The architect of Celtic’s finest hour, Jock Stein will forever be remembered as the first man to take a British side to European Cup glory. That achievement along would have seen him go down as a Celtic legend but an incredible run of domestic success means his abilities are appreciated far beyond the walls of Parkhead.

As a solid centre-half, Stein the player had stints at Albion Rovers and Llanelli before signing for Celtic, where he became club captain and won the double. Though he captained the side to an unofficial British championship, the 1953 Coronation Cup and beat Aberdeen, Rangers, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur and Hibernian along the way, Stein’s achievements as a manager far outshone those as a player.

After retiring in 1957 and working on his coaching skills, the former defender took his first managerial job at Dunfermline in 1960 with the side facing relegation. Six games later they had successfully avoided the drop and Stein’s career had begun in earnest. A Scottish Cup victory, at Celtic’s expense, the following season saw him take the Fife club into Europe in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. A win over Everton in the first round raised eyebrows but a 6-2 home win over Valencia in the following stage made people sit up and take notice.

Stein then moved to Hibernian but lasted only a year before Celtic came calling. What happened next is, as they say, history. Stein took the reins in 1965 and Celtic won at least one trophy every year until 1976.

Even with the benefit of hindsight it is difficult to know which achievement ranks highest, the 1967 European Cup triumph or the nine-in-a-row domination of the Scottish top flight.

That historic night in Lisbon when Celtic were crowned kings of Europe was no one-off fairytale or fluke. Stein had served the bigger names notice of his intent in the previous season’s Cup Winners’ Cup when they were narrowly edged out in the semi-finals by Liverpool.

Stein will forever be indelibly linked with 1967 though and the 2-1 win over Inter Milan that saw no less than Bill Shankly declare the Celtic boss “immortal”. In out-thinking Helenio Hererra, the innovator of catenaccio, Stein had shown Europe a Scottish club side with flair, technique and attacking intent that was unmatched across the continent.

On the domestic scene, that side proved unbeatable in the league and recorded nine straight titles, a feat that has been equalled only once and never bettered. After a near-fatal car accident in 1975, Stein was only to win one more league title, in the 76-77 season and picked up the Scottish cup to complete the Double. He stepped aside for Billy McNeill in 1978 and took charge at Leeds United.

Stein’s time at Elland Road was brief and after only 45 days in charge he left to take charge of the Scotland national team. He led the side to the 1982 World Cup in Spain, and Scotland were only eliminated on goal difference.

It was during qualification for the 1986 finals that tragedy struck. Shortly after sending Davie Cooper on to the field against Wales, where he would score the penalty that would ensure qualification, Stein suffered a massive heart attack. His death sent shockwaves throughout football.

Stein achieved legendary status at Celtic and is soon to be commemorated with a permanent statue outside Parkhead. His achievements were recognised far beyond the East End of Glasgow though and his position as a Scottish manager respected through Europe has served as an inspiration to all those who have taken on a top job since.