Pilgrimage to Lisbon – How I came to possess a piece of Billy McNeill’s jersey

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Celtic fans who were present when the Lisbon Lions won the European Cup 50 years ago generally made a day trip of the occasion…

They were up early on the day of the match, many attending Mass before departure as it was the feast of Corpus Christi. They flew from Glasgow to Lisbon and were then taken by coach to the stadium. Afterwards they were brought back to the airport for the return flight home.

That camera travelled to Lisbon with me

For others like myself it was a week-long pilgrimage. My European Cup story actually started three years earlier. I was living in London and fully convinced that I would be travelling to Brussels for the final of the UEFA Cup. In the semi-final, Celtic took a 3-0 home lead against MTK Budapest and Brussels was beckoning. By the time the second leg came round I had set aside £10 for my travelling expenses. A 4-0 defeat in Budapest put an end to that dream. I felt I had to do something with my £10 and I was able to find another £2.10.0 to buy my first 35mm camera. That camera travelled to Lisbon with me three years later (photos shown above).

1967 – View of the Lisbon national Stadium where the European Cup Final between Inter Milan and Celtic, takes place on May 25th 1967. Photo imago

Celtic supporters believe that their team is capable of anything, so early in 1967 Lisbon was always on the horizon. However, it wasn’t until Celtic recorded a 3-1 home win over Dukla Prague in the semi-final that we started to take the dream seriously.

With my friends in the London branch of the Celtic Supporters Club, I knew that if we were going to get to Lisbon we would have to make our own arrangements. No one else was going to organise charters for us. On the morning after the victory over Dukla Prague I phoned Aer Lingus to enquire about chartering an aircraft. That could be done but as soon the question of a deposit was raised I ended the conversation. I had no idea where I could raise the money and still, at the back of my mind, was the 4-0 defeat in Budapest three years earlier.

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE…
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About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor David Faulds has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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