Mangers gives Celtic fans the chance to play as their Lisbon Lions heroes in 50th anniversary replay of European Cup final
Magners marked the 50th anniversary of Celtic FC’s historic European Cup triumph by giving fans who share the same surname as the Lisbon Lion team the chance to walk in the footsteps of their heroes by playing in the fixture for themselves.
The winners of the competition played against an Inter Milan team at Celtic Park
As one of the club’s shirt sponsors the Irish cider brand decided to mark the 1967 European Cup final win over Inter Milan in Lisbon with the Pride of Paradise game yesterday (23 May), coinciding with the launch of the special edition new home kit.
Fans sharing the same surname as the Lisbon Lions players – Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeill, Clark, Johnstone, Wallace, Chalmers, Auld, Lennox and Fallon – were invited to apply for a place in the team, before a final 11 were selected to play at Celtic’s stadium in Glasgow.
The winners faced off against an Inter Milan team consisting of members from the UK’s sports media, coming away with a 7-6 win. Prior to the kick off the team received met Lisbon Lion, Jim Craig, who shared the same pre-match talk that he and his teammates received from the then manager Jock Stein.
Paul Condron, marketing director at Magners, said: “Magners wanted to mark this monumental anniversary in a special way. Over the last 50 years, Celtic supporters have dreamt of being part of the club’s greatest and most celebrated side, so we are delighted to have been able to help make that a reality for one night only.”
Following the game the participants were given the opportunity to be photographed with the European Cup and received the new Celtic 2017/18 home shirt.