Stars of the ’80s, No 10: Paul McStay

CHRISTENED ‘The Maestro’ by fans of Celtic, one-club man Paul McStay first came to public
attention when he scored twice and was named man of the match while captaining Scotland Schoolboys to a 5-4 victory over England at Wembley.

Signing up at Parkhead from Celtic Boys Club, he went on to captain both club and country at every level.

He scored on his league debut aged 17, in a 3-1 victory over Aberdeen in January 1982. By the time he retired in 1997, he had racked up 514 appearances for Celtic, scored 57 goals and won three league titles, four Scottish Cups and one League Cup.

McStay, whose brothers Willie and Raymond also played for Celtic, is honoured with a place in Scotland’s Hall of Fame, having won 76 caps and scored nine times for his country. He also captained the national team to victory in the 1981 Uefa Under-18 Championship, the only major trophy ever won by Scotland.