Billy McNeill Wiki, Bio, Age, Wife, Kids, Cause of Death, Illness, Religion, Parents, Family, Net Worth, Obituary, Funeral, Nationality, Height and Images
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Billy McNeill Biography – Billy McNeill Wiki
Billy McNeill Cesar born William McNeill, was a Scottish football player and manager.
He appeared 790 times for Celtic, winning nine league titles, seven Scottish cups and six league cups. McNeill also had a successful managerial career during two spells as Celtic boss. He managed Manchester City, Aston Villa and Aberdeen as well, where he was replaced by Alex Ferguson in 1978.
McNeill, awarded the MBE in 1974, is in the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame and the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.
He was voted Celtic’s greatest captain in a 2002 fans’ poll and the following year stood as a candidate for the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party in the Scottish Parliament election.
McNeill was given a Celtic ambassador role in 2009 and a statue of him lifting the European Cup was erected at Celtic Park in 2015. In May 2017, McNeill was able to attend an event at Glasgow City Chambers, to mark the 50th anniversary of Celtic’s triumph over Inter Milan in Lisbon.
Billy McNeill Age
He was born on 2 March 1940 in Bellshill, Scotland. He died on 22 April 2019 in Newton Mearns, Scotland aged 79.
Billy McNeill Wife
Billy McNeill’s wife was Liz Callaghan. McNeill married Liz, then a dancer on the TV variety show The White Heather Club in 1963.
Billy McNeill Children
McNeill and his wife Liz Callaghan had five children, Susan, Carol, Libby, Paula and Martyn, and eight grandchildren.
Billy McNeill Height
He stood at a height of 6 feet 1 1⁄2 inches (1.87 m) tall.
Billy McNeill Death
He died on 22 April 2019 in Newton Mearns, Scotland. He was 79 years old. His death was announced by Celtic Football Club in a statement on its website.
“The Celtic Family is mourning the death of Billy McNeill, the club’s greatest ever captain and one of the finest men to have played and managed the Hoops.”
“Billy McNeill was a Celtic player, manager and ambassador. First and foremost, however, he was always a Celtic supporter and his love for the club was evident throughout his life.
“He was a one-club man as a player and, for Billy, that club had to be Celtic. He spent 18 years at the club, joining in 1957 and bowing out in 1975. He made his first-team debut on August 23, 1958 in a 2-0 home win over Clyde in the League Cup, while his final appearance came on May 3, 1975 when he captained Celtic to a 2-1 victory over Airdrie in the Scottish Cup final.”
Rest in peace, Cesar. You’ll Never Walk Alone. pic.twitter.com/FLCdURfuox
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) April 23, 2019
Current Celtic manager Neil Lennon said : “When you think of Celtic and our incredible history, Billy McNeill is always one of the first names that comes to mind. He was our greatest ever captain and one of our greatest ever players, and along with his team-mates, achieved historic things for Celtic in the 1960s and ’70s.”
Former Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, who went up against McNeill as a player and a coach, said:
“He was a giant, a man with an incredible presence and I’ll always cherish the fact that we entered professional football at the same time,” said the former Manchester United manager.
“We played against each other on many occasions and, as anyone who played against him will testify, he was the fairest of players. He was also a truly good man and will be a loss to everyone who knew him. Farewell Cesar.”
Billy McNeill Cause of Death
Billy McNeill’s cause of death was dementia. He
Billy McNeill Illness
McNeill had been suffering from dementia since 2010. His family revealed he had dementia in 2017.
Billy McNeill Religion
McNeill was brought up a Catholic, but throughout his life had contempt for the sectarianism often found in the west of Scotland.
Billy McNeill Statue
A statue of McNeill lifting the European Cup was erected at Celtic Park in 2015.
Billy McNeill Nickname
Early in his Celtic career, McNeill, the only one of his group who owned a car, acquired the nickname “Cesar”, in deference to Cesar Romero, the getaway driver in Ocean’s 11.
Billy McNeill European Cup
Billy McNeill was the first Briton to lift the European Cup when Celtic won the competition with a team of homegrown players in 1967. McNeill captained the Celtic team that defeated Inter Milan 2-1 in Lisbon in 1967, the first and only time a Scottish team has won European football’s most coveted club prize.
