“Coming out the tunnel was very emotional,” Brendan Rodgers at the Estádio Nacional | OneFootball

For every Celtic fan, no matter how long you’ve followed the club, a trip to Lisbon isn’t complete without a stop at the Estádio Nacional – the iconic ground where the Lisbon Lions made history on May 25th, 1967…

Stevie Chalmers scores the winning goal for Celtic in the 1967 European Cup Final. Celtic 2 Inter Milan 1. Lisbon 25 May 1967.

That evening, in the heat of Lisbon, remains the club’s defining moment by eleven local Bhoys, each from within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park.

It was that same patch of grass, that same proud colonnaded stadium nestled amongst the trees, where yesterday the current Celtic squad stood and seemed both humbled and inspired. This wasn’t just another training ground walk-through or pre-season media day. This was a pilgrimage.

Led by Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic players and staff took in the full scope of the Estádio Nacional, pausing at each significant spot with a reverence. The tunnel, the steps, the pitch, and of course, the very podium where Billy McNeill, raised the European Cup to the sky – it was all there, seemingly unchanged.

Billy McNeill (Celtic) holds the European Cup in Lisbon on 25 May 1967. Photo imago/Kicker/Metelmann

Speaking to Celtic TV amid the Lisbon sunshine, Brendan Rodgers captured the emotion of the moment.

“There’s very few times would I be lost for words,” Brendan admitted. “But today is really about a feeling. When you grow up as a Celtic supporter, you know all the stories – Bertie singing in the tunnel, the supporters that came here. But just to actually walk the journey… coming out the tunnel was very emotional.”

And you could hear it in his voice. This wasn’t just a manager ticking off a pre-season photo op – he was immersed in the spirit of it all.

“To be stood here as the Celtic manager, and my first time here, it’s really special and really emotional,” he added. “Your DNA as a football club comes from your greatest moments – and this is our greatest moment.”

For those of us who grew up with the stories, it’s actually quite moving to see that same reverence passed down to a new generation of players. This isn’t history confined to the past, instead it’s being carried forward.

Callum McGregor, the current Celtic captain, knows exactly what that means. Standing exactly where Cesar stood, he shared his thoughts with honest emotion.

“We’re so lucky to be here and represent this club and to be at a stadium which is so iconic in our history,” Callum said. “To stand where Billy stood just brings into focus how amazing an achievement it was.”

As Callum looked out at the pitch, it wasn’t hard to imagine that famous sea of green and white that roared Celtic to glory all those years ago.

Celtic captain Billy McNeill holds aloft the European Cup after Celtic’s 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in the 1967 European Cup Final in Lisbon. Photo Imago.

“You try and get a sense of what he would have felt like, looking out and seeing a sea of green and white,” he continued. “You’re representing something that is so big and so important to millions of people around the world.”

And he’s right. For those 90 minutes in ’67, Celtic didn’t just win a football match. They became the first British side to lift the European Cup – and they did it the Celtic way. No defensive tactics, no cynicism. Just pure, beautiful, inventive football, played by a team who believed in each other and backed by a support who believed in them.

“It just whets the appetite for more,” Callum added, and you could see as he said it, that this wasn’t a throwaway remark.

As the players took their time soaking it all in – the sheer privilege of being there – you were reminded that this club is different.

Many Celtic fans have made the pilgrimage to that stadium just outside Lisbon. Now the current Celtic team has done the same – and you can be sure they’ve come away with more than memories. They’ve inherited an inspiration.

Niall J

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