1970 European Cup quotes
‘It will stick in my mind forever that after the game the Celtic players were extremely good sportsmen and, together with their supporters, they gave us a standing ovation when we were receiving the cup.’ Eddy Pieters Graafland, goalkeeper for Feyenoord in the 1970 final.
“That defeat in 1970 took a lot out of the club and took a lot out of the self-belief and everything else. We never quite got back to that level again.” Billy McNeill on losing the European Cup Final in 1970, speaking in 1998.
Celtic dejection after the 1970 European Cup Final against Feyenoord in the San Siro, Milan on 6 May 1970. Photo The Celtic Wiki
‘I hit the ball against the goalkeeper. It was just one of those things but I reckon when I did that, that was me finished at Celtic. Jock Stein was like that: he tended to blame you for things. Within a year I had left the club.’
John Hughes on missing a goal-scoring oppurtunity in extra-time of the 1970 European Cup Final with the score at 1-1.
“I remember how upset we were. What a chance we’d blown to win it a second time in just three years. We went into that Final as favourites. We even scored first, although Feyenoord equalised shortly afterwards. Then the match went into extra time and they scored again near the end. We were only two minutes away from forcing a replay and, had we got one, I’m sure Big Jock as well as all the players would have been right up for it. But we just didn’t play well enough. Some people reckoned we were overconfident after beating Leeds United in the semi-final. I never understood that. When you get to the Final of the European Cup, there’s no room for complacency. Credit to Feyenoord – they turned out to be better than we’d expected.” Bobby Lennox
“Feyenoord are a first class team in every way. We didn’t spot a single weakness.” Sean Fallon (27 April 1970)
55 years ago today, Celtic lose to Feyenoord in the European Cup final after extra-time. pic.twitter.com/ewEHMCXIkP
— Celtic GIFs (@CelticGIFs) May 5, 2025
Matthew Marr
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Click on cover to order a hardback copy
Matthew’s debut Celtic book titled ‘The Bould Bhoys – Glory to their name’ was published by Celtic Star Books last year and is available to order HERE. This brilliant book is also available on Amazon Kindle for just £3.49 and includes all photo sections that appear in the hardback edition.
Matthew Marr with his debut Celtic book, Glory to their name, which tells the story of Celtic’s first ever title win. Photo The Celtic Star
Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books.
