Scottish footballer
James Connolly Johnstone
(30 September 1944 ? 13 March 2006) was a Scottish
footballer
who played as an
outside right
. Known as
"Jinky"
for his elusive dribbling style, Johnstone played for
Celtic
for 13 years, and was part of the '
Lisbon Lions
', the team who won the
1967 European Cup Final
, as well as winning
nine consecutive Scottish championships
. He scored 129 goals for Celtic in 515 appearances
[5]
and was voted the club's greatest ever player by fans in 2002.
[5]
[3]
Johnstone also won 23 caps for
Scotland
. He finished third in voting for the
1967 Ballon d'Or
, and was inducted into the
Scottish Football Hall of Fame
when it was inaugurated in 2004.
[6]
Rodger Baillie of
The Sunday Times
called Johnstone a "genius who lived by magic and mischief",
[7]
while
Hugh McIlvanney
wrote that no other player "besieged opponents with such a complex, concentrated swirl of deceptive manoeuvres or ever conveyed a more exhilarating sense of joy in working wonders with the ball."
[8]
Early life and youth career
[
edit
]
Johnstone was the youngest of five children born to Matthew and Sarah Johnstone. He grew up in the family home on Old Edinburgh Road in
Viewpark
,
North Lanarkshire
, and he was educated at St Columba's primary school in Viewpark and then at St John's secondary school in
Uddingston
.
[9]
His footballing ability first came to note at primary school, playing for the St Columba's team that won three trophies in 1953?54. The team at his secondary school, St John's, were less able, but their physical education teacher, Tommy Cassidy, was a friend of
Sammy Wilson
, who played for
Celtic
at the time and had scored in Celtic's 7?1 win over
Rangers
in the
1957 Scottish League Cup Final
. Cassidy used his connections to get Johnstone a role as ball boy at Celtic.
[2]
At home, he used to dribble around milk bottles every day in the hallway for hours to perfect his skills. On reading that
Stanley Matthews
used to walk to Blackpool's ground wearing heavy boots to strengthen his leg muscles, Johnstone began wearing pit boots and would sprint and play football in them. He later said that this "probably added about three yards on to my pace."
[10]
Despite the thrill of being involved with Celtic as a ballboy, Johnstone wanted to play football. As a result, he left Celtic to play for his local Boys Guild team. As well as playing locally, the team travelled down to play Manchester United's boys' team. Johnstone's ability caught the eye of the English giants but, upon his return to Scotland, Celtic scout
John Higgins
persuaded him to sign for Celtic;
[2]
He signed youth terms on the same day as left-back
Tommy Gemmell
, who lived a few miles away and would also have a long association with the club.
[11]
In order to gain experience, Johnstone was farmed out to
junior
club
Blantyre Celtic
.
[9]
Club career
[
edit
]
Celtic
[
edit
]
Johnstone made his first team debut for Celtic on 27 March 1963 in a 6?0 defeat away against
Kilmarnock
in the league.
[12]
His next appearance came a month later, away against
Hearts
. He was again on the losing side (4?3), but scored his first senior goal.
[12]
Despite the defeats, Johnstone's performances won him a place in the team for the
Scottish Cup Final
on 4 May 1963 against
Rangers
. The young winger turned in a fine performance, helping Celtic to a creditable 1?1 draw with his confident dribbling. He also scored a goal but it was disallowed due to a foul moments earlier by teammate
John Hughes
.
[13]
[14]
Johnstone was dropped for the replay and Celtic were outclassed by Rangers, who ran out comfortable 3?0 winners.
[13]
[15]
The following season saw Johnstone establish himself as a regular in the side. He played in 25 league games, scoring six goals.
[16]
He also helped Celtic reach the semi-finals of the
European Cup Winners' Cup
, scoring against
FC Basel
in a 5?0 win at Parkhead in the first round, and then against
MTK Budapest
in a 3?0 win in the first leg of the semi-final. Celtic, however, lost 4?0 in the return match in Hungary and were knocked out on aggregate.
[17]
Celtic were struggling throughout the 1960s until
Jock Stein
arrived at the club in 1965.
[18]
By this time Johnstone was struggling to hold down a regular spot in the first team. On arrival at Celtic, Stein had doubts about Johnstone, considering him too much of an individual player, to the overall detriment of the team, and he left him out of the team for the
1965 Scottish Cup Final
.
[19]
Johnstone soon won Stein round with his skill, and won his first winner's medal on 23 October 1965 when he played in Celtic's 2?1 win over Rangers in the
Scottish League Cup Final
.
