10 Greatest Celtic FC Strikers Ever
There is no doubting Celtic’s status as one of the biggest football clubs in the UK. The Scottish giants have attracted many great players over the years who have helped them win titles. A striker is one of the most important individuals of a team, all the buildup of gameplay comes down to a striker finishing up the move clinically. Many great strikers have played for Celtic at Celtic Park. Following are some of the greatest Celtic FC strikers ever.
Considering the impact on the team, goalscoring record, success and fans’ opinion, here are the ten greatest Celtic FC strikers ever.
10. John Hartson
Hartson was known to be a big game player. The bigger the stage, the more likely he was to score a goal. The Welsh striker struggled at the beginning of his career with Celtic but became a prolific goal scorer later on for the Bhoys. In the game in which he did finally score his debut goal, he went on for a hat trick vs Dundee United.
He scored 109 goals in 201 games for Celtic. One of his most memorable goals is the out-of-the-box beauty against Liverpool in UEFA Cup 2003. He won three league titles, two Scottish Cups and a League Cup with the Hoops.
9. Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton is one the best all-time players for Celtic and fans love him to this day. He was a world-class centre-forward. On his debut for Celtic, he scored his first goal which was a match-winner against Dundee United. He won the Scottish Premier League 4 times, Scottish Cup twice and the Scottish League Cup.
Sutton was also part of the team that made it to the final of UEFA Cup 2003 but lost to Porto. After scoring 86 goals in 199 games for Celtic, he left the club in 2005 to play for Birmingham City. He is one of the greatest Celtic FC strikers ever.
8. Jimmy Quinn
Jimmy Quinn signed for Celtic on New Year’s Eve of 1900. He started originally as a Left Winger but later on became a full-time striker, which suited him better. He had a great pace off and, on the ball, and also possessed extreme shot power with high precision.
Quinn is the fourth all-time top goal scorer for Celtic with 239 goals in 369 games. He was brave and had excellent aerial abilities. The fearsome firepower of this humble man from Croy was the foundation on which a glorious era in Celtic history was built.
7. Sandy McMahon
Sandy McMahon had a phenomenal goal scoring record at Celtic with 200 goals in just 261 games. He was an excellent header of the ball and could also dribble very effectively. He won three Scottish Cup titles and four Scottish League medals.
McMahon was the man of finals with 2 goals in the 1892 Scottish Cup Final, 1 goal in the 1899 Scottish cup final and one in the 1890’s cup final, in which Celtic defeated Rangers by two goals to nil. After spending 13 years at Celtic Park, McMahon left Celtic to join Partick Thistle, where he retired after just one season.
6. Willie Wallace
The legendary Scottish Striker was part of the Lisbon Lions. He won the most important title in Celtic’s history just six months after joining the club, which was the European Cup of 1967. He was also part of the team that played the final of the European Cup in 1970 but failed to win it that time.
Wallace won all the league campaigns he was part of during his time at Celtic Park, making him also part of the nine-in-a-row history. He left for Crystal Palace in 1971 after having scored 134 goals in 232 games. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest Celtic FC strikers ever.
5. Kenny Dalglish
Dalglish was a key part of the last 4 league titles of that famous nine in a row for Celtic. He also helped the team win 4 Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup. Dalglish was a Scottish superstar of the ’70s and the ’80s. He was a supernatural player, a genuine world-class player for Celtic.
Dalglish scored a total of 173 goals in 338 games for the Bhoys and was the tenth all-time top goal scorer for the club. Dalglish was the club captain from 1975 to 1977, after that, he left Celtic Park to join Bob Paisley’s Liverpool. Celtic fans never forgave their talisman for leaving their club for Liverpool.
4. Bobby Lennox
Bobby Lennox scored 301 goals in 599 games for the Bhoys over 2 tenures, becoming the second all-time top scorer for the club. He was part of the unforgettable Lisbon Lions, who were the European Cup-winning team of 1967. He won the league with Celtic in 1978/79 and also played his part in their Scottish Cup victory in 1980.
All in all, he won 11 league titles, eight Scottish Cups and five League Cups at Celtic. Lennox was a clinical striker and unlike many strikers, he had a very good pace. In 1978, he left to join the US club Houston Hurricane, but didn’t get much success there and after less than a year he got an offer from Celtic to rejoin, he retired two years after that.