As Inter Milan walked onto the Estadio Nacional that Thursday evening in May 1967, they were strong favourites to win their third European Cup in four seasons. They had been denied in 1966 by eventual winners, Real Madrid, in controversial circumstances. Revenge would be extracted in the 1967 semi-final, where Inter beat Real home and away.
That team, immortalised as La Grande Inter, were top of the league and expected to win their fourth Italian title in five seasons, their only loss in that period coming after a play-off.
Real Madrid dominated the European Cup for its first five seasons, but they won only two domestic titles in that period. No team had been such a formidable force at La Grande Inter. Real of the 50s were Continental celebrities, Inter were dominant on a whole new level. Not only were they feared, they were disliked for their oppressive defensive style of play, known as catenaccio.
Across Europe, no one gave Celtic a chance, but thousands in Scotland knew better. Celtic fans knew theirs was a special team. The previous two years were remarkable. Celtic won only three titles in 40 years. They were a novelty team winning little more than novelty titles.
Jock Stein arrived from Hibernian and the world changed. The league was won, then retained for the first time in 50 years, as the club won their first treble. After a long period of desolation, it seemed anything was possible for Celtic. There were no limits.
Celtic didn’t just win the European Cup, they destroyed Inter, ripping apart their imperious reputation. Catenaccio, the belief that the most effective way to play the game was to defend, was dead. Instead, pure, beautiful, football, played by a team born entirely in the Glasgow urban area, saved the game as a spectator sport.
You and I know our founding story well, but there is another founding story. Modern Celtic, the confident football club, which wins trophies and builds structures for its future, was born on 25 May 1967. Without Jock and the Lisbon Lions, nothing that we currently know about Celtic would have happened.
They inspired you and me. They also inspired Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon and Martin O’Neill. Without them, Fergus McCann would not have imagined what the right management could achieve.
Brother Walfrid put food on the table of impoverished children, but the hundreds of thousands helped by the Celtic FC Foundation in recent decades are a direct product of the Lisbon Lions. They laid foundations for a modern football club which can fulfil its mission.
I was lucky enough to meet them all. Their humility is overwhelming. Unlike imposters who have followed them since, they have time for their generations of fans. They understand the importance of representing Celtic, even now.
It wasn’t all humility, though. On the field, they were hard. This was a team who took care of themselves and each other. They were (and are still) also funny, cheeky, guys. Devilment donned the hoops. Their success will be celebrated for as long as football is played.
Your life is better for them and it will remain better until the day you die. You are a child of the Lisbon Lions. Thank God for each of them.
Real Betis congratulates @celticfc for their amazing achievement!
Hail, Hail! #inVIncibles#GreenAndWhite pic.twitter.com/2RLg3bfk6a— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) May 24, 2017
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I see football betting is worth £1.4bn to the bookies
and that’s just joey barton
Ronaldo under tax investigation – how much money do the likes of messi and him need
CORKCELT on 25TH MAY 2017 4:02 PM
Link to Naka’s videos?
KTF
GENE on 25TH MAY 2017 4:04 PM
I see football betting is worth £1.4bn to the bookies
and that’s just joey barton
Ronaldo under tax investigation – how much money do the likes of messi and him need
As much as they can get.
Bateen
Have the inter supporters arrived yet :))
JealousgeneCSC
CELTIC 67 written large up on the Blackmountain,overlooking the Ballymurphy district.
Good luck and best wishes to Lionsroar.
KTF.
VFR, I’m just watching them on Facebook, not sure if you can post links to Facebook videos, I’d rather doubt it.
& I’m almost Computer illiterate in the first place.
CORKCELT on 25TH MAY 2017 4:02 PM
I think that someone posted the BBC prog on the previous thread ?
i would love to watch it again too.
HH
VFR 800
The mention of the Lithuanian team (Kaunas) got me checking and it was Aug 2008 that RFC were eliminated by them.
Wattie knew he had a poor pool of players and in Aug 2008 added to his winter buys so that RFC could take the title off us in 2009 and get their hands on CL money. In doing so RFC’S debt went up from £6m in 2006 to £31m in 2009 and although the CL income reduced debt to £18m that wasn’t low enough for Lloyds, who probably thought they had been shafted in taking over HBOS, to want to get out.
Wattie and SDM spent around £10m net by Aug 2008 with the btc tax demands already delivered by April.
It’s all documented at http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/fbk-kaunas-2-rangers-1-rangers-count-16310m-cost-of-catastrophic-night-in-kaunas-886212.html and http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/no-sporting-advantage-my-arse/ and the consequences for the integrity of Scottish football have been disastrous.
