It was more sad news for Scottish football as the passing of Celtic legend, Bertie Auld, was announced by the club. It’s always a sad time to say goodbye to one of the greats of the game and it is safe to say that there are many reasons why we’ll all miss him.

Fans were aware that Auld hadn’t been well and was suffering from dementia, that was public knowledge. Yet the news of his passing came as a shock to everyone really, as it all seemed to happen so quickly.

Naturally tributes poured out from all over the world and due respect was paid from all quarters. At times like this, club allegiances are forgotten, and a very appropriate tribute was paid by Rangers earlier today.

They tweeted out:

The Celtic legend passed away at the age of 83

Auld’s career as a player and manager is well documented. Of course, he was particularly remembered for being a Lisbon Lion. In fact, if you read back on any of the articles about that stunning European Cup final win, you’ll see that he and Bobby Murdoch were credited with outplaying the classy Inter Milan midfield on the day.

Similarly, those two players got the best of the great Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles when the Hoops beat Leeds United in both European Cup semi finals back in 1970 to reach the final once more.

Auld was a great player and those two examples on the European stage show what he was capable of. Jim Spence in his tweet, summed up perfectly what Auld and the Lisbon Lions achieved:

Beyond the player was the character. The man who told all the stories about Celtic, his love for the club and the fans. We’ll definitely miss his unmistakable enthusiasm for everything about the club.

While always a sad thing, this does give us a chance to remember his brilliant achievements. His story of the final is played out many times, the singing in the tunnel that shook the Italian opposition, his fist pump at the Hampden Cup final and many, many more.

But so many more of the messages highlight the gentleman behind the player, the legend who had time for a word with everyone and supported great causes. Auld was much more than just a former player around the club and the fans.

We’ll all miss him for many reasons. What a man, may he rest in peace.

This article was originally posted here