To date, by our count, around 979 different male players have represented Celtic since the club was founded in 1888.
They have helped the Hoops pick up 55 Scottish Premiership titles, a joint record, 42 Scottish Cups and 22 League Cups, as well as the small matter of the European Cup 59 years ago. There are so many legends to choose from, but here is our best attempt at building Celtic's best-ever XI.
GK: Pat Bonner - 1978-97
Celtic have been blessed to have numerous fantastic goalkeepers throughout the years, but Pat Bonner is the obvious choice for this XI. After arriving from Finn Harps as a teenager, he spent his entire senior career at Celtic, accumulating 646 appearances, the most by any non-Scot in the club's entire history.
The Irishman won five Premier Division titles and seven domestic cups, also finishing 17th in the Ballon d'Or rankings in 1989, behind only Peter Shilton and Michel Preud'homme in terms of goalkeepers, underlining that he was one of the best.
"A truly great goalkeeper. Very strong-willed and fantastic to have behind you."Murdo Macleod
RB: Danny McGrain - 1970-87
Another player in thanks to his longevity, as well as his quality, starts the backline, and that is Danny McGrain. He joined Celtic as a 17-year-old just after the European Cup triumph, eventually making his debut three years later against Dundee United at Tannadice.
Well, this was worth the wait, given that McGrain would go on to make 681 appearances for the Celts, only four men have more, winning nine league titles, five Scottish Cups and two League Cups. He did spend the final season of his career at Hamilton Accies, so he is not technically a one-club man, but he might as well be. The fact that he was named SFWA Footballer of the Year in 1977, a rare defender to pick up the accolade, is evidence of his quality.
CB: Billy McNeill - 1957-75
At centre-back there, could only be one man, Celtic's greatest ever player. Billy McNeill MBE is a bona fide one-club man, making 822 appearances for the club during his 18-year senior career, a record that will surely never be surpassed. The captain captured nine league titles and 13 domestic cups, as well as the European Cup itself in 1967.
Outside Celtic Park, a statue of McNeill hoisting the Champions League trophy aloft at Estádio Nacional will forever be found, also leading the team out three years later at San Siro, this time beaten 2-1 by Feyenoord. Nicknamed Cesar, he would return as manager to win nine major honours, but will always be the greatest Celtic player from the club's greatest-ever era under Jock Stein.
"He was a leader of men. When he walked into the dressing room in 1958, I felt it was the start of something big."Bertie Auld
CB: Johan Mjällby - 1998-04
Alongside, picking a second centre-back was not at all easy, but we've gone for some early-2000s representation. Back in 2003, under Martin O'Neill, the Celts reached a first European Final for 33 years, dumping out Blackburn Rovers, Stuttgart, Liverpool and Boavista en route. In the end, they were defeated by José Mourinho's Porto at La Cartuja, but this team remains one of the best of modern times, and Johan Mjällby was a key figure within it.
The Swedish international arrived from AIK in '98, accumulating 186 appearances across six seasons, a pivotal player en route to Seville. Domestically, Mjällby also got his hands on seven trophies and certainly spent his prime years in Glasgow, forced to retire soon after departing due to injuries, but at his best, he was a top-class centre-back.
LB: Tommy Gemmell - 1961-71
At left-back, it's more Lisbon Lions representation, and it won't be the last. Tommy Gemmell joined Celtic as an 18-year-old, spending a decade at Parkhead before departing for Nottingham Forest. He made 418 appearances in Hoops, winning 21 trophies, scoring 63 goals, 31 of which were penalties, missing only three times from the spot. Many of his goals remain historic, bagging the equaliser during the 1967 European Cup Final against Inter, before opening the scoring as they were beaten by Feyenoord three years later.
Thus, Gemmell remains one of only three British players to have scored in multiple Champions League Finals, alongside Phil Neal of Liverpool and Gareth Bale with Real Madrid. The full-back finished sixth in the Ballon d'Or rankings in '67, above Gerd Müller and George Best, emphasising his talent.
CDM: Scott Brown - 2007-21
Few are more synonymous with Celtic's success from the 2010s than Scott Brown, so he simply has to be included in this lineup. The midfielder arrived from Hibernian for £4.4 million in 2007, a huge sum at the time, a fee that remains the largest paid between two Scottish clubs. Well, this would be money well spent because Broony would make 618 appearances for the Hoops, winning 23 major trophies, including ten Premiership titles, and be the captain of the historic quadruple treble era.
