[Player Pics]

The great John Madden was the first man to ever lead a Celtic forward line.

An accomplished player, the Dumbarton centre-forward was keenly pursued by Celtic officals who were eager to have this fine attacker in their line up. Madden was convinced to turn out for the Bhoys in their inaugural match – a 5-1 home defeat of Rangers Swifts – but then returned to Dumbarton.

The pull of the ambitious new club proved too much though and Madden joined the Celts again in August 1889. An entertaining player to watch Madden was skilful and strong and possessed a powerful shot. He loved to trick opponents with dummies and clever flicks.

He was also a hard worker and this priceless combination of attributes made him a sought after player among the professional clubs in England. So much so that to ensure he remained north of the border he was among the highest earning players at the supposedly amateur Celtic!

Madden won championship medals in 1892 and 1893 with Celtic and he scored a total of 49 goals in 118 appearances. A fine servant to the Bhoys he eventually joined Dundee in 1897 after a brief retirement. Madden later went on to play for Tottenham Hotspur and coach Slavia Prague.