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| Paul McStay |
 |
| Personal information |
| Full name |
Paul Michael Lyons McStay |
| Date of birth |
22 October 1964 (1964-10-22) (age 44) |
| Place of birth |
Hamilton, Scotland |
| Playing position |
Midfielder |
| Senior career1 |
| Years |
Club |
App (Gls)* |
| 1981-1997 |
Celtic |
678 (72) |
| National team |
| 1983-1997 |
Scotland |
076 0(9) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)
|
Paul Michael Lyons McStay MBE, nicknamed the Maestro, (born 22 October 1964, in Hamilton) is a former football player who spent his entire career with Scottish team Celtic F.C., making his debut in 1982 and retiring in 1997.
He was noted for being an intelligent and inspiring player and captained both Scotland and Celtic at all age levels. He was capped 76 times for his country and scored nine goals.
He helped Celtic win three league titles, the last one in 1988.
[edit] Career
McStay signed for Celtic aged seventeen from Celtic Boys Club in 1981. He scored on his league debut against Aberdeen in a match Celtic won 3-1 on 30 January 1982.
He first came came to prominence in 1980, in a Schoolboy International match where Scotland played England at Wembley. Paul, then 15 was the captain and shone during the match like a player twice his age. He scored a great goal in the match and was awarded the Man of the Match award after Scotland ran out 5-4 winners in an enthralling game which is still talked about today.
In mid-1982 he captained Scotland to victory in the UEFA European Under-18 Championship.[1] which was the only major trophy to date, won by the Scottish Football Association.
McStay made his full national team debut in 1983 and represented Scotland 76 times, including appearances at two World Cups in 1986 and 1990, during a 14-year international career.
When Roy Aitken left Celtic Park in 1990, McStay was appointed club captain, a position he retained until his retirement following the 1996-97 season. In his time with the club, Celtic won the League title three times, the Scottish Cup 4 times and the League Cup once.
Although the second half of McStay's career coincided with a time when Celtic were in turmoil and were overshadowed by rivals Rangers, in 2002 he was voted a member of Celtic's greatest ever team by the club's fans. He is also a member of the Scotland Football Hall of Fame.
McStay's family has a great footballing tradition. His great-uncles, Jimmy and Willie McStay, were former Celtic captains, and his brothers Willie (currently the club's Reserve Coach) and Raymond also played for Celtic. His nephew, John, played with Celtic Boys Club before moving onto Motherwell under 19s and now plays for Ayr United as a defender. [2]
McStay remains a popular figure amongst Celtic's fans with the song Willie Maley, which celebrates McStay (amongst other former players) becoming particularly popular in recent years.
[edit] International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
[edit] Honours
[edit] International
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Iceland
Israel
Belgium
Norway
San Marino
Finland
CIS
