THE Celtic View is looking at our 21 greatest goalscorers, which includes our current No.9, Leigh Griffiths, looking briefly at the careers of the men occupying the top scoring spots.

Today it's the turn of the player voted the Greatest Ever Celt by supporters, a key figure in Jock Stein's all-conquering side and the man who was known and loved as 'Jinky'.

Jimmy Johnstone
Appearances: 515
Goals: 130
Debut: Kilmarnock 6-0 Celtic; 27/03/1963

The fact that Jimmy Johnstone is the only one of our top 20 goalscorers to have a statue outside Celtic Park tells its own story – for Jinky had more than a few strings to his bow and goalscoring was just one of them.

When it comes to extolling the virtues of players who have left their mark on football with their inimitable style, it is impossible to exclude Jimmy Johnstone from any kind of esteemed company.

Jinky's feints and tricks have passed into the club's folklore and he was the very definition of a mercurial talent, and while his ability with a ball marked him out as a unique player, his skills were harnessed for the good of the team.

He won nine titles, four Scottish Cups, five League Cups and, the pinnacle of them all, the European Cup in 1967.

His career, though, was littered with highs and there was a plethora of games where he just literally tore teams apart – sometimes seemingly single-handed.

Among them was Red Star Belgrade when, with a 1-1 half-time score, Jock Stein told Johnstone, who had a chronic fear of flying, that if Celtic won by four clear goals then he wouldn’t have to travel to Belgrade – Jinky ran amok and scored twice in Celtic’s 5-1 master-class.

His courage on the field was matched off it when he battled bravely for a number of years with Motor Neurone Disease, before sadly passing away in 2006. The iconic statue outside Paradise will remind future generations of a truly extraordinary player.

Tomorrow: Tommy McInally

Celtic View celebrates our greatest goalscorers - Jimmy Johnstone