[20]
His 32 league appearances and nine goals that season helped Celtic win their first league title in 12 years.
[16]
[21]
Johnstone also helped Celtic reach their second European semi-final, scoring twice against
Go Ahead Eagles
en route,
[2]
before losing 2?1 on aggregate to
Liverpool
in the Cup Winners' Cup.
[17]
Johnstone was one of the "
Lisbon Lions
", the team that won the then
European Cup
for Celtic in
1967
.
[10]
In an early round tie against
Nantes
, Johnstone's trickery on the wing saw him dubbed "the Flying Flea" by the French press,
[2]
[10]
while his performances over that season saw him finish third in the
European Footballer of the Year
award.
[10]
Two weeks after their European Cup win, Celtic played
Real Madrid
on 7 June 1967 in a
testimonial match
for the now retired
Alfredo Di Stefano
. In front of over 100,000 fans at the
Bernabeu Stadium
, the sides engaged in a keenly fought contest that saw
Bertie Auld
and Real Madrid's
Amancio
sent off. Di Stefano played for the first 15 minutes, but it was Jimmy Johnstone who stole the show with an exhilarating performance that had even the Spanish supporters chanting "Ole!" throughout the game. Johnstone capped an outstanding performance by playing the pass to Bobby Lennox for the only goal in a 1?0 win for Celtic.
[22]
[23]
Johnstone had a morbid fear of flying, which Jock Stein used to great effect on one occasion. Ahead of the first leg of a European tie against
Red Star Belgrade
at Parkhead in November 1968, Stein told Johnstone that, if Celtic won by four goals, he wouldn't have to travel to
Yugoslavia
for the second leg. Johnstone went on to produce an outstanding performance, scoring twice and providing assists for the other three goals in a 5?1 win.
[2]
[10]
[18]
He helped Celtic reach a further
European Cup Final
in season 1969?70. His performance in the second leg of the semi-final against
Leeds United
at Hampden Park was particularly outstanding,
[2]
and his mazy run in the second half set up
Bobby Murdoch
to score with a powerful shot for Celtic's winning goal in a 2?1 victory on the night.
[24]
[25]
Leeds' defender
Terry Cooper
later quipped "I would love to have kicked Jinky, but I couldn't get near him!"
Billy Bremner
described Johnstone's performance as "one of the greatest exhibitions I have ever seen", adding that "Jimmy had one of these games where he was unstoppable."
[24]
Celtic played
Feyenoord
in the final but, with Johnstone double-marked at all times, Celtic were unable to perform as they had in the 1967 final. Feyenoord dominated the match and defeated Celtic 2?1 after extra-time.
[25]
In all, he made 308 League appearances for Celtic, scoring 82 goals. He also played another 207 times for them in the Scottish Cup, League Cup and in Europe, for an overall total of 515 matches.
[2]
He received further
Ballon d'Or
nominations in 1968 and 1969 placing 24th and 23rd, respectively.
[26]
Later career
[
edit
]
He later played for the
San Jose Earthquakes
,
Sheffield United
,
Dundee
,
Shelbourne
and
Elgin City
.
[27]
His manager at Dundee was former teammate Tommy Gemmell, but Johnstone later stated that his 'heart was not in it' and he did not apply himself properly during his short spell at
Dens Park
, having lost the motivation to play for other clubs after being released by Celtic.
[11]
[28]
International career
[
edit
]
Johnstone began his international career on 5 February 1964, playing for the
Scottish Under 23
side in a friendly against
England U23s
, losing 2?0. He made one further appearance for the Scotland U23 side in May that year, a 3?0 win away against France U23.
[29]
He made his international debut for the full
Scottish international side
on 3 October 1964 in a
British Home Championship
match against
Wales
, in place of
Rangers
winger
Willie Henderson
.
[5]
[30]
He was involved in the move that led to Scotland's second goal, though the match ended in a 3?2 win for the Welsh.
[31]
Johnstone's next cap came that same month in a
World Cup
qualifier at
Hampden Park
against
Finland
. Scotland won 3?1, but Johnstone's performance was unimpressive, with his passing described as "lacking accuracy."
[32]
Johnstone did not play for Scotland again until 2 April 1966, when he scored his first two international goals in a 4?3 defeat against
England
at Hampden Park.
[5]
[33]
The first goal came with Scotland trailing 4?1, when he latched on to a pass from
Denis Law
and used his pace and power to run past the English defence and beat goalkeeper
Gordon Banks
from close range. He pulled back another goal for Scotland when he chased a floated ball towards goal from a
Jim Baxter
free kick and, from close range, scored with a powerful shot off the underside of the bar.
