John Hughes

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Hughes spent eleven seasons at Celtic, scoring 197 goals in 435 appearances. He was part of the squad that won the 1966–67 European Cup, earning a winner's medal alongside Joe McBride and Charlie Gallagher despite not playing in the final due to injury. In the 1970 European Cup semi-final against Leeds United, Hughes scored Celtic's first goal in the second leg at Hampden Park, securing a 2–1 victory (aggregate) after Billy Bremner had leveled the score. Although he played the full game as Celtic lost the final 2–1 to Feyenoord, he remains one of the club's all-time highest scorers.

In Their Own Story

In January 1973, Hughes joined Sunderland for £35,000. His career ended abruptly just two weeks later on 27 January after an injury against Millwall F.C., having played only 15 minutes of football for the club. Before this, he had moved to Crystal Palace in 1971 as part of a £30,000 joint deal with Willie Wallace, where he scored a goal that was runner-up for the 'Goal of the Season' award.

Reader's Guide

Hughes made his Scotland debut in a goalless draw with Spain at Hampden Park, earning eight caps between 1965 and 1969. He also scored four goals in six appearances for the Scottish League XI. Post-playing, he managed Stranraer for one year starting in 1975 and became the first international team manager of the Scottish Junior Football Association in 1978. He later worked as a publican in Glasgow and recovered from mouth cancer in 2014 before passing away at age 79.

Did You Know?

• He was nicknamed 'Yogi' after the cartoon character Yogi Bear because of his large build.
• He received a European Cup winner's medal in 1967 even though he did not play in the final due to injury.
• His career at Sunderland lasted only 15 minutes before an injury against Millwall F.C. ended it prematurely.
• He was one of Celtic's all-time highest goal scorers, ranking 8th in all competitions with 197 goals.