Celtic centenary season legend Frank McAvennie joined his former Celtic teammate from that never-to-be-forgotten campaign, Peter Grant at Gracie’s yesterday afternoon for the launch of the campaign to build a statue of Lisbon Lion Jim Craig in Govan.
Frank McAvennie celebrates scoring the winner for Celtic in the 1988 Scottish Cup Final. Photo The Celtic Wiki
Macca scored a late double in the closing stages of the Scottish Cup Final against Dundee United in May 1988 to turn around the match and deliver a fairytale double for Celtic’s 100th season. If you were there you’ll never forget that wonderful Hampden in the Sun afternoon.
Yesterday while holding court McAvennie discussed multiple Celtic matters and started by praising a player who Frank reckons has many similar attributes to himself in his time wearing the Hoops. That player is Julian Araujo who could reportedly be available this summer for a permeant transfer from Bournemouth for a fee of around £8m. It’s fair to say McAvennie would approve of this deal going through.
“The Mexican, I don’t know where he was that weekend because I like him,” McAvennie said yesterday afternoon. “He’s got fire in his belly and he doesn’t pull out a tackle. He loves the crowd.
“He loves having a banter with the fans, away fans even! And that’s a bit off my own heart. I love that.
“He’ll never pull out a tackle and he wouldn’t have let that happen at the weekend because he’d have been fighting with everyone. So that’s the kind of thing we need.”
Gutted to think we might never see Julián Araujo in front of a full North Curve at Celtic Park.
He has that rare fan connection – playing & celebrating like the badge means everything.
He’d have thrived off the noise and fanatical support of a raucous Green Brigade at Paradise. pic.twitter.com/qw8WeMSq2v
— La Gazzetta dello Celtic (@GazzettaCeltic) March 25, 2026
McAvennie was also critical of the attitude of the Celtic players in that damaging 2-0 defeat at Tannadice at the weekend, saying that they lacked fight. “I was disgusted by Celtic players rolling over at Tannadice,” Frank McAvennie told STV News, watch below…
‘I was disgusted by Celtic players rolling over at Tannadice’https://t.co/eshjch7LOF pic.twitter.com/UI4QOlxBou
— STV News (@STVNews) March 25, 2026
— Matt McGlone (@MattMcGlone9) March 25, 2026
Frank McAvennie was helping to launch a campaign to build a statue of Lisbon Lion Jim Craig in Govan.
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