HE helped the Bears roar in Barcelona but never tasted domestic league success. He was the kid who was part of an historic Old Firm final and the Ibrox star who would leave a lasting impression on the Light Blue legions.

Willie Johnston made headlines, both on and off the park, both good and bad, throughout his career but he left a generation of Gers fans with memories to last a lifetime.

In just shy of 400 games over two spells, Bud scored 125 goals for Rangers and won two League Cups, a Scottish Cup and, of course, the European Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1972.

His contribution in the Nou Camp is still remembered by the Ibrox crowd to this day, with Johnston’s place in Light Blues folklore forever enshrined.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MEDAL?

IT was the League Cup in 1964. The game was at Hampden and it was the first time that Jim Baxter captained Rangers in a cup final. He led the team out that day and it was a great day.

We won 2-1 against Celtic. Jim Forrest scored both goals for us and Jimmy Johnstone scored for Celtic. I was only 17 at the time.

It was an unbelievable day, but I was a bag of nerves, I couldn’t even describe it. I had played in the team a few times, it was at the time when the League Cup was in sections.

I knew I was going to be involved in the final but I was still really nervous before the game. It was wonderful to be in the same team with those great players and thankfully we won the game.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEDAL?

I WOULD have to say it was the Scottish Cup in 1966 when Kai Johansen scored the winner in the replay against Celtic. It was a Wednesday night and we had drawn the first game 0-0 at Hampden.

It was my first Scottish Cup medal so that was special to me. We lost a few finals as well right enough, but we’ll not talk about those ones!

I already had the League Cup medal so I wanted a Scottish Cup medal because that is what you dream of growing up. My brothers were at the game and we had always talked about winning the Scottish Cup.

After the game, we went back to the St Enoch’s Hotel and we had a few drinks and a good night. I think Kai was made the President of Denmark that night!

ARE THERE ANY MEDALS MISSING FROM YOUR COLLECTION?

I won the League Cup and the Scottish Cup but I never won the league unfortunately.

The year I got into the team in 1964, Rangers won the league but I didn’t play enough games to get a medal. I played from 1964-1972 and we never won the league. That was bad.

In all that time I was there, I never got a league medal. Celtic won it in 65 and 66 and then were off and running under Jock Stein. I would have loved to have won a league.

We ran them close a few times but we always lost during the run-in and we couldn’t get over the line unfortunately.

The biggest disappointment was not winning the Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1967. We took Bayern Munich to extra-time but couldn’t win the game. That was a hard one to take.

WHAT MEDAL DO YOU GET ASKED ABOUT MOST?

IT is obviously the night in Barcelona when we beat Moscow Dynamo. Everyone thinks that that is the game that I would remember most. I scored a couple of goals and Steiny scored but I remember a few other games just as well.

That is the game that everyone talks about when they think of that era. It is great to score goals in any cup final, but to do it that night was really special.

All these years on, people still talk about that night and what they remember about it.

It was a great night for us, but we had a good team, a very good team.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

MY Cup-Winners’ Cup medal is in the Trophy Room at Ibrox and the other ones are under a bed. I have still got a couple.

I don’t look at them to be honest. That is all in the past. I had my time and it was good.

The medals are nice to have but the memories are more important. I know you can go and look at them but I am not one for medals.

I have got some great memories of my time at Rangers and the successes that we had over the years.