Paul McStay

Football manager infobox
playername = Paul "Potential" McStay


fullname = Paul Michael Lyons McStay
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1964|10|22
cityofbirth = Hamilton
countryofbirth = Scotland
currentclub =
position = Midfielder
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1981-1997
clubs = Celtic
caps(goals) = 678 (72)
nationalyears = 1983-1997
nationalteam = Scotland
nationalcaps(goals) = 076 0(9)
manageryears =
managerclubs =

Paul Michael Lyons McStay MBE, nicknamed "the Maestro", (born 22 October, 1964, in Hamilton) is a former football player who spent his entire career with Scottish team Celtic F.C.. He was noted for being an intelligent and inspiring player and captained both Scotland and Celtic at all age levels.

Career

McStay signed for Celtic aged seventeen from Celtic Boys Club in 1981. He scored on his league debut against Aberdeen in a match Celtic won 3-1 on January 30, 1982.

He first came came to prominence in 1980, in a Schoolboy International match where Scotland played England at Wembley. Paul, then 15 was the Captain and shone during the match like a player twice his age. He scored a great goal in the match and was awarded the Man of the Match award after Scotland ran out 5-3 winners in an enthralling game which is still talked about today.

In the summer of 1982 he captained Scotland to victory in the UEFA European Under-18 Championship. [ [http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/sport.cfm?id=1388952004 When Smith made Scots Euro kings] , "The Scotsman", 4 December 2004] which was the first and only major trophy to date, won by the Scottish Football Association.

McStay made his full national team debut in 1983 and represented Scotland 76 times, including appearances at two World Cups in 1986 and 1990, during a 14-year international career.

When Roy Aitken left Celtic Park in 1990, McStay was appointed club captain, a position he retained until his retirement following the 1996-97 season. In his time with the club, Celtic won the League title three times, the Scottish Cup 4 times and the League Cup once.

Although the second half of McStay's career coincided with a time when Celtic were in turmoil and were overshadowed by rivals Rangers, in 2002 he was voted a member of Celtic's greatest ever team by the club's fans. He is also a member of the Scotland Football Hall of Fame.

McStay's family has a great footballing tradition. His great-uncles, Jimmy and Willie McStay, were former Celtic captains, and his brothers Willie (currently the club's Reserve Coach) and Raymond also played for Celtic. His nephew, John, played with Celtic Boys Club before moving onto Motherwell under 19s and now plays for Ayr United as a defender. [David W Potter, [http://www.keep-the-faith.net/20050809/story3.html And they gave us James McGrory and Paul McStay] , keep-the-faith.net, Retrieved 21 June, 2007.]

McStay remains a popular figure amongst Celtic's fans with the song Willie Maley, which celebrates McStay (amongst other former players) becoming particularly popular in recent years,

Appearances: 678Goals: 72

International goals

:"Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first."

Honours

Club

*Scottish Premier League (3)
*Scottish Cup (4)
*Scottish League Cup (1)

International

*UEFA European Under-18 Championship (1)

References

External links

*SFA Profile|id=299
* [http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/players/paulmichaellyonsmcstay.html International stats] at Londonhearts.com