I see Mr A Johnson Chairman getting a mention. That’s the guy who doesn’t know when a liability stops being potential and become a liability of tax owed from 2001.
Well done to all Celts in Lisboa…..
Magical stuff……
############
CORKCELT @ 4:02
Go into BBC iplayer…..
click on settings…
scroll down….
go to location…..
change it to Scotland….
click on TV guide….
click on BBC 1…..
click on May 24th or, yesterday….
scroll to 21:00….
hope that works for ye fella….
thank you Celtic.
Hail Hail
…….off-oot.
BBC Scotland website doing full text commentary of Lisbon…
Whilst I’m on re the trial.
It’s been suggested SDM was happy to put responsibility for paying the £2.8m tax liability on to CW.
He had to as Lloyds were not going to pay it.
It’s the contortions gone through to present the passing of that liability on to CW and then his efforts and SFAs efforts to keep it all within UEFA FFP that could fill a book.
There might even be in it an explanation why Celtic were not keen to take Res12 to UEFA that rules out any desire for the blue pound as a motivation.
More than one agenda at play for RFC/SFA/HMRC/UEFA/Celtic.
But patience. It’s all unfolding nicely.
Big Thank You to ALL who wished me well in Edinburgh Court today.
I won “Round 1 today…Finally at 3rd attempt ( Is that then round 4 ?). The organisation that I am suing have claimed for some months that I was “Time Barred” from raising Court action against them., and were relying heavily on a Supreme Court Ruling, following the terrible tragedy in Maryhill, Glasgow in May 2004.when the Plastics Co. blew up ( Stockline/ICL Plastics).
However, (without boring everyone, I discovered a certain section of that Supreme Court Ruling from 2009, that allowed me to persuade the Court that I was NOT ” Time Barred”.
The Sheriff was/is a Hun…of that I am sure, and I have to go back to Court in early July. That Court decision today ( NOT Time Barred), should have led to a Ruling in my favour…but for this feckin Hun Sheriff.
Given the Documented Evidence that I have from The Law Society of Scotland, and THE ADMISSIONS by the other organisation that I am suing…I should have been home and hosed today…but for this feckin Sheriff. Okay maybe he wasn’t a Hun…but he looked and acted like one !
I found myself having to almost constantly interrupt this Sheriff ( not a good idea) as he was doing all the feckin talking, but in a General sense, which meant that he wasn’t dealing with my claim independently or fairly, that then led to him missing vital points from claim.
Anyway, once the Bhoys are back from Lisbon, maybe one or two can help me ( Legally), before I go back to Court in july ? I can’t get a lawyer on legal aid cos of the nature of the case…and I can’t afford to pay a feckin lawyer to represent me. One lawyer a few weeks ago wanted £500 just to “Look at the feckin Papers”…….i don’t have £500.
See that feckin Edinburgh…it’s FULL of feckin tourists !
HH
Only read the article. Lovely Paul , you’ve captured everything .
Aff oot to watch the final in Ayr cinema . All profits to local food bank & the Bobby Lennox statue fund .
Seriously enjoyed last nights TV tribute on the BBC.
Checked out some CQN ‘rs on FB in Lisboa . They’re having a hoot . HH
chasbhoy on 25th May 2017 3:15 pm
Davidopoulos,
Re my love affair in Nantes. The bar then was an old fashioned one, much like old railway bars here.
By coincidence I am in France now, near Rennes and not far from Nantes. Was a wee bit tempted to go until I saw the look in my wife’s eye, who’s a little peed of with the Ghislaine story.
——————————————————————————–
sorry for the late reply! Yes, back in 2007 the bar/cafe in the station was all pale grey tiles and steel tables – ubiquitous in French train stations!
Rennes is a beautiful place but I prefer Nantes because…well I’m a bit biased.
My abiding memory of Rennes is sitting in the beautiful grounds of Palais Saint-Georges eating my packed lunch in the sun. If you haven’t been there yet , go – it’s a former Abbey residence that is now home to the fire brigade (i think). It has lovely gardens.
So sad to read about the young Girl from Barra ( Eliduh ?).
Also sad and alarmed to read about Billy (?)…Lionsroar ?…Speedy recovery mate.
YNWA.
No doubt BRT & H would have done what he did out of a love of Celtic and our support but a read of this:
http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/brogan-rogans-wee-sister-is-feeling-proud-today-no-wonder/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
shows by how much so many are indebted to Jim for his foresight and for his efforts in making this Lisbon Trip possible.
He deserves a Special Cqn Award.
JJ
Just spent the afternoon with my Dad. Only one topic of conversation today: Lisbon. Seems he and a full congregation attended Mass @ 6.30 in the Cathedral and then got buses to the Airport.
