 McNeill as Celtic manager in 1982 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William McNeill[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 March 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Mossend, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 22 April 2019 (aged 79) | ||
| Place of death | Newton Mearns, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1957 | Blantyre Victoria | ||
| 1957–1975 | Celtic | 486 | (22) |
| International career | |||
| 1960–1962[2] | Scotland U23 | 5 | (0) |
| 1961[3] | SFA trial v SFL | 1 | (0) |
| 1961–1967 | Scottish League XI | 9 | (0) |
| 1961–1972 | Scotland | 29 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1977 | Clyde | ||
| 1977–1978 | Aberdeen | ||
| 1978–1983 | Celtic | ||
| 1983–1986 | Manchester City | ||
| 1986–1987 | Aston Villa | ||
| 1987–1991 | Celtic | ||
| 1998 | Hibernian (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William McNeill MBE (2 March 1940 – 22 April 2019) was a Scottish football player and manager. He had a long association with Celtic, spanning more than sixty years as a player, manager and club ambassador. McNeill captained Celtic's 'Lisbon Lions' to their European Cup victory in 1967 and later spent two spells as the club's manager. As a player and manager, he won 31 major trophies with Celtic.
A defender, McNeill played for Celtic for his entire senior career, and holds the club record for most appearances, a total of 822 games over 18 seasons. He was captain during their most successful era in the 1960s and 70s. The club won nine consecutive Scottish league championships and thirteen other major domestic trophies in this time, and in 1967 became the first British club to win the European Cup. He also played 29 times for Scotland.
McNeill managed Celtic for nine seasons, from 1978 to 1983 and 1987 to 1991, winning four Scottish league championships. This included a league and cup double in 1987–88, the club's centenary season. He also managed Clyde, Aberdeen, Manchester City and Aston Villa. In 2015, Celtic installed a statue outside Celtic Park of McNeill holding aloft the European Cup, an iconic image in their history.
- ^ Billy McNeill, londonhearts.com
- ^ Scotland U23 player McNeill, Billy, FitbaStats
- ^ Ronnie McDevitt (2016). Scotland in the 60s: The Definitive Account of the Scottish National Football Side During the 1960s. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781785312458.[permanent dead link]