Bertie Auld hailed as one of Celtic's 'greatest ambassadors' at final farewell



The funeral cortege passes Celtic Park.

As thousands of people gathered to say a final farewell to Bertie Auld, he was described as one of the greatest ambassadors that Celtic Football Club could ever have wished for.

The meeting that led to the establishment of the club was held in the hall of St Mary's in Calton, which is in the east end of Glasgow.

Neil Lennon and Brendan Rodgers were two of the people who joined Auld's family.

The players who played before were John Clark, George , Frank McAvennie, Joe Miller, and Tom Boyd.

The first-team squad and manager were present to pay their respects to Auld, who died at the age of 83.

Celtic fans paid respect to Lisbon Lion Auld.

Jim Craig, Auld's teammate in Lisbon, recounted the story of how Auld launched into song in the tunnel beside a bewildered Inter Milan team ahead of Celtic's European Cup final triumph in 1967.

Craig said of their opponents: "I have to admit they looked great." They were tanned and oiled, their boots were gleaming, and they just looked the part.

"We were to use a Scottish expression, peely-wally by comparison, our three days in the Portuguese sun giving us red blotches on our cheeks and that was about it."

Neil Lennon is going to the funeral service.

It was a European Cup final, our biggest match of the season, and I think everyone was a bit nervous.

I have always believed that Bertie heard this and immediately started singing the Celtic Song. We all joined in after a minute or two and it helped us deal with the big occasion.

The Inter guys were not impressed. I always thought their reaction was: 'What the blazes is this we are playing?' They would soon know.

Craig fought back tears as he said that Aupair Auld was a great man and a very nice man. He should rest in peace.

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Auld was a club legend.

Lord Willie Haughey was the former Celtic director and he described Auld's friendship with his team-mates.

"We became very close during Jimmy's illness," said Lord Haughey.

During this time, I realized what a great friendship was. He loved Jinky so much that his love was unbelievable. In the last 18 months of the wee man's life, Bertie visited him every single day. They had a great bond.

"I can say without fear of contradiction that the wee man was with us for at least an extra year because of the charisma, charm, and humor of Bertie Auld."

When Tommy Gemmell went into a nursing home, Bertie went to see him every day. He had a big laugh at the very end.

Bertie loved being a Lisbon Lion because he believed it kept him connected to the club forever. He was correct about that.

The two greatest ambassadors that Celtic Football Club could ever have wished for are Tommy Burns and Bertie Auld.

Since Tommy's passing, Bertie has carried the baton himself. He has worked hard to improve the reputation of the club. He traveled to many Celtic supporter events. He traveled across the UK and Ireland. He never let anyone down.

Ian said there was no "filter" between his public persona and how he was with his family.

He said that his son brought up an interview that his uncle had done about his grandad.

He tells you the story of when he signed for Celtic and my Daddy Joe told him that if he entertained the fans they would love him forever. You entertained us all.

Thousands of people gathered outside Celtic Park to sing the Celtic Song as Auld's coffin was driven past. A chorus of You'll Never Walk Alone rang out as the family got back in their cars after thanking well-wishers and viewing tributes.