[5]
Johnstone, along with Denis Law, was reported as one of Scotland's best performers, and his play resulted in England's
Nobby Stiles
being booked for a crushing tackle on him.
[34]
Johnstone continued to play sporadically for Scotland, and he didn't score his next international goal until 22 October 1969 in a World Cup qualifier away against
West Germany
, Scotland losing 3?2.
[35]
In May 1974, during the build-up to the
1974 FIFA World Cup
, and days before a British Home Championship match against England at Hampden, Johnstone and his other Scotland teammates took part in a drinking session at their hotel in
Largs
,
Ayrshire
. In the early hours, the group headed for shore, with Johnstone deciding to go out in a rowing boat. However, the boat had no rowlocks to take the oars and Johnstone found himself being taken out to sea by the tide. Stranded at sea, Johnstone had to be rescued by the
Coastguard
and the incident dominated headlines for days.
[5]
[36]
Despite the embarrassing headlines, Johnstone went on to turn in an outstanding performance for Scotland against England, helping them to a 2?0 win.
[36]
[37]
Johnstone was part of the Scotland squad that travelled to West Germany for the World Cup in the summer of 1974, but he didn't play in their three games.
[37]
Johnstone won 23 caps for Scotland.
[2]
[38]
Style of play
[
edit
]
Regarded as one of Scotland's greatest players, Johnstone was a diminutive winger known for his technique and dribbling skills, being able to go past players with ease, cut inside, score or contribute to goals.
[39]
[40]
Later life
[
edit
]
After his playing career ended, Johnstone's problems with alcohol worsened, despite the efforts of his family.
[41]
When he approached Glasgow businessman and Celtic fan
Willie Haughey
in 1992 offering his medals for sale, Johnstone instead received support and guidance from Haughey in combatting his addictions,
[42]
and the two men remained close friends thereafter.
[43]
A documentary film about Johnstone's life, created by
Jamie Doran
and narrated by
Billy Connolly
[44]
titled
Lord of the Wing
first aired on the BBC on 25 April 2004.
[45]
[3]
In June 2005,
Carl Faberge
's great-granddaughter Sarah produced 19 jewelled eggs related to Johnstone.
[46]
[47]
Death and legacy
[
edit
]
Having been diagnosed with incurable
motor neuron disease
(MND) five years earlier,
[41]
Johnstone died in March 2006, aged 61.
[27]
[3]
The last person to call him was old
Rangers
rival
Willie Henderson
, who had become a firm friend of Johnstone. Thousands of Celtic fans and fans of many other clubs, including those of arch-rivals Rangers, paid tribute to his memory outside
Celtic Park
on
St Patrick's Day
, the day of his funeral service. Tributes were paid to Johnstone before the
2006 Scottish League Cup Final
, played between Celtic and
Dunfermline
.
[48]
There was a minute of applause before the game and the entire Celtic squad wore the number 7 on their shorts in his honour.
[48]
In 2008, a bronze statue by
Kate Robinson
of Johnstone in action was unveiled at the main entrance to
Celtic Park
.
[42]
[38]
[49]
[50]
In 2011, a statue of Johnstone and a memorial garden were created on the site at his former school, close to his home, on the Old Edinburgh Road, in Viewpark. The garden was opened by Johnstone's wife, family and some of the surviving members of the 'Lisbon Lions' team. The bronze, lifesize statue was made by sculptor
John McKenna
.
[51]
[52]
Career statistics
[
edit
]
Club
[
edit
]
International appearances
[
edit
]
Scotland national team
[30]
|
Year
|
Apps
|
Goals
|
1964
|
2
|
0
|
1965
|
?
|
1966
|
2
|
2
|
1967
|
2
|
0
|
1968
|
1
|
0
|
1969
|
2
|
1
|
1970
|
2
|
0
|
1971
|
4
|
0
|
1972
|
2
|
0
|
1973
|
?
|
1974
|
6
|
1
|
Total
|
23
|
4
|
International goals
[
edit
]
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
[30]
[56]
[57]
Honours
[
edit
]
- Celtic
- Scottish First Division
(9): 1965?66, 1966?67, 1967?68, 1968?69, 1969?70, 1970?71, 1971?72, 1972?73, 1973?74
- Scottish Cup
(4): 1966?67, 1970?71, 1971?72, 1973?74
- Scottish League Cup
(5): 1965?66, 1966?67, 1968?69, 1969?70, 1974?75
- European Cup
: 1967
- Scotland
- Individual
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Jimmy Johnstone"
.
