Mourning fans gathered in their hundreds at Celtic Park to pay their respects to legendary player Bertie Auld.
A crowd assembled in Parkhead awaiting the arrival of the funeral cortege from St Mary's in Calton.
Tammin Colum, 19, from the Gorbals, met Bertie at a St Roch’s game when she was 16.
She said: “He was such a gentleman and had time for everyone. He’s everyone’s football grandad – that’s how I see him. Later on my friend and I will have a whiskey to toast Bertie.”
Rose Connington, 60, and Craig Derwin, 39, came from Castlemilk to say goodbye to Bertie.
Rose said: “I used to work in the kitchen in Celtic Park and Bertie was there every time there was a game on. He would often come down to chat to everyone, he had time for everyone. He was a lovely man.”
Nicola Brown, 50, from Springboig added: “Every time I came to Celtic Park he was here. He was one of the best.”
55-year-old Tony Jaconelli from Parkhead said: “What else can you say? He was a legend.”
Many fans had multiple meetings with Bertie, as he regularly attended games and was in the heart of the atmosphere of matchdays. shaking the hand of anyone and everyone he met. Fiona Simpson, 58, from Glasgow, wishes she could have met him.
She said: “I think he was an excellent and funny man. Sadly, I never got the chance to meet him but my dad was a huge Celtic supporter and always spoke so highly of him.”
56-year-old Andy Barr from Linwood recalled a funny story of just one of his many encounters with Bertie.
He said: “Bertie was here at Celtic Park talking to everyone. He was wearing a Celtic jacket, not his Lions blazer, and this wee boy came up to him and asked, ‘Do you work here, Mr?’ and Bertie replied, ‘I used to’.”
The crowd grew larger as the service drew near, and fans huddled in the cold to watch the livestream that lasted just over two hours.
When the cortege entered the church, a silence fell on the Celtic Way – except from some of the crowd singing entrance hymn ‘I Watch the Sunshine’ – as began the official farewell to a club hero.
The atmosphere was both sad and humorous, with laughter echoing through St Mary’s as Bertie’s nephew Ian Cairns and friend Lord Willie Haughey shared endearing stories.
Fellow Lisbon Lion Jim Craig delivered an emotional tribute to a man that he did not just kick a ball with, but who was his true friend.
Bertie made one last appearance at Parkhead as the cortege travelled down the Celtic Way, with fans applauding and tossing their scarves in its path.
Much like Bertie did himself in the tunnel at Estadio Nacional in 1967, the crowd erupted into renditions of the ‘The Celtic Song’, a song that epitomises Bertie Auld, who lived his entire life believing that Celtic is a grand old team to play for.
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