It was the dead of night when the phone rang in Jimmy Johnstone’s hotel room and a chilling threat was dispensed to Celtic’s star man and entertainer. ‘Jinky’ turned to his room-mate and fellow Lisbon Lion Bobby Lennox: “Bobby, they’re going to shoot me,” he trembled. The Bhoys were about to face Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the 1974 European Cup semi-final, for which the Glasgow giants were favourites. It became arguably the most brutal affair in the club’s history, and the violent behaviour of Atletico summons a strong emotional reaction from Hoops fans to this day.
When Johnstone informed manager Jock Stein, it transpired Celtic’s ‘Big Man’ had been issued with a similar warning. The Celtic gaffer told a terrified Johnstone not to worry – he’d be jinking
