Celtic fans offered a raucous round of applause for former captain Billy McNeil, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 79.
McNeil holds the club’s record for most appearances, a total of 822 games over 18 seasons, and he played for the Hoops when they won nine consecutive Scottish league championships.
He captained the club to the European Cup in 1967 and also managed Celtic for nine seasons, from 1978 to 1983 and 1987 to 1991, winning four Scottish league championships.
He received a rousing reception from Celtic fans before the club’s 1-0 win over Kilmarnock on Saturday and Croatian defender Jozo Simunovic admitted it has been an honour to share the same number as the Celtic legend, who sadly passed away on Monday night.
“For myself, wearing Billy’s number is a big pleasure and I’m very thankful for that,” said Simunovic. “We’re all very sad because Celtic has lost someone who is a massive part of the history of the club. He was an amazing player and an amazing guy.
“He was the man who held up the European Cup back in 1967. He was a top player, a top guy and a massive person for this club. He’s passed away but, for me, it’s still an honour to wear No.5 and it’s nice to see Billy’s statue at the front of the stadium every week.”
Celtic paid tribute to European Cup-winning captain Billy McNeill
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— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) April 27, 2019