Barry Hugman's Footballers
. Retrieved
20 May
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
"Jinky Biography"
. jimmyjohnstone.com. Archived from
the original
on 5 June 2012
. Retrieved
26 August
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Legend Jinky loses final battle with MND"
.
The Scotsman
. 13 March 2006
. Retrieved
22 May
2018
.
- ^
(SFL player) James Johnstone
, London Hearts Supporters Club [erroneously includes one appearance by
James Johnston
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Brian Glanville (14 March 2006).
"Brilliant Celtic and Scotland winger who took the European Cup with the Lisbon Lions"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
2 August
2011
.
- ^
"2004"
.
Scottish Football Museum
. Archived from
the original
on 28 September 2011
. Retrieved
29 May
2024
.
- ^
"Genius who lived by magic and mischief"
.
The Sunday Times
. Retrieved
29 March
2021
.
(subscription required)
- ^
Hugh McIlvanney (March 2006). "Wee man leaves massive legacy".
The Sunday Times
. Retrieved 29 March 2021
- ^
a
b
"Johnstone, James Connelly [Jimmy, Jinky] (1944?2006), footballer"
.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
. Archived from
the original
on 26 August 2014.
Alt URL
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Jimmy Johnstone"
.
The Independent
. 14 March 2006.
Archived
from the original on 8 June 2022
. Retrieved
23 October
2014
.
- ^
a
b
McColl, Graham; Gemmell, Tommy (2012).
Tommy Gemmell: Lion Heart (prologue by Jimmy Johnstone)
. Random House.
ISBN
9781448132454
.
- ^
a
b
"Johnstone, Jimmy (page ss13/13)"
. FitbaStats
. Retrieved
25 August
2014
.
- ^
a
b
Cambell, Tom; Woods, Pat (1987).
The Glory & The Dream
. Grafton. pp. 216?217.
ISBN
0-586-20005-3
.
- ^
Henderson, Gair (4 May 1963).
"Missed chances were "Final Blow"
"
.
Evening Times
. Archived from
the original
on 26 August 2014
. Retrieved
25 August
2014
.
- ^
Henderson, Gair (16 May 1963).
"Cup Final Replay ? Celtic torture"
.
Evening Times
. p. 18. Archived from
the original
on 4 March 2016
. Retrieved
26 August
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Johnstone, Jimmy ? overview"
. FitbaStats
. Retrieved
25 August
2014
.
- ^
a
b
"Johnstone, Jimmy (page 12/13)"
. FitbaStats
. Retrieved
25 August
2014
.
- ^
a
b
"Great players of the Sixties ? Jimmy Johnstone"
. World Soccer History. Archived from
the original
on 26 August 2014
. Retrieved
26 August
2014
.
- ^
"How Stein almost sold Jinky"
. Back Page Press. 13 March 2014. Archived from
the original
on 26 August 2014
. Retrieved
26 August
2014
.
- ^
"Penalties give Celtic cup"
.
The Times
. 25 October 1965. Archived from
the original
on 4 March 2016
. Retrieved
26 August
2014
.
- ^
Jacobs, Raymond (9 May 1966).
"Celtic win league championship"
.
The Glasgow Herald
. p. 4
. Retrieved
26 August
2014
.
- ^
McMillan, Anna (16 November 2005).
"The Alfredo Di Stefano Trophy"
.
The Celtic View
. Archived from
the original
on 4 January 2013
. Retrieved
22 October
2013
.
- ^
"The Full Story: 1967, Alfredo Di Stefano's Testimonial"
.
The Football Years
. STV. 12 February 2011. Archived from
the original
on 22 October 2013
. Retrieved
22 October
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"Matches 15 April 1970 ? Celtic 2 Leeds United 1"
.
The Mighty Mighty Whites
. Retrieved
6 October
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"Season 1969-70"
.
European Cup History
. Retrieved
6 October
2013
.
- ^
European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or) 1968
. 22 June 2005
. Retrieved
12 April
2020
.
European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d'Or) 1969
. 22 June 2005
. Retrieved
12 April
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Celtic great dies at 61"
. BBC Sport. 13 March 2006
. Retrieved
29 January
2008
.
- ^
a
b
"Jimmy Johnstone ? Player Profile"
.
Dee Archive
. Retrieved
7 February
2022
.
- ^
"Johnstone, Jimmy"
.
FitbaStats ? Scotland U23
. Retrieved
20 September
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Johnstone, James"
. FitbaStats
. Retrieved
23 October
2014
.
- ^
"Scotland squander victory chance"
.
The Glasgow Herald
. 5 October 1964. p. 6
. Retrieved
4 May
2015
.
