Jimmy Johnstone

Jimmy Johnstone played wide right as if full backs were obstacles placed there for his private entertainment. Tiny, fearless and almost impossible to read, he had that rare winger’s magic where balance, close control and mischief all seemed to happen in the same touch. At Celtic, he became one of the Lisbon Lions’ great symbols, helping Jock Stein’s side win the 1967 European Cup with football that mixed Scottish intensity and technical courage. He was not simply fast, and he was never just a crosser. He teased defenders, slowed them down, changed rhythm, slipped away and made the flank feel like a theatre with one very nervous opponent on stage. His personality could be chaotic, his consistency not always saintly, but the talent was outrageous. Johnstone was pure wing genius, street football in European Cup clothing.