PAUL McSTAY is as close to perfection as anyone I have seen perform in Paradise.
I have been fortunate enough to witness the Lisbon Lions, with the outstanding Bobby Murdoch and Bertie Auld dictating play from the middle of the park, and the many excellent and gifted operators who have adorned the green and white hoops until this very day.
The list is too long and exhaustive and I have been blessed to see some exceptional players throughout my six decades-plus of supporting Celtic.
But Paul McStay in his pomp was certainly a breathtaking sight; chest thrust out, flawless ball control, the extraordinary vision to sweep passes hither and yon to grateful team-mates and the ability to summon up all the power in his frame into one vital moment of impact to produce stunning cannonball-like shots to terrify goalkeepers.
Paul McStay, to me, was the quintessential Celtic player.
GREEN AND WHITE DELIGHT…Paul McStay and Tommy Burns hug on the Hampden pitch after the Scottish Cup Final triumph over Airdrie on May 27 1995.
Even during the dark days and a team struggling to produce anything like a sustained challenge for honours, he was the player who shone through; the individual who offered hope amid the rubble of broken dreams.
One image that will remain vivid in my memory bank is the moment captain Paul McStay and manager Tommy Burns gleefully embraced on the Hampden pitch on the afternoon of May 27 in 1995 after the 1-0 victory over Airdrie in the Scottish Cup Final.
As spectacles go, it would never go down as a classic. But Celtic had gone six long and miserable years without a solitary piece of silverware and that excruciating sequence ended that day at the national stadium when Pierre van Hooijdonk’s deadly accurate angled header eluded the grasping fingers of Airdrie keeper John Martin.
McStay and Peter Grant were pivotal to that breakthrough success. It was just a pity that McStay’s career ended prematurely after a 10-minute cameo in front of only 7,914 fans in a 1-1 draw with Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park on April 5 1997.
The ankle injury that had plagued him for a couple of years finally persuaded the skipper to call it a day. He was six months short of his 33rd birthday.
THE MAESTRO…Paul McStay, the perfect blend of poise and power.
McStay retired with a trophy haul of eight honours, three titles, four Scottish Cups and one League Cup. He made 683 appearances for the club, third behind Billy McNeill (822) and Alec McNair (684).
The Larkhall-born Bhoy who deservedly earned the moniker ‘The Maestro’ will return to Paradise this afternoon to unfurl Celtic’s 55th flag.
Let’s give a true Celt the ovation he so richly deserves.