He spent his life in the Jungle, partly because of his eyesight and partly because that’s where his pals stood. In the Estadio Nacional he was at the opposite end to where we scored. So, he enjoyed seeing the goals properly when got home on the TV.
He was hazy about what happened afterwards (can’t say I blame him) but he did say it was totally disorganised chaos at the airport and people were just being herded on to the first plane available.
Greatest feeling the world, says he. Doesn’t seem like 50 years. To be honest, I concur with that. It seems more like a couple of weeks ago…..How time flies.
Some beautiful posts the last couple of days….keep em coming ;-))
Big Jimmy…..I hope you tore them a new wan today ;-))
Welcome to the Celtic family Amelia ;-))
Unlucky Jobo….EK were nearly there….maybe next year ;-))
Thoughts with Lionsroar67
Corkcelt….is this the droid your looking for…..
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f1WoA-fY5GQ
FTSFA
YNWA
Hail Hail
Has anyone posted any links of The CQNrs in Lisboa….Camera footage…maybe with subtitles ? LOL.
also IF BBC prog last night not on here, can someone post it ?
Sorry for being a feckin pest.
HH……….” Whatever happened to the Match Ball from Lisbon 1967…now that would be some keepsake”..I wonder if the feckin Ref nicked it…I wouldn’t put it past those Bassa’s ?
Thanks Kev J. I’ll try that.
Hail Hail
May 25th 1967
I’m working and winching. I’m lucky enough to have had a TV for a good few years thanks to my florist granny.
I’m 21 and watched with my dad and wee sister, my mum had died when I was 17.
I remember at half time nipping downstairs to the newsagent to get ginger and chocolate. I’m not optimistic but an old guy who was not a big football fan, who stood at the back of the shop just for the company, told me Celtic would win.
Bedlam when Tommy Gemmel scored. Euphoria when Steve Chalmers netted the winner.
All along the Gallowgate folk were hanging out their windows or standing at close mouths, big grins and back slapping, even the Bluenoses.
I went along to CP next day to see the team arrive and parade the Cup on the back of a coal lorry. A typical Caltonesque approach to life.
When I see old film of players disembarking from the plane I recognise the face of perhaps a flight crew member in a peaked hat. An ex Mungo lad but could not name him.
Lucky enough to then be able to watch some magnificent players over the next 8 years.
Those were the days my frIends.
Davidopolous
Did you ever visit a wee place called Bouaye near Nantes?
I went there on a school exchange ( as a Teacher so still in living memory ) and had a truly great time.
JJ
TheLurkinTim
You are an absolute star.
Hail Hail
THELURKINTIM on 25TH MAY 2017 4:59 PM
Lurkin…your a STAR mate…thanks for posting the link to the BBC Prog.
You will go to Heaven one day my son.
HH
Chaos hoy
Had a few romances at ole ND myself- however my wife asks if you were there when she was a lecturer!
Her name is Larry Sullivan
Great story from you btw
Hail hail
Hot Smoked
BRTH is a phenomenon.
VVR800-just sitting out my back garden watching your link to last nights program,it’s a joy.thank you:-))
I remember shortly after Lisbon `67, a spokesperson for the UK Embassy saying, on a News Bulletin, ” Every time we opened a cupboard door, a Celtic supporter fell out!”
Is history about to repeat itself? 0:-)
JJ
LURKINTIM….SEE mate..two of us at the very same time, posted that you are a STAR…..without ” Acting in Concert with each other” !
Good Wan CorkCelt.
STARS truly belong in Heaven…or in Celtics case…..”PARADISE, KerryDale St, Glasgow.
HH
Big Jimmy,
see my post…just before you asked ;-))
FTSFA
mindreadersCSC
H.H.
Sorry that should be Chasbhoy!
Hot Smoked
Yes! I got a bus to Bouaye once to get to the nature reserve that is right beside it (Grand Lieu i think it was). A different sort of burd spotting…
The LurkinTim
Well done indeed. I tried YouTube for Corkcelt as well but got 50 Years of Dr Who !!!!
JJ
VFR800-obliviously :-))
HELP…….!
Can someone please post the link to this Celtic song ….” THE BHOYS FROM LISBON”…by the late great Matt MacGinn.
Matt will be singing his Celtic song in Heaven today.
HH
You can say what you like about the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Goverenment and the SNP …
but this today –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxQbWbWVWug
Respect!
Hot Smoked,
Was just luck….the star is the guy who knows how to post stuff on youtube ;-))
Agreed about BRT&H….a CQN award for his efforts…..would be a fitting tribute ;-))
FTSFA
H.H.
Big Jimmy….is this it?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3br3GXcqM0s
FTSFA
H.H.