Some players epitomise the ethos of a football club and, for Celtic FC, Murdo MacLeod is one of those players. Still loved by the fans for the way he gave his heart and soul out on the pitch, he won every domestic honour and will forever be remembered for the decisive goal that helped Celtic win the league title in 1979 against bitter rivals Rangers and sparked a deafening roar of the familiar chant of MURDO! MURDO! around the stadium. Murdo's career also took him to Germany to star for Borussia Dortmund where he won both the German Cup and Super Cup in 1989, before returning to home soil to captain Hibernian FC.
He also made 20 appearances for Scotland and played in the 1990 World Cup Finals. The highlight of Murdo's coaching career came as Assistant Coach at Celtic under Wim Jansen when, in the 1997-98 season, they won the league and League Cup double, and stopped arch-rivals Rangers' bid to win ten league titles in a row for the first time. It was Wim and Murdo's only season in charge but their contribution to the club that year was of historic significance.
In recent years, however, his health has been blighted by a serious heart condition which has led to several months on life support and the loss of his toes, which has forced him to learn how to walk again. Murdo now details this ongoing struggle, the effect it has had on his life and family, and how it feels to have gone from a sporting hero to a desperate struggle for life. This searingly honest and heartfelt memoir by a much-loved football legend will be one of the sports books of the year.
Murdo MacLeod has been a fan favourite throughout his brilliant footballing career. As well as nearly 300 appearances and 55 goals for Celtic, Murdo appeared for Borussia Dortmund on 105 occasions as well as 78 times for Hibs and earned 20 international caps for Scotland. At Celtic he won four league titles, two Scottish Cups and one League Cup. Murdo has written for the Daily Record newspaper and commentated for BBC TV and radio in Scotland as well as on Newstalk in Ireland.
Hugh Keevins began in journalism with the Sunday Post in 1970 and is now a columnist with the Sunday Mail, having also previously been with the Scotsman and the Daily Record. His career in broadcasting with Radio Clyde began in 1985 and he remains a member of the Superscoreboard team in Scotland's most listened to sports programme. He is married to Janet and they have three children and six grandchildren. It remains his belief that the best ad libs are written down.
