A statue commemorating the legacy of iconic Celtic captain Billy McNeill has been unveiled in his hometown of Bellshill.
Members of the Billy McNeill Commemoration Committee, along with his widow Liz, officially unveiled a £70,000 statue at Bellshill cross on Saturday before the achievements and life of the legendary Lisbon Lion were remembered at ceremony within Cesar's Bar. The committee have spent the last three years working on the touching tribute to the Celtic heroes passing in 2019.
Celtic fans and supporters clubs and organisations across the country donating to the fund for the statue and crowds gathered in the Lanarkshire town despite the wet weather to catch a glimpse of the statue for the first time. The sculpture built by John McKenna shows McNeill leading the Celtic team out in Lisbon before the 2-1 final win over Inter Milan 55 years ago when he led the club to European Cup success.
Former Celtic players Jim Fallon, Jim Craig, John Clark and Danny McGrain attended the unveiling. Ex-Rangers captain and manager John Greig and former Ibrox player Willie Henderson were also in attendance.
The towering captain and two-time Celtic manager known as 'Cesar' died in April 2019 aged 79, following a lengthy battle with dementia. As a player, McNeill led Celtic to nine successive Scottish titles, seven Scottish Cups and six League Cups. He played 822 games over 18 seasons, before retiring as a player in 1975.
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