Celtic great Jim Craig opens up on Alzheimer’s diagnosis | OneFootball

Celtic legend Jim Craig, a revered member of the club’s iconic 1967 European Cup-winning squad, has revealed to the public that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The 83-year-old is one of only three surviving players from the team who became known as the ‘Lisbon Lions’ following their historic success in the Portuguese capital 59 years ago.

Craig, who amassed more than 230 appearances for the Glasgow side, informed The Herald that he received the diagnosis for the irreversible brain disorder in 2022.

Reflecting on the news, he stated: "I was pleased that they diagnosed something wrong, because I thought I was just ageing. But I was a bit surprised to hear what it was, and I find it very frustrating."

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Craig was diagnosed back in 2022 (Getty)

He elaborated on the nature of his memory struggles, noting: "I’m OK with the old days and the football and family memories. I’m Ok with them. It’s the recent, modern things I have trouble with."

While numerous former footballers have been diagnosed with brain conditions, often linked to the repeated heading of heavy footballs, Craig remains unconvinced that his own situation is directly connected to his playing career.

"I heard about that in other people and thought, ‘No, I’m not sure that’s to do with playing football’," he said.

"I just lived from day to day and I’m still not sure. I mean, I always tried to head the ball as little as humanly possible when I played. I tried to keep my head away from it, but we played with those heavy leather balls in those days."

His wife, Elisabeth, added: "I think a lot of people know now (about the diagnosis) and have been very understanding and very caring. It’s something that we manage and we navigate our way around."

While Celtic have dominated domestically for several decades, they have not added to their European Cup tally since that famous night in 1967.

Celtic faced Italian giants Inter Milan in the final and went behind early on before mounting a stirring comeback in the second half.

It was Stevie Chalmers who popped up with the winning goal with six minutes remaining to seal a famous 2-1 victory for Celtic.