He’s so humble.. the family have to do all the talking about his career
Zack Simpson, 19, is the grandson of Celtic winger and Lisbon Lion Bobby Lennox, 73. I love my grandad. His achievements are incredible. He’s always been quite a shy man and he doesn’t talk about them as much as he should.
He’s still as much in love with Celtic as he was when he was a player. He goes to all the home matches and is very proud of what the club have achieved in the years since.
I wish I was around to see him in his glory days. My mum Gillian wasn’t even born when my grandad lifted the European Cup in 1967. My gran Catherine and grandad didn’t get married until the following year.
Being a Lisbon Lion means everything to him but he is always very humble about his achievements and it’s the rest of the family who do all the talking about his career and that incredible win.
Now that it’s the 50th anniversary, the match is all over social media and I can’t stop watching it. I sit there thinking, ‘Wow, that’s my grandfather there on that pitch’. What a player he was. It’s fantastic to think he helped Celtic make history and that one game is still being talked about 50 years later. He’s so proud to be a Lisbon Lion and I am so proud to be his grandson.
I play football for Stranraer but at the minute I’m on loan to Troon FC. I’m a centre half and my grandad was a winger so we play a very different game but I like to think I’ve inherited some of my skills from him and my other grandad Billy Simpson, who played for Rangers and Northern Ireland.
You would think that with two football legends as grandparents I would be a better player than I am. I think I’m a mixture of the pair of them but I will never be as good.
They were delighted I had a passion for the game and weren’t surprised I started kicking a ball as soon as I could walk.
Sadly my other grandad passed away earlier this year and it’s just Bobby who is left now but he’s my best critic and has always given me good advice. He comes down and watches me when he can.
My sister Nicole and I have always been close to our grandad and we all see each other a couple of times a week. He will always be our grandad first and one of the best footballers in the world second.
We are so excited about being able to celebrate the 50th anniversary with him. What a man and what a legacy he has left.