Top 5 Greatest Celtic Players of All-Time
The Greatest Footballers to Ever Play for Celtic!
Formed in 1887, Celtic Football Club has seen its fair share of talented footballers.
Many will argue the Hoops are the most successful Scottish side in history, which continues to attract special players each season.
Celtic legend Henrik Larsson
With such a rich history, it was extremely difficult to choose the best of the best, and many factors had to be weighed up, with goals and assists being matched up against one-club players.
In this article, The Sporting Blog takes a dive through history to choose the “Top 5 Greatest Celtic Players of All-Time”.
Paul McStay (1981 – 1997)
Paul McStay had Celtic colours running through his blood.
Joining the club at the age of 16 in 1981, the midfielder stayed loyal to Celtic until his retirement in 1997. In that time, McStay made almost 700 appearances and scored 72 goals.
Nicknamed ‘The Maestro” for his perfected performances in the middle of the park, McStay is easily one of the biggest legends to play for the green and white jersey.
He will remain in their history books for many years to come!
As well as being the second-highest appearances maker in Celtic’s history, McStay’s trophy cabinet is stacked to the rafters.
He boasts three Scottish Premier Division titles, four Scottish Cups, a Scottish League Cup and the Glasgow Cup.
The Scot also made a big name for himself with his national team, being capped 76 times for Scotland between 1983 and 1997, registering himself as the fifth-most capped Scot of all-time.
To summarise just how incredible a player McStay was, his inclusion in the 1984 Ballon d’Or list says it all.
With Michel Platini taking home the biggest individual honour in football, and players like Ian Rush and Graeme Souness involved, McStay was among the elite at this point in his career.
Jimmy Johnstone (1962 – 1975)
With 129 goals scored in 515 appearances, Jimmy Johnstone was voted as the club’s greatest-ever player by fans in 2002.
The attacker, known as “Jinky” for his elusive dribbling, played for Celtic for 13 years and was part of the “Lisbon Lions” – the Celtic side who won the European Cup in 1967.
Johnstone also won nine consecutive Scottish league titles, dominating the highest level of Scottish football from 1965 until 1974.
Like McStay, Johnstone was also involved in the Ballon d’Or battle, finishing third in 1967.
Only Florian Albert of Hungary and Manchester United’s Bobby Charlton finished above the Scot, with Franz Beckenbauer, Eusebio, Gerd Müller and George Best all close behind.
It’s safe to say that Johnstone was an extremely talented footballer.
After 13 years with his boyhood club, Johnstone moved on to San Jose Earthquakes, Sheffield United, Dundee, Shelbourne and Elgin City over the next four years.
However, he retired due to a loss of motivation to play for clubs other than Celtic.
The forward also made 23 appearances for Scotland, scoring four goals.
Henrik Larsson (1997 – 2004)
Despite spells at Feyenoord and Barcelona, Henrik Larsson is most well-known for his 315 appearances for the Hoops, where he scored 242 goals over seven years at the club.
The Swede would go on to win four top-flight honours, two Scottish Cups, two Scottish League Cups, and he also led his side to the Europa League final (what was then called the UEFA Cup), all while scoring 11 goals.
He was just one short of the top goalscorer, Derlei of FC Porto.
Not only was Larsson vital to Celtic trophies through the years, but the striker also won many individual awards.
This ranged from a handful of Scottish Premier League Golden Boot awards to the PFA Scotland Players Player of the Year, which he won twice.
This is in addition to a couple of Scottish Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year awards, a European Golden Boot and being inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.
While playing football, Larsson also earned his Honorary Doctor of the University from the University of Strathclyde, followed by an Honorary MBE. Was there anything the Swede couldn’t do?
The Super Swede. The Magnificent Seven. The King of Kings. Henrik Larsson of Celtic.
Billy McNeill (1957 – 1975)
A Celtic fan at heart, Billy McNeill played for just one club during his entire senior career, joining the Hoops at the age of 17.
18 years later, McNeill amassed a club-record 822 appearances, going on to score 35 goals and winning multiple trophies.
This included nine league titles, seven Scottish Cups, six League Cups and the European Cup in 1967 – alongside Jimmy Johnstone.
Recognised for his character and status as a leader, McNeill was hailed as the all-conquering ‘Cesar’, although many of his teammates would call him this due to his choice of car, which was inspired by Cesar Romero from the original Ocean’s Eleven movie.
The defender was ruthless!
Of all his 822 appearances, none were substitute appearances. It was clear that McNeill dominated on the pitch, rightfully named after the Roman Caesar.
The Scot won 29 caps for his country between 1961 and 1972, scoring three goals.
If McNeill was moving towards the attacking third, you definitely needed to keep an eye on him, as he was not a defender to be allowed freedom in the box.
There is absolutely no doubt that McNeill is a Celtic legend. It’s just a matter of whether he is the best to ever pull on a green and white jersey.
Jimmy McGrory (1922 – 1937)
It is difficult to see Jimmy McGrory’s goalscoring record at Celtic ever being broken, with 522 goals in 501 appearances to his name.
In addition to this, the Scot is also the all-time leading goalscorer in top-flight British football and was known as ‘The Human Torpedo’ due to his ability in the air.
As well as his prowess in front of goal, McGrory was a Celtic fan.
In 1927, the club accepted a then-world football transfer record of £10,000 from Arsenal but, much to the hierarchy’s disappointment, the striker turned down the offer and decided to stay with the Hoops.
McGrory would be made to take a pay cut but this would never bother him, saying,
“Well, it was worth it just to pull on those Green and White Hoops.”
McGrory embodied everything about Celtic that he loved as a fan. And he was, and still is, one of the most important parts of a long and successful history at the club.
In his 15 years, McGrory led Celtic to three Scottish League Division One titles, five Scottish Cups and four Glasgow Cups.
The striker was also inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame & Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Despite his threat in front of goal, McGrory was only capped seven times for his country, scoring six times.
The Celtic forward was often overlooked for international duty, and after a loss to Ireland at Celtic Park in the 1930s, would never play for Scotland again.
Find more top picks on our football blog!
