Celtic to honour Billy McNeill at Paradise

Celtic have been given the green light from Glasgow City Council to erect a statue in honour of Billy McNeill.

The plans were approved to erect a statue of the Lisbon Lions captain hoisting the European Cup outside Celtic Park according to the Scotsman.

It will honour the 75-year-old’s and Celtic’s greatest achievement – beating Inter Milan in the 1967 European Cup final.

The bronze statue will be positioned on Celtic Way outside the ground in April of next year.

McNeill becomes the fourth player to be honoured with a statute, joining the likes of Brother Walfrid, Jock Stein and Jimmy Johnstone.

Drawings that the planning department received show the iconic captain hoisting the European Cup above his head after lifting it in Lisbon.

There were no objections put forward to the council about the to the planning application as it was approved, allowing construction to begin. John McKenna, the same man who constructed the tribute to the late Jock Stein, will sculpt the statute.

Speaking earlier this year about the proposal for the statute as it was then, McNeill said:

When I was contacted regarding the statue I was completely taken by surprise.

Whenever I walk up the Celtic Way, I look on with a great sense of pride at the sight of Brother Walfrid, Big Jock and my old team-mate and friend Jinky rightly taking their place almost as guardians of Celtic Park.

Every time I look back at this special club’s history and what we achieved it fills me with joy, and now to be told I am to be honoured beside these Celtic greats, this really is a special day for me and all my family.