FANS’ LOVE GOT MURDO BACK ON HIS FEET AGAIN

EVERYONE who watched the moment on television remembers it well.

Henrik Larsson, the King of Kings for the Celtic support, walks past Sir Rod Stewart in the directors’ box at Celtic Park to warmly embrace his old friend Murdo MacLeod before the league game with Rangers on May 11.

What no one knows is the pain Murdo had to go through just to climb the stairs for that emotional reunion.

He helped coach the Swede alongside Wim Jansen in the season when Celtic stopped Rangers from winning 10-in-a-row in 1998.

The last year of Murdo’s life has been a story so astonishing it would be called far- fetched unless you knew the truth. Now he is revealing what he has been through in a book to be published on October 3.

The famously private Larsson has contributed words of tribute for his friend to adorn the cover of t he bi o g raphy “Murdo, Murdo” – the chant chorused by Celtic fans.

And last night Henrik underlined the contribution Murdo made to that unforgettable last day of the season when goals from Larsson and Harald Brattbakk beat St Johnstone and secured the title from rivals Rangers.

“Murdo was vital for us because he was the link between Wim and the players,” Henrik said. “He knew what it was like to play for Celtic and what that title win meant to the fans.”

In April 2023, Murdo was released from hospital after 103 days spent fighting for his life.

Since then, the transformation has been such that the man who won four league titles, two Scottish Cups and one League Cup with the Hoops has visited Australia and the United States at the request of overseas fans.

“Meeting the Celtic supporters gives me the lift I need to carry on with my personal fight to get better,” he says.

“If you asked me a year ago if I would go globe-trotting, I know what my answer would have been. I couldn’t walk to the end of my street then.

“And I wouldn’t miss my trips to Celtic Park because it’s the supporters who get me through everything with their time and their affection.”

Murdo will be back at Celtic Park today for the club’s charity foundation friendly against Borussia Dortmund, the club he joined after leaving Celtic.

It will be like his life flashing before his eyes, although what has happened since has arguably been more dramatic.

The medical complications that set in after a second, life- saving heart operation in 2022 were severe.

The consequence of having been on a ventilator for eight weeks to keep him alive meant Murdo lost all 10 toes and had to learn to walk all over again.

“My survival came at a price,” he says. “I take pills every day to help me cope with the discomfort.

“But my reason for doing the book now is not to gain sympathy. I refuse to be defined by illness.

“A year ago the hospital sent me home with a zimmer and a wheelchair to assist me. This afternoon I’ll walk up every step from the board room to the directors’ box on my own two feet.

“I’ve been lucky in life to have been part of special chapters in Celtic’s history. Now I’ll go through a few chapters of my own story.”