Celtic fans and club officials have turned out to pay an emotional and final farewell to Lisbon Lion John ‘Yogi’ Hughes.
Yogi’s funeral took place today at St Mary’s Church in Glasgow’s Calton as supporters gathered outside to pay their last respects to the Hoops hero.
Green and white floral green tributes reading ‘Yogi’ were placed on the hearse as he was taken from the church and past Celtic Park for the last time.
Among the mourners were Celtic legends Bobby Lennox and Jim Clarke and Rangers’ Willie Henderson.
Yogi sadly passed away in hospital at the beginning of the month following a short illness.
Yogi, from Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire, was a regular at Celtic Park until very recently as a match-day hospitality host.
Several supporters stood outside the service and paid tribute to the Celtic hero.
Dennis McFadden, a lifelong supporter of the club, said the striker has left a legacy in his wake.
The 74-year-old said: “He was a character and I miss him on the pitch, but I’m going back to the 1960s.
“He’s left an amazing legacy in the club and it will live on. He was one of the great players of that era. He played in a great Celtic team.
“He was a great, a Lisbon Lion.
“The best way to describe him on the pitch would be that he was either great or he had a bad day. You wouldn’t know what John Hughes would turn up.”
Bill Redmond, 78, from Bishopbriggs, added: “I knew him through my dad and I would go and chat to him as we stayed in the same area in the 60s.
“It was great hearing how his career developed. That’s why I came to pay my respects but I am a big fan, too.
“He was a fantastic player and a genuinely lovely man. He was the fan’s favourite in the 60s. Fans really took to him, that’s why fans called him Yogi - they used to shout ‘feed the bear’ when he got the ball.”
A statement from Yogi’s family reads: "John 'Yogi' Hughes, age 79, passed away peacefully in hospital today, after a short illness.
"He was surrounded by his loving family. He was dearly loved and will be sorely missed. Always remembered and celebrated with love by his wife Theresa, his sons Kevin, Martin and John, his daughter Joanna and his six grandchildren and extended family.
"He now joins the ranks of those who will be immortal as long as there's a Glasgow Celtic.
"The family asks for privacy at this terribly difficult time, and will release details of his funeral arrangements in due course."
Yogi is fondly remembered for scoring an incredible 189 goals for the Parkhead side between 1959 and 1971 - winning seven Scottish league trophies, four League Cups and four Scottish Cups.
In 1967, the striker won a European Cup winners’ medal but was not in the Lisbon Lions team that beat Inter Milan in the final.
A long-spanning career in football saw him go on to play for Crystal Palace in 1971, where he also featured for Sunderland alongside his brother, Billy.
Later on, he moved into management at Baillieston Juniors and Stranraer.
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