● Celtic fan John Smith is on his way to Lisbon to be there on the special day. Here’s part one of his account of the trip
Alright , so I’m not travelling in a motorcade, or hitching a lift with hardly a penny in my pocket. I still feel there is something of the spirit of ’67 in how I’m making my way over to Lisbon to place myself at the Estadio Nacional on 25 May, though.
The journey to get myself to the scene of Celtic’s greatest triumph 50 years on is going to take me the best part of 14 hours from Glasgow and will involve two flights and a stop-over in London.
I’d love to say this was because I made a conscious effort to recreate the itinerary of so many supporters who watched Celtic lift the European Cup first hand, but the truth is my boy Francesco lives in London and we are hooking up to travel to Lisbon together.
I have never been to the city, and for Celtic supporters the national stadium within it has become a place of pilgramge that must be visited at least once in your life.
I’m grateful to my wife Chiara that, for my birthday last month, she decided now, when it is most perfect , was the time for me to tick one more thing off my bucket list. As I am going with my son – the trip a gift for his impending 21st birthday – I also feel that there is a rite of passage aspect to the experience.
There are so many elements of Celtic’s European Cup win that seem mythical, but I always feel that part of what gives the triumph its special feel is the setting. The whole Greek ampitheatre look of the stadium just makes it appear so other-worldly and I am looking forward to seeing if the reality of the place after all these years matches up to the iconic photographs and footage I’ve watched of the glorious overwhelming of Inter.
I have been looking online for the celebrations that are taking place among the many supporters who are going over just to be there at this time, and I’m sure there will be many stories to tell from the celebrations of the next couple of days.
I know there are guys driving over in a Hillman Imp in honour of the motorcade and others cycling over for charity.
I have to say it feels good to come over here now, having last Sunday watched the present-day side creating their own slice of history with the unbeaten league campaign. And I had to rejig travel arrangements to make sure Franceso and I are back in Glasgow for a Scottish Cup final that could provide a treble without a domestic loss.
Football and family have always been entwined for me. My late mum brought me up with a love of Celtic and how she would have wanted to be in Lisbon in 1967.
The problem was she was then six months pregnant with my little brother.