Willie Wallace

Lisbon Lion and prolific goalscorer for Celtic and Hearts.

William Semple Brown Wallace (born 23 June 1940) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He won the European Cup with Celtic in 1967 along with several domestic honours. His other clubs included Stenhousemuir, Raith Rovers, Heart of Midlothian and Dumbarton in the Scottish leagues, and Crystal Palace in English football. Wallace played for Scotland seven times and was inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 2017 for his club achievements.

Quick Facts

Full name: William Semple Brown Wallace
Born: 23 June 1940
Birthplace: Kirkintilloch, Scotland
Position: Inside forward
Total caps: 547
Total goals: 251

Lore & Background

Wallace started his senior playing career with Stenhousemuir in 1958, moving to Raith Rovers a year later. He joined Hearts in April 1961 for £15,000, becoming their top scorer for four seasons through 1965–66. He helped Hearts win the Scottish League Cup in 1962. In 1966, his form declined and he was sold to Celtic for £30,000.

Within six months, he was one of the 'Lisbon Lions' who won the European Cup in 1967. He also reached the 1970 European Cup Final, losing 2–1 to Feyenoord. He won the league championship in each of his five seasons at Celtic, plus the Scottish Cup in 1967, 1969 and 1971 and the League Cup in 1967 and 1968. He scored 140 goals for Celtic in 239 games.

In October 1971, he and John Hughes were sold to Crystal Palace for a combined fee of £30,000. He returned to Scotland with Dumbarton less than a year later. He moved to Australia in March 1975 to play for APIA, winning two league titles, then returned to Scotland in March 1977, briefly joining Partick Thistle before becoming player-coach at Ross County. He was capped seven times for Scotland and four times for the Scottish Football League XI, and was part of the Scotland team that defeated England at Wembley in 1967.

After retiring as a player in June 1977, he joined the coaching staff at Dundee, later returned to APIA as a coach, and eventually settled in Sydney running a sports shop. In 2008, after Tommy Burns died, Wallace helped organise a tribute match at Celtic Park in May 2009. In July 2009, he arranged a friendly in Australia between Celtic and Brisbane Roar. He coached Wollongong City in 1982 and 1983.

Reader's Guide

Willie Wallace is a forward known for his prolific goalscoring, powerful shot with either leg, and ability in the air. He was also capable of creating chances and playing in different positions. In the 1967 European Cup semi-final second leg, he was tasked with man-marking Dukla Prague's Josef Masopust.

Did You Know?

Wallace was nicknamed 'Wispy' during his time at Raith Rovers.
He scored 131 goals in 248 matches for Hearts.
Wallace helped organise a tribute match for Tommy Burns in 2009 that drew over 35,000 fans to Celtic Park.