The two clubs had met twice previously in this showpiece, both matches bringing their own slice of history. In 1937, Hampden had witnessed what remains the largest crowd ever assembled for a club fixture in Europe, 147,365, as Celts won 2-1 in what was the Dons first cup final, Aberdeen at that time playing in gold-and-black vertical striped jerseys. On that same day, 24 April, 17 years later, Jock Stein had captained the Bhoys to their first League and Cup double for 40 years, since the time of Maley, with an identical scoreline, Sean Fallon grabbing the winner that afternoon in front of a miserly crowd of only 130,000! Both Stein and Fallon would poignantly be in the Celtic dugout on that afternoon in April 1967.

Aberdeen’s cup final day had got off to the worst of starts, with manager Eddie Turnbull confined to bed in his Gleneagles hotel with a stomach ailment, and largely thanks to Willie Wallace, it would not improve as the afternoon wore on. The striker struck two opportunist goals either side of the interval to win the Scottish Cup for Celtic, completing a cup double for the club and himself, following his League Cup success with Hearts against Kilmarnock back in 1962.

There was then the opportunity for both player and club to complete the domestic treble in midweek, as Celts welcomed Dundee United to Parkhead for a rearranged League fixture on Wednesday, 3 May 1967. With the Hoops requiring just a single point to retain their Championship crown, there was a carnival atmosphere in the east end, as the majority of the 44,000 supporters turned up for the party.

Dundee United had been the only team to beat Celts domestically that season and had added another huge scalp with their home and away victories over Inter-Cities Fairs Cup-holders, Barcelona. There are times when football just defies logic and tonight would be another of those. As in the Hogmanay game at Tannadice, Celtic would lead 1-0 and 2-1, this time with goals from Tommy Gemmell and Willie Wallace, before two late United goals produced the same 3-2 outcome. There would be no point and no title party for Celtic that evening.

Both would follow three days later, as Celtic travelled to Ibrox needing a draw for the flag. On a miserable day, 78,000 supporters made their way to Govan, including James Bond and our arch-villain, Inter Milan boss Helenio Herrera, whose side awaited the Hoops in the European Cup final, due to be held in Lisbon later that month. Having made two changes from the Cup Final team against Dundee United, Jock reverted to the Lions eleven once again, the fifth outing for this band of very special brothers.

Four minutes before the interval, Sandy Jardine broke with script, lashing the ball past Ronnie Simpson from the edge of the box, however, within seconds, Jimmy Johnstone had equalised, following up after the ball had come back off the post to force it home. With 16 minutes to play, the little genius won the title for Celts with a truly iconic goal, weaving in from the right touchline before exploding a shot high past Norrie Martin in the Rangers goal with his standing foot. It was a goal fit to win any game and the memory of the ball coming back out of the net to stick in the mud will live with me forever. The Ibrox side now required two goals to stop the party. They would get one from Roger Hynd late on, however, as the final whistle blew, Celtic’s first-ever Treble had been secured at Ibrox.

Four nights later, Willie found himself on the bench for the first time as an international player as Scotland took on the USSR in a friendly match at Hampden, Wallace one of an unprecedented seven Celtic players in the twelve who would take the field. One of those, Tommy Gemmell, had the misfortune to open the scoring at the wrong end in the 17th minute, the Soviets than making 2-0 just before the interval, as Medvid beat Ronnie Simpson.

Wallace would replace the great Denis Law at half-time, however, try as he might, neither he nor any of the other Scottish forwards, Jimmy Johnstone, Jim McCalliog or Bobby Lennox, could find a way past the wonderful Lev Yashin in the USSR goal, as Willie’s fifth full cap ended in a disappointing defeat. Billy McNeill and John Clark had been the other two Celts to start at Hampden that evening.

There would be one more domestic game before Lisbon, a Monday night home fixture with Kilmarnock on 15 May 1967, to complete the League programme. An unusual-looking Celtic team, featuring Billy McNeill in number eight shorts, would win 2-0, Bobby Lennox and Willie Wallace on target for the green-clad Bhoys, the latter’s 21st goal in just 29 games for Celts. As an aside, Gerry Queen played in the Kilmarnock team that night. He will feature in Willie’s career summary later.

Ten days later, it was the big one. The biggest of them all.

On Thursday, 25 May 1967, Jock Stein fielded the eleven Lions together for the sixth and most poignant time, in Lisbon’s Estadio Nacional to face Internazionale of Milan in the European Cup final. The experience of the two clubs at that level could hardly have been more different. Inter had been European and World Champions in two of the three previous years, and had already eliminated the holders, Real Madrid, from this season’s competition, beating them home and away in the quarter-final. By contrast, underdogs Celtic were competing in the major European club tournament for the first time.

But football is football.

That evening in Portugal is the stuff of legend, as Celtic produced perhaps the best attacking performance ever seen at that level, coming back from the loss of an early penalty to blow Inter off the park, the match finishing 2-1 following goals from Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers in the last half hour. In truth, the score could have been anything, Willie Wallace particularly aggrieved after a blatant foul on him by the incredible Italian goalkeeper Sarti went unpunished! As the fans flocked over the moat and onto the pitch at the end, the incredible truth could be realised…

…Celtic are the champions of Europe.

So let’s walk through the Willie Wallace checklist for season 1966/67…

Signed for Celtic Check
Scored a double in your European debut for the club Check
Played in a winning Scotland team at Wembley Check
Scored a double in your first cup final for the club Check
Won your first Scottish Cup Check
Won your first Scottish League championship title Check
Won the European Cup Check

Not bad, Willie.

If only you’d played in a winning side against Real Madrid in the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Thirteen days after the glory of Lisbon, Celtic travelled to the cathedral of football to take on six-time European champions Real Madrid in a challenge match in honour of the now-retired Alfredo Di Stefano, regarded by many as the finest footballer of all-time. The 1966 European champions were keen to put the new upstarts in their place, however, just as with Inter Milan, they would find this fearless group of fabulous footballers too hot to handle.

Jock had left several of his European Cup-winning side out of the starting eleven. It made little difference as their replacements slotted into their roles perfectly, Celts dominating proceedings against the old masters with a swagger and arrogance which would have been unthinkable just a few years earlier. Long before the second half was through, the Real defenders were refusing to challenge and be embarrassed yet again by the peerless Jimmy Johnstone, his incredible display topped off as he set up the winner for his pal, Bobby Lennox. As the final whistle blew, 120,000 Spaniards rose to applaud the red-haired genius, standing centre-stage with the ball raised in one hand above his head. If Carlsberg did football images…