- ^
Jacobs, Raymond (22 October 1964).
"Scotland again lose urgency and thrust"
.
The Glasgow Herald
. p. 13
. Retrieved
5 May
2015
.
- ^
"Scotland 3 ? 4"
. FitbaStats
. Retrieved
23 October
2014
.
- ^
Jacobs, Raymond (4 April 1966).
"England triumph at Hampden"
.
The Glasgow Herald
. p. 4
. Retrieved
5 May
2015
.
- ^
"West Germany 3 ? 2 Scotland"
. FitaStats
. Retrieved
23 October
2014
.
- ^
a
b
"Scotland's Hall of Shame"
. BBC Sport. April 2009
. Retrieved
23 October
2014
.
- ^
a
b
"Jimmy Johnstone"
. STV Sport. Archived from
the original
on 23 October 2014
. Retrieved
23 October
2014
.
- ^
a
b
Jonathan Paisley (7 July 2008).
"Celtic statue memorial to legend Jinky"
.
Evening Times
. Retrieved
26 April
2011
.
- ^
"HOW THE WILY, JINKING JIMMY JOHNSTONE BECAME THE GREATEST CELTIC PLAYER OF ALL"
.
- ^
"Johnstone, Jimmy 'Jinky'
"
.
- ^
a
b
"Jimmy Johnstone's family reveal his struggle after being let go by Jock Stein at Celtic"
.
Daily Record
. 18 September 2016
. Retrieved
22 May
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Memories of a giant wee man"
.
The Herald
. 13 December 2008
. Retrieved
22 May
2018
.
- ^
"I may be a millionaire but there's nothing I like better than a fish supper on a Friday night"
.
Evening Times
. 3 October 2007
. Retrieved
22 May
2018
.
- ^
"Jimmy Johnstone: Lord of the Wing (2004)"
. IMDb
. Retrieved
29 August
2019
.
- ^
"Jimmy Johnstone: Lord of the Wing"
. IMDb
. Retrieved
29 August
2019
.
- ^
Wilson, Bill (9 June 2005).
"Faberge descendants keep up tradition"
. BBC
. Retrieved
28 December
2012
.
- ^
"Faberge honour for Jinky"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. London. 10 June 2005
. Retrieved
22 May
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"CIS Insurance Cup Final 2006"
.
Scottish Football League
. 14 March 2006. Archived from
the original
on 1 February 2013
. Retrieved
14 October
2011
.
- ^
"Statue honours Celtic star Jinky"
.
BBC News Scotland
.
BBC
. 13 December 2008
. Retrieved
21 May
2018
.
- ^
"Jimmy Johnstone (1)"
.
From pitch to plinth: the sporting statues project
. Retrieved
21 May
2018
.
- ^
"Viewpark Honours Football Hero Jimmy Johnstone"
.
Daily Record
. 18 August 2011
. Retrieved
24 March
2012
.
- ^
"Jimmy Johnstone (2)"
.
From pitch to plinth: the sporting statues project
. Retrieved
21 May
2018
.
- ^
"NASL-Jimmy Johnstone"
.
nasljerseys.com
. Retrieved
13 December
2022
.
- ^
Clarebrough & Kirkham (2012).
Sheffield United: the Complete Record
. Derby Books Publishing. pp. 440?441.
ISBN
978-1-78091-019-2
.
- ^
Clarebrough & Kirkham (2012).
Sheffield United: the Complete Record
. Derby Books Publishing. pp. 442?443.
ISBN
978-1-78091-019-2
.
- ^
"Scotland ? International Matches 1966-1970"
.
RSSSF
. Retrieved
22 May
2018
.
- ^
"Scotland ? International Matches 1971-1975"
.
RSSSF
. Retrieved
22 May
2018
.
- ^
"Jimmy Johnstone"
.
Scottish Football Association
. Retrieved
25 May
2022
.
- ^
"Ballon d'Or Winners"
. Worldsoccer.about.com. 16 January 2014. Archived from
the original
on 28 September 2013
. Retrieved
2 February
2014
.
- ^
"1969-1970 British Team of the Season"
.
BigSoccer
. 31 July 2011
. Retrieved
17 April
2024
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
2004
| |
---|
2005
| |
---|
2006
| |
---|
2007
| |
---|
2008
| |
---|
2009
| |
---|
2010
| |
---|
2011
| |
---|
2012
| |
---|
2013
| |
---|
2014
| |
---|
2015
| |
---|
2016
| |
---|
2017
| |
---|
2018
| |
---|
2019
| |
---|