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‘The Lisbon Lions never knew they were beaten. We were on top of the world and could take on anybody on our day – it was a glorious era for us all’ Celtic legend Jim Craig on the club’s iconic European triumph

Celtic’s European Cup win in 1967 remains one of the most iconic nights in the club’s storied history, almost 60 years on.

The Scottish side’s 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon saw them become the first British club to win the European Cup and it was all done with a homegrown squad, the majoirty of whom were born within a ten-mile radius of Celtic Park.

Jim Craig was playing at right-back that evening, as he added European football’s biggest prize to his list of 14 domestic trophies won during his eight-year spell with the club.

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Jim Craig on his part in the Lisbon Lions success

Jim Craig

Celtic’s Lisbon Lion Jim Craig

“We had our moments but he respected me as a player,” Craig recalls to FourFourTwo when asked about manager Jock Stein’s influence during the run. “I only wanted to know one question before a game: how fast was the opposition winger? If they were quicker than me I’d pull Bobby Murdoch closer. If I was quicker then I could catch him, but Jock would never tell me.

“He had more run-ins with Jimmy Johnstone. Jock was once giving a team talk and, when he finished, he asked if there were any questions. Jimmy’s hand shot up, which was a surprise because Jinky had sat through the whole talk looking at his nails. Jimmy said, ‘How long’s the flight?’ He was terrified of flying and that was all he was interested in, not the team talk or any of the tactical stuff.”

Celtic captain Billy McNeill lifts the European Cup, 1967

Celtic captain Billy McNeill lifts the European Cup, 1967 (Image credit: Alamy)

When the final came around, Craig got off to an unfortunate start, giving away an early penalty that meant his side went into the dressing room a goal down at half-time.

“It happened in the seventh minute. Jock was great, he said, ‘Forget about it, just take care of the guy in the second half’. I had a chance to look at it afterwards and told him I thought it was an indirect free-kick [to Celtic, for simulation] and he agreed.

“The player, Renato Cappellini, was running across my path, and I didn’t want to foul him. I held my body maybe a little bit too close to him without doing anything else. However, after that I set up Gemmell’s goal for the equaliser, so I reckon I more than made up for it!”

Less than a fortnight after winning the European Cup, Craig would then play in the Alfredo Di Stefano testimonial, winning 1-0 against Real Madrid. What does he remember about that night?

“Jinky decided that he was going to show them what he could do,” Craig says. “He had a wonderful game and his touch was tremendous. Every time he took on an opponent, he beat them. Eventually, the crowd were cheering his name instead of Di Stefano’s. Any time Jinky touched the ball they would shout, ‘Ole!’ I felt sorry for the left-back – he got battered that night.

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Celtic players celebrate with the European Cup after victory in the final over Inter in the final in Lisbon in May 1967.

Celtic players celebrate with the European Cup (Image credit: Getty Images)

“Following the game, I made a beeline for Paco Gento and shook his hand. There were 120,000 fans present for a friendly. Real were playing a team that had just won the European Cup, so they were up for it. We were defending our image, so we were equally up for it.”

Celtic would reach another European Cup final in 1970, only to lose 2-1 to Feyenoord, but Craig insists that was another special team. “The team never knew it was beaten. We’d just won five league titles in a row back home, so it was a glorious era for us all. We were on top of the world and could take on anybody on our day.”

Sadly, only Craig, Willie Wallace and Bobby Lennox from that famous side are still with us, but Craig is keen to keep his team-mates’ legacy alive and credits former Hoops boss Martin O’Neill for reigniting interest in the Lisbon Lions when he arrived at the club in 2000.

“He was very good at that and very kind at bringing us back into the fold again,” Craig adds. “We are ambassadors for the club still. I spend my time going to functions as people want to know about Lisbon and I have the stories for them. It’s nice to be known after all these years.”

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