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 the £70,000 tribute at Bellshill cross on Saturday before the achievements and life of the legendary Lisbon Lion were remembered at a ceremony within Cesar's Bar.
The committee have spent the last three years working on the touching tribute to the Celtic hero since his passing in 2019.
Celtic fans, supporters clubs and organisations across the country donated to the funding pot towards the monument as well as the Committee working tirelessly holding fundraisers over the last 36 months to enable the sculpture to be erected.
Hundreds of people lined Bellshill Main Street despite the wet weather to catch a glimpse of the statue for the first time on Saturday with many others visiting the monument over the weekend.
A spokesman for the Billy McNeill Commemoration Committee told Lanarkshire Live "The boy from Abbotsford Place, barely 150 yards from the statue site and went on to be one of the most respected gentlemen in world football, is finally getting the recognition that he has so earned and deserved in his boyhood town of Bellshill and Mossend."
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, Tom Boyd, Frank McAvennie, George McCluskey and Danny McGrain attended the unveiling. Ex-Rangers captain and manager John Greig and former Ibrox player Willie Henderson were also there on the day.
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, he 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.
**Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters newsletters here .
And did yo u know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head over to our page to give us a like and share.
