A STATUE has been unveiled of Celtic's legendary Lisbon Lion captain Billy McNeill in his hometown of Bellshill in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.
The memorial was organised by the Billy McNeill Commemoration Committee, which was set up following the Hoops legend's passing in 2019.
In a ceremony overseen by former Celtic captain Tom Boyd, the statue was unveiled at Bellshill Cross on Saturday by McNeill's widow Liz in the presence of Lisbon Lions Jim Craig, John Clark and John Fallon.
The unveiling of the statue of Billy McNeill at Bellshill Cross. What a moving moment! pic.twitter.com/9FMgiWGyjv
— Sancta Familia Media (@SanctaFamiliaTV) November 26, 2022
The sculpture was created by artist John McKenna, who produced the statues of McNeill and Lisbon Lions manager Jock Stein that stand outside Celtic Park.
On May 25, 1967, McNeill captained Celtic to a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in the European Cup Final at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal.
In doing so, they became the first British team to lift the trophy, earning the nickname the Lisbon Lions.
It was the pinnacle of McNeill's success at Celtic, where he spent the entirety of his trophy-laden playing career.
The European Cup success was one of five trophies won by McNeill and Celtic that season for a remarkable quintuple.
The defender also won nine consecutive league titles with Celtic, as well as seven Scottish Cups and six League Cups.
He had two spells as manager at Parkhead, coming either side of stints at Manchester City and Aston Villa.
As Hoops boss, he won three Scottish Cups, one League Cup and four titles, the last coming in the 1987-88 season as the club celebrated its centenary.
McNeill, who was also of Irish and Lithuanian descent, won 29 caps for Scotland.
He passed away on April 22, 2019 at the age of 76, having been diagnosed with dementia nine years earlier.
