First to take their place in the front line for the Premier XI? OAL SCORER
their greatest strikers in the modern era. 1977)
Celtic (1968 to
One (1977).
SCOTLAND’S greatest ever footballer. King Kenny only played for Celtic for two seasons in the Premier Division before leaving for Liverpool in a British record £440,000 fee in 1977.
But he certainly did enough in that time to merit his inclusion in the shortlist for the starting spot in the Greatest Premier XI in that time.
The 1975/76 season was a difficult one for the Parkhead club as Jock Stein was recovering from a car crash which almost killed him. But Dalglish was made club captain and carried a struggling team on his shoulders almost single-handedly. He was the leading scorer in the country that term with 32 goals.
The following campaign was altogether more successful.
With Stein fully recovered and back in the dugout, Celtic won the Premier Division and Scottish Cup double. He was on target 29 times despite being deployed as both a midfield playmaker and a striker.
With the creativity already in this side, Sir Kenny was considered up front. That was where he played for Liverpool in the three European Cup triumphs he was involved in. It took a rather special individual to keep him out.
Celtic (1997 to 2004)
Four (1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004).
THE King of
Kings. Not even Rangers fans would dispute that former Celtic striker Henrik Larsson deserves his place up front in stage. He is Celtic’s all-time leading marksman in Europe with 34 goals to his name. He scored on no fewer than 15 occasions in Old Firm games against Rangers.
The 2003 UEFA Cup final in Seville ended in defeat to Porto. But he showed his class that night. He beat Vitor Baia with two sublime second-half headers to force the match into extra-time. He would make up for the disappointment by winning the Champions League with Barcelona three years later.
Larsson was one of just four non-Lisbon Lions - the others were Kenny Dalglish, Danny McGrain and Paul McStay - and the only foreign player to be voted into the Greatest Celtic Team by supporters in 2002. Henrik Larsson was certainly the first name down on our team sheet.