Brown had countless memorable moments; his equaliser at Ibrox in 2011, before turning to celebrate rather close to El Hadji Diouf will forever be iconic. Eight years later, his stoppage-time winner at Rugby Park was key in that particular title race. Now manager of Ayr United, Brown appears destined to become Celtic Head Coach at some point; it's merely a matter of time.
CM: Paul McStay - 1981-97
He may have retired almost 30 years ago, but go to any Celtic match still to this day, and the name Paul McStay will still be sung. Another one club man, he accumulated 683 appearances for the Celts, only the aforementioned Billy McNeill and Alec McNair, who played between 1904 and 1925, have more.
In this hypothetical team that would require a DeLorean to construct, McStay and Brown would form quite the partnership. The former was the archetypal midfield maestro, known for his flair and creativity, scoring 72 goals and providing countless assists. No, literally, they didn't count assists in those days. Football has changed a fair bit since the '80 and '90s, but McStay's quality would see him flourish in any era.
"The first time I saw him, I knew this was an extraordinary talent."Billy McNeill
RM: Jimmy Johnstone - 1962-75
Looking to the front four now, and it is another Lisbon Lion. Nicknamed Jinky, a reference to his unique dribbling style, Jimmy Johnstone spent almost his entire career at Celtic, joining as a 14-year-old, departing for San Jose Earthquakes almost two decades later.
In 515 appearances, he scored 130 goals and won 19 major honours, starting both the European Cup Finals of 1967 and 1970. In the former year, the winger finished third in the Ballon d'Or rankings, behind only Flórián Albert and Sir Bobby Charlton, recognition befitting his supreme talent.
"The wee man had everything, unbelievable skills and the heart of a lion."Sir Kenny Dalglish
LM: Bobby Lennox - 1961-78 & 78-81
On the opposite flank, it has to be one of Johnson's teammates, Bobby Lennox. He was the other winger during Jock Stein's ultra-successful spell as Celtic boss, also starting the European Cup Finals of '67 and '70.
In total, Lennox made 599 appearances in hoops; only seven men have more, scoring 277 goals across two spells, spending six months with NASL club Houston Hurricane in '78, before quickly returning to Glasgow. Lennox's legacy at Celtic will forever live on, meaning he simply had to be included in this all-time team.
"If I had Lennox in my team, I could have played forever. He was one of the best forwards I have ever seen."Sir Bobby Charlton
ST: Sir Kenny Dalglish - 1969-77
Fair to say, Celtic have had plenty of outstanding centre-forwards throughout the year, but two stand above the rest. Not many players are considered all-time greats at two different gigantic football clubs, but Sir Kenny Dalglish certainly falls into this category. After joining Celtic as a 15-year-old, Dalglish scored 167 goals in 320 appearances for the Hoops, picking up nine major honours.
He then departed for Liverpool, where he remains their eighth-highest goalscorer of all-time, as well as managing the Reds for 381 matches, with one of the stands at Anfield named the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand. Scotland's joint-top goalscorer of all-time probably produced his best down on Merseyside, but was an elite centre-forward in Glasgow too, so he has to make the cut.
ST: Henrik Larsson - 1997-04
Lastly, Celtic's greatest player of modern times is among the first names on the team sheet of this XI. When Henrik Larsson joined Celtic from Feyenoord in 1997, he did so to little fanfare, with his career not really going anywhere at the time. Well, he would ultimately leave as the King of Kings, scoring 242 goals in 315 appearances, winning eight domestic honours and scoring 11 goals during the famous 2002/03 UEFA Cup campaign, including a brace against Porto in the final.
Larsson was genuinely one of the best strikers on the planet, making it truly remarkable that he stayed in Scotland for seven years, something that would never happen today. To underline his quality, when the Swede did finally depart, he did so for Barcelona, for whom he scored the winner in a Champions League Final. Celtic supporters loved every second of having Larsson in their team, fully aware there would never be anyone like him ever again.
"I’ll be eternally grateful to Celtic because they took a chance on me when other clubs didn’t...this is a club that believed in me and I’ll always remember that. "Henrik Larsson