Legendary Soccer Winger Jimmy Johnstone (1944-2006) Dies After Battle With Motor Neurone Disease

On March 13th 2006 Celtic and Scotland fans mourned the passing of legendary soccer winger Jimmy Johnstone. Voted the greatest ever Celt by fans in September 2002 he will be sorely missed by the Parkhead faithful after a four-year battle with Motor Neurone Disease.

Johnstone- known affectionately as 'Jinky'- made 515 appearances for the Hoops, scoring an impressive 130 goals. He was the star player of the Celtic team which defeated Inter Milan in 1967 in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon to become the first British side to win the European Cup. He was only capped 23 times for Scotland, a tragically low figure for a player of his stature, which was caused by of his fear of flying combined with his fondness for a drink; a matter which was not treated favourably by the Scottish management.

In 1959 Johnstone snubbed Manchester United to fulfil his dream of signing for his boyhood idols Celtic and made his debut in 1963 in a 6-0 defeat to Kilmarnock. This was not the sign of things to come as Johnstone's ability on the ball helped Celtic win 9 league titles, 4 Scottish Cups and 5 league cups and was paramount to Celtic's greatest ever triumph in Lisbon in 1967. He left Celtic in 1975 and supporters of San Jose Earthquakes, Sheffield United, Dundee, Shelbourne and Elgin City were fortunate enough to see the pint-sized star play.

Standing only 5 foot 4 inches tall on his tiptoes and weighing under 10 stone, 'Jinky' was a far cry from the athletes who ply their trade in professional football nowadays. Yet for what the fiery redhead lacked in height and weight he more than made up for in skill and bravery. In the 1970 European Cup semi-final against Leeds at Elland Road he famously ran rings around legendary hardman Terry Cooper. However his sublime skill at skipping past defenders meant the number 7 was the victim of some horrendous tackling- the worst of which perhaps against Athletico Madrid in another European Cup semi-final where poor 'Jinky' was kicked all over the park.

Although 'Jinky' tortured and bamboozled defenders on the pitch, it was the demon drink that tortured him and he constantly battled to control his drinking long after he had hung up his boots. He played football at a time when going out to celebrate a victory with a heavy night of drinking was the norm. At the peak of his Celtic career he was drinking in the region of eight pints of beer and a bottle of vodka after a match. His alcohol intake was so out of control that the Celtic manager Jock Stein would have spies in the Glasgow pubs looking out for a thirsty 'Jinky'. However Johnstone maintained he only ever drank three times before a match.

One of the most memorable stories emanating from Jimmy's drink fuelled nights out was when he tried to sail away in a rowing boat off the coast of Largs and had to be rescued by the unimpressed coast guard. This occurred on the eve of an important World Cup qualifier in 1974 and led to heavy criticism from the Scottish media. Yet Johnstone proved his soccer skills were far superior to his sailing as he steered Scotland to a 2-0 victory over England that Saturday and the wee man celebrated by giving a one-fingered salute to the press box.

Yet despite the hero-worshipping that the Scotsman enjoyed from Celtic and football fans alike Jimmy was a humble, working class man. He always made time to speak to and sign autographs for fans and one would be hard pushed to find a bad word said against the wizard of the wing. Jimmy's life was sadly ended by Motor Neurone Disease, yet it is a testament to him that he fought the illness with the same bravery that he exhibited on the pitch during his glorious playing days. He raised lots of money and awareness to support stem cell research to help fight the condition after being diagnosed.

In the recent CIS Insurance League Cup final- played just days after Johnstone's death- there was a minute of applause before the match commenced and the Celtic players wore the winger's number 7 on their shorts as a mark of remembrance. His funeral procession was witnessed by thousands of mourning fans desperate to pay tribute to wee 'Jinky'. Despite the sadness felt by football fans worldwide on March 13th upon the news of his death, Jimmy Johnstone will be remembered as undoubtedly one of the finest and most entertaining British footballers of the 20th Century.

Daniel Law.