Nobody was quite like Celtic's greatest-ever player Jimmy Johnstone

March 13 is always a sad day in the Celtic calendar. It's the date that, in 2006, the football world lost a legend and the Hoops lost a bit of their heart and soul.

James Connolly Johnstone. The Celtic supporters know him better as Jinky.

The wee man, the Lord of the Wing, was no more. Struck down by the wretched illness Motor Neurone Disease. 

Although small in stature, Johnstone became a football giant on the pitch.

“I was always an entertainer," he said once. "The pitch was my stage, the whistle meant it was showtime.”

Boy did he entertain. Every time he took to the field there was a genius at work. For those who were privileged to see him, lucky you. For those that didn't, there is not enough cine tape or footage that does him justice.

The fulcrum of Jock Stein's Lisbon Lions side that bestrode Europe and conquered the glittering prize in 1967 playing "pure, beautiful, inventive football", Jinky like many of his Celtic team-mates had the gallus swagger.

His was a talent that was bestowed upon by the footballing gods; ours was not to reason why.

READ MORE: 'Nobody can grasp it' - Why learning from Jock Stein was bigger than just football

People just marvelled at his skill, technique and his elusive dribbling exploits but - above all else - his bravery. His legs and shins were battered black and blue by opponents - none more so than Atletico Madrid in the European Cup semi-final of 1974.

The dark arts of European football have never been so proudly displayed as by the cynical Spaniards that night but still Jinky came back for more. He always did.

Just ask Rangers legend John Greig, who vied with him for years. Just ask Tarcisso Burgnich, Johnstone’s supposed man-marker in Lisbon who was led a merry dance for the entire match by the wee man from Viewpark.

Just ask former Leeds United defender Terry Cooper. The phrase 'twisted blood' was coined for him after Johnstone had given him a torrid time as Stein's Celtic swept the pride of England aside in the 1970 European Cup semi-final.

And, of course, when Celtic played the great Real Madrid side in 1967 in Alfredo Di Stefano's testimonial it was Jinky who piled on the agony by putting on the style.

As the wonderful Celtic Wiki page states: "Jimmy Johnstone rose to the occasion and gave (arguably) his greatest ever performance for Celtic. He tormented the Spaniards to the point that the Real fans began to chant ‘ole’ each time the wee man beat another defender. Celtic won 1-0 and were now Europe’s greatest side without any doubt.

"Upon the final whistle, Johnstone picked the ball up and held it aloft with one hand. The stadium rose as one to acclaim the performance of the 'wee man'. It is often claimed by Johnstone's team-mates that Real Madrid tried to sign him after that performance, although nothing was admitted officially by Real Madrid or Celtic."

That same year he came third in the European footballer of the year award behind Florian Albert and Bobby Charlton. It was a notable achievement. However, it was felt that he should have earned greater recognition given his achievements that season.

He was denied that ultimate individual accolade although later in life he was immortalised in a range of diamond-studded Fabergé eggs created by descendants of the court jewellers to Russian Tsars. In so doing, he joined the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Lord Nelson in the select group of people who have inspired the creation of one of those most glittering and precious objects.

Johnstone scored 129 goals for Celtic in 515 appearances. He won nine League championships, four Scottish Cups, five Scottish League Cups and the European Cup. He also won a paltry 23 caps for Scotland - now that was a travesty.

Hollywood legend Robert Duvall described him as the greatest Scottish character he had ever met when he filmed A Shot At Glory in Scotland, even naming his dog Jinky in his honour.

The greatest sports writer bar none, Hugh McIlvanney, was glowing in his praise of him. He once said: “It was his capacity to express effervescent, outrageous almost surreal mischief through his play – and to make all of his darting runs and surges of convoluted trickery a deadly weapon for his team – that rendered him unforgettable. That and the ability not only to thrill but, with his antics on the field, to evoke smiles and sometimes laughter.”

McIlvanney added: "No other player besieged opponents with such a complex, concentrated swirl of deceptive manoeuvres or even conveyed a more exhilarating sense of joy in working wonders with the ball."

Jinky was up there with the best. His Celtic star shone brighter than most.

Yet of all the cups and medals that Johnstone won, nothing meant more to him than being crowned Celtic's greatest-ever player in 2002. Hoops stars past and present gathered to see Jinky, who dedicated his award to his former team-mate and fellow Lisbon Lion the late Bobby Murdoch.

Johnstone's statue stands proudly at the glass doors entrance to Paradise, that familiar jinking, weaving pose of a shoulder dropped with the ball at his feet. His legacy and legend live on.

I was one of those who were fortunate to be there on that night in 2002. There was not a dry eye in the house when Johnstone took the mic and said simply: "This is a great honour for me and I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart."

No, Jinky. We thank you.

This piece is an extract from the latest Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.

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