Bertie Auld has led the tributes to Lisbon Lion Tommy Gemmell whose death was announced this morning.
Auld and Gemmell were soul mates in the Celtic side that created history with Jock Stein playing on the fiery character of both players to deliver unparalleled success.
Gemmell is best remembered for his equaliser in Lisbon against Inter Milan but three years later he scored against Feyenoord in the 1970 final as well. Not many full-backs have two European Cup Final goals to their name.
Stein’s influence over the Lions is unquestionable, his return to Celtic Park resulted in Gemmell becoming the first of the modern day full-backs with an expectation on his shoulders to attack at every opportunity.
LISTEN: Bertie Auld pays tribute to Tommy Gemmell. “We are one. We are a family. Just like the Celtic support, we were a family” pic.twitter.com/Yf2ViZZd5y
— Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) March 2, 2017
After Celtic the defender went on to play alongside Martin O’Neill and John Robertson at Nottingham Forrest before returning to Scotland with Dundee. In 1973 he captained them to a League Cup win over Celtic, the last major honour in the club’s history.
Auld can still be found around Celtic on a weekly basis and expressed the sadness of all supporters when he heard the news this morning.
“The world is missing one of its greatest characters,” he told The Sun. “Tommy was a pal, first and foremost. He was always there when you needed him.
“As a footballer, I rated him the best left-back in the world. As a human being, he was up there, too.
“It was Tommy who revolutionised his defensive position in the team. Before the Big Man, the player in that position rarely crossed the halfway line.
“Tommy came in and changed all that. Jock Stein never had to encourage him to go forward, Tommy simply took it upon himself.
“He was the complete athlete. Tommy would pound up and down the flank all day, hardly stopping for a breather.
“He always took it as a compliment that rival teams used to put their winger out to mark him. Until Tommy came on the scene, it was the other way around but that was typical of my big mate, he was a one-off, the real deal.
“Tommy was unique. Remember, he scored in two European Cup Finals and the World Club Championship Final. No other British player can claim that distinction.
“Tommy Gemmell will be irreplaceable in my life and that of so many others. My thoughts are with his wife Mary and the family. The world has just lost one of its favourite sons.”
