Celtic 'Lisbon Lion' Tommy Gemmell passes away
Thursday, March 2, 2017
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Tommy Gemmell, one of Celtic's 'Lisbon Lions' from 1967 and one of only 18 players to have scored in two European Cup finals, has died at the age of 73.
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Tommy Gemmell, a European Champion Clubs' Cup winner with Celtic in 1967, has passed away aged 73.
Gemmell scored Celtic's equaliser against Internazionale Milano in the 1967 final in the Portuguese capital as the 'Lisbon Lions' became the first British team to lift the European Cup. Gemmell also found the net in the 1970 decider against Feyenoord, which Celtic went on to lose 2-1.
"Tommy Gemmell is a true Celtic legend, part of the greatest side in the club's history and a man who played a pivotal role in our greatest ever triumph when, in Lisbon's Estadio Nacional, 11 men all born within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park, beat Inter Milan to win the European Cup," reads a Celtic statement.
"The legend of the Lisbon Lions was created that night, and Tommy and his team-mates were assured [of] their place in the pantheon of Celtic greats. And, like the rest of the Lions, Tommy remained humble about his incredible football achievements." This year marks 50 years since Celtic's finest hour.
Gemmell spent ten years with the Glasgow club – between 1961 and 1971 – making 418 appearances and scoring 63 goals in all competitions. He played predominantly as a left-back and, in addition to his European success, won six Scottish league titles, three Scottish Cups and four Scottish League Cups with the Hoops.
He was capped 18 times by Scotland and later played for Nottingham Forest and Dundee, who he helped to beat Celtic 1-0 in the 1973 Scottish League Cup final. He also went on to become Dundee manager and had two spells in charge of Albion Rovers.