, and during that time he would make an incredible 790 appearances for his beloved green and white Hoops, more than any other player in Celtic’s long and illustrious history. Even more impressive is the fact that not one of those appearances was as a substitute. When Billy McNeill was fit, he played. It was as simple as that.

When Billy McNeill was fit, he played. It was as simple as that.

In much the same way as Jimmy McGrory’s staggering haul of goals in Celtic colours is unlikely ever to been surpassed, the same can be true of Billy McNeill’s appearances total, given that the era of the one-club player appears to have be consigned to football’s history books

PRELUDE TO PARADISE
It was with Our Lady’s High School in Motherwell that Billy McNeill first caught the eye of watching clubs, but there was only one club that he was destined to go to and that was Celtic. It is impossible to imagine Celtic without Billy McNeill and vice-versa, but there were other career options available to him as he tried to forge a future with his first love.

Thankfully for Celtic fans, the club spotted his potential and he signed on August 20, 1957, immediately coming under the tutelage of then reserve coach, Jock Stein before being farmed out to junior side, Blantyre Vics. A year later to the exact day on August 20, 1958, Bobby Evans suffered a back injury in the opening league game against Clyde and that gave McNeill his chance.

DEBUT BHOY
On August 23, 1958, Celtic faced Clyde in a League Cup sectional tie at home, and Billy McNeill was in the starting line-up for the very first time. He was just 18-years-old. A healthy crowd of 39,000 packed into Celtic Park to see Celtic win 2-0 thanks to goals from Sammy Wilson and Bertie Auld. They would have enjoyed the victory though it’s unlikely any of them would have identified the tall teenage centre-half as a future Celtic legend.

"He was a leader of men. When he walked into the dressing room in '58 I felt it was the start of something big"
Bertie Auld

However, within a short space of time he would become the rock upon which fortress Celtic Park was built, as the club emerged from the doldrums, and a steadfast fulcrum around which everything evolved in the middle of the park. This man was the archetypal centre-half, towering majestically in the air to clear from defence or rising like a salmon to head home, often crucial, goals from corners. These were the skills that could be seen from the very back step of the terracing. What wasn’t so obvious to the naked eye were his leadership qualities in harnessing those around him into a tight cohesive working unit that didn’t know when they were beaten. His authority in the dressing room played as big a part in Celtic’s success as his prowess on the park.

HIGHLIGHTS
There are enough highlights in Billy McNeill’s Celtic career to fill a book, and Cesar has committed his story to print, in his autobiography, Hail Cesar. The front cover contains one of the most iconic images in Celtic’s history – Billy holding aloft the European Cup on May 25, 1967. The image may be a black and white one, but every Celtic fan can picture those green and white Hoops and the ‘Big Cup’ sparking in the Portuguese sunshine. Not surprisingly, that day and, indeed, that season when Jock Stein’s side won every competition they entered, has a special place in Billy McNeill’s heart.

Every Celtic fan can picture those green and white Hoops and the ‘Big Cup’ sparking in the Portuguese sunshine.

BOWING OUT
It was on May 3, 1975 that Billy McNeill pulled on the green and white Hoops for the 790th and last time in a competitive match. Fittingly, it came in a cup final and ended with the player lifting another piece of silverware. Celtic faced Airdrie in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden, looking to win their second trophy of the season, having already beaten Hibernian in the League Cup final. The league title had left Paradise for the first time since 1966. Paul Wilson scored two first-half goals and Pat McCluskey netted from the penalty spot after the break to give Celtic a 3-1 victory and their 24th Scottish Cup success. A crowd of 75,457 saw Billy McNeill lift the trophy and then be carried, shoulder-high by his Celtic team-mates. The impossible question for Cesar, of course, is in trying to pick the best player he played alongside in those 790 games.

FROM CAPTAIN TO MANAGER
Billy McNeill first dipped his toes into management at nearby Shawfield when he took over the reins at Clyde on April 1, 1977. Billy wasn’t in the Second Division long, though, as, just 70 days later, he had signed on as manager at Premier League Aberdeen. The fans at Pittodrie took to Billy and he himself loved the whole ambience of the place.

When Celtic came calling in 1978 there was no way he could say no.

However, when Celtic came calling in 1978 there was no way he could say no. In his first spell as manager at Celtic Park, he won three championships, a Scottish Cup and a League Cup before leaving to manage Manchester City and then Aston Villa. He returned north in time to lead Celtic to the centenary year Double and the following season lifted the Scottish Cup again.

His first league triumph as Celtic manager, back in 1979, remains one of the most incredible nights in the club’s history, when the 10 men of Celtic beat Rangers 4-2 to secure the title. Not surprisingly, it’s one of Cesar’s favourite managerial moments.

HAIL! HAIL! CESAR
Over the years many people assumed that Billy McNeill’s nickname was given in recognition of his character and status as leader – the all-conquering hero, Caesar. He certainly fitted that image, though this was neither the reason nor the spelling of his moniker. His team-mates began calling him ‘Cesar’ after he became one of the few players in the squad who owned a car at the time, and was inspired by the Hollywood actor, Cesar Romero, who played a getaway driver in the original Ocean’s Eleven movie.

Billy McNeill was always the leader, in the driving seat as Celtic conquered all before them, in Scotland and in Europe.

Yet, the nickname was an inspired choice because Billy McNeill was always the leader, in the driving seat as Celtic conquered all before them, in Scotland and in Europe. The Celtic legend sadly passed away in April 2019. The statue of him holding aloft the European Cup stands at the front of The Celtic Way to welcome fans to Paradise, a permanent reminder of a truly great Celt.

790 CELTIC CAREER APPEARANCES
League: 486, Scottish Cup: 94, League Cup: 138, Europe: 72

35 CELTIC CAREER GOALS
League: 21, Scottish Cup: 7, League Cup: 4, Europe: 3

23 CELTIC CAREER HONOURS
League Titles: 9, Scottish Cup: 7, League Cup: 6, European Cup: 1