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Full Name: William McNeill
Born: March 2 1940
Birthplace: Bellshill, North Lanarkshire
Nickname: Cesar
International: Scotland (29 Caps)

Player Career

An undoubted Celtic legend, Billy McNeill, 'Cesar', was the captain of the Lisbon Lions and the lynchpin in the team Stein led to much success.

McNeill was born on 2 March 1940 in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, of part Irish and part Lithuanian descent.

He was signed by Celtic from nearby junior team, Blantyre Victoria, in 1957 as a defender. As captain he won nine Scottish League Championships, seven Scottish Cups, and six Scottish League Cups, as well as the European Cup final. He had the honour of being the first British player to lift the European Cup.

He retired as a player in 1975 after over 800 appearances for Celtic. During his career, he won 29 caps for Scotland.

Manager 1978 - 1983 and 1987 - 1991

The European Cup winner was not above learning his managerial trade at Clyde, but lasted only two months there before being headhunted by Aberdeen. Impressed in his only season at Pittodrie before answering the call from Celtic in 1978. Won eight trophies over nine seasons in two spells at Celtic from 1978-83 and 1987-91. Both reigns ended after boardroom disputes and supporters' reverence for him was unaffected. Between his Celtic stints managed Man City and Aston Villa. Brought stature to each position.

Major honours:

Scottish Championship 1978-79, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1987-88;
Scottish Cup 1979-80, 1987-88, 1988-89;
League Cup 1982-83.

Pictures

• Player Pics
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Articles

• "The Skipper's Ordeal" (Lisbon 1967)
• Glasgow University Honorary Degree (Mar 08)

Links

• Lisbon Lions

Quotes

"Times change. Not always for the better. The great Billy McNeil. from Celtic's European cup winning side, told BBC radio yesterday that his dressing room nick-name was Cesar, after the getaway driver in Sinatra's Oceans Eleven, because he was the only one of the lads with a car...Craig Bellamy isn't fit to be mentioned in the same breath as a real sporting hero such as McNeill.".
David Mellor (2006)

'I've always seen us as the Cavaliers and them as the Roundheads.'
Billy McNeill on Celtic and Rangers

'We climbed three mountains then proceeded to throw ourselves off.'
Billy McNeil on losing out on away goals, 6-6, to Partizan Belgrade.

"It (Winning the European Cup) might have been for Scotland, but it definitely wasn't for Britain...it was for Celtic."
Billy McNeill on European Cup Final win of 1967 (1995)

"Somebody compared him to Billy McNeil, but I don’t remember Billy being crap.”
Tommy Docherty, the legendary football coach, on Rangers’ Italian flop Lorenzo Amoruso in 2000.