TRIBUTES to former Lisbon Lion Bertie Auld have flooded in from politicians and well known figures.
The Celtic legend passed away earlier today aged 83.
Auld was diagnosed with dementia earlier this year.
Lord Provost of Glasgow, Philip Braat paid tribute to a "footballing legend". He said: "Sad to learn of the passing of another Scottish footballing legend, Bertie Auld. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time."
Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar thanked Bertie for the "kindness" he had shown him. He tweeted: "Gutted to hear this. Not only was Bertie a footballing icon, he was kind, funny and so down to earth.
"A proud Glaswegian to his core. I will never forget the kindness and support he showed me personally. My thoughts are with the family of Bertie Auld."
And Labour colleague Paul Sweeney called him a "gentleman". He said: "Bertie was a gentleman who lived and breathed a sport he achieved legendary status in. As one of Glasgow's greatest ever footballers, he continued to support local side St Roch's , regularly seen on the terraces offering encouragement to the youngsters. May he rest in peace."
Fans also shared touching stories on social media after news had broken yesterday.
St Roch’s boss Andy Cameron shared a heartfelt tale of Auld’s invaluable support to the team over the years. He tweeted: “Won’t ever forget wee Bertie stopping to pick me up and drive me up to James McGrory Park the night we beat Wishaw to gain promotion.
“He often came into the changing room and that night in particular he was top class.”
Another fan talked about meeting Bertie as a lost child which was indicative of the kindness he showed to others.
Paul Hamilton tweeted: “When I was a kid, I was in Queen Street station with my grandad.
“We got separated and I was lost for a few minutes.
“By chance, Bertie Auld was there and he noticed me crying.
“He checked I was okay, took my hand, gave me a packet of soft mints and made sure we found
each other.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here