Pat Bonner

Pat Bonner is one of only two goalkeepers to have made over 300 appearances for Celtic, the other being Charlie Shaw. Both men are rightly considered to be club legends.

Pat Bonner, like Billy McNeill, can boast of never having made a substitute appearance in any one of the 641 games he played for Celtic, though given his position as goalkeeper that’s probably slightly less remarkable than Cesar’s achievement.

Nevertheless, to have played so many games for the club is an impressive one for the Irishman. He signed for Celtic in May 1978, just 10 days short of his 18th birthday, and remained with the club until 1998, recording 253 shut-outs in his 641 games.

Known affectionately as ‘Packie’ by Celtic supporters, he hailed from Donegal, which has always been a heartland of Celtic support, and that love of the club has been reciprocated by the fans. He remains an extremely popular figure to this day.

He’s also a national hero – a treasure even – for his heroics in 80 appearances for the Republic of Ireland, particularly at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Indeed, in 2002, he was given the rare honour of appearing on an Irish postage stamp. 

PRELUDE TO PARADISE
Donegal Bhoy, Pat Bonner played GAA with Rosses Rovers, but he began his association football career with local club Keadue Rovers, a well-respected junior side in the county and that led to a trial with Leicester City in season 1975/76.

His performances there soon caught the eye of Celtic’s supreme talent spotter and fellow Irishman, Sean Fallon, and in May 1978, he became Jock Stein’s last signing for the club. It was to prove to be another excellent acquisition by Celtic’s greatest ever manager. ‘I still hang on to that fact as one of my highlights being Jock Stein’s last signing, it’s always a nice thing to have on your CV,’ said Bonner.

"I still hang on to that fact as one of my highlights being Jock Stein’s last signing, it’s always a nice thing to have on your CV"

DEBUT BHOY
Fittingly, Pat Bonner had made his Celtic debut on St Patrick’s Day in a 2-1 home win over Motherwell in1979, with Bobby Lennox scoring both goals in front of a crowd of 16,000. However, his real breakthrough is credited as occurring in the following year during Danny McGrain’s testimonial game against Manchester United.

After regular shot-stopper, Peter Latchford, suffered a hand injury, the young Irishman was elevated to the starting line-up for the prestigious encounter. He grasped the opportunity with both hands. The fixture finished 0-0 and the keeper produced an impressive performance, and he never looked back after that

HIGHLIGHTS
When you make over 600 appearances for Celtic, winning trophies would seem a natural outcome. And that was certainly the case with Packie, particularly during the early part of his Hoops’ career. He was instrumental in the championship victories of 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1988, and won three Scottish Cups in 1985, 1989 and 1995 – a back injury kept him out of the 1988 triumph. His solitary League Cup success, secured in 1982, meant he won every domestic honour as a Celtic player.  

He remained with the club until 1998, recording 253 shut-outs in his 641 games.

BOWING OUT
That Indian Summer resulting from the intervention of Tommy Burns delivered another 25 appearances for the keeper that not only brought him up level with Alec McNair in the appearance charts, but also presented him with the opportunity to go out on a high. It restarted for real on Boxing Day, 1995 when he took over the No.1 position from Gordon Marshall.

He maintained his place for every single game except the Scottish Cup fourth-round win over Meadowbank Thistle. This meant he was between the sticks for the final on May 27 when a Pierre van Hooijdonk goal against Airdrie delivered Celtic’s first silverware since 1999. It was the perfect way to bow out as a Celt, helping to win a trophy for his manager and friend, Tommy Burns.

DUTCH OF CLASS
One of Pat Bonner’s finest games for Celtic – if not his finest, came on September 29, 1982 in the second leg of Celtic’s European Cup first round clash with Ajax. The match, in the old Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, saw Celtic face an uphill task, having drawn the first leg 2-2. But on the night, an inspired Hoops side won 2-1 to go through to the next round.

Pat Bonner recalled: ‘We hadn’t been given a hope in that particular game. I remember we took a bit of a hammering at Celtic Park against a very good Ajax team who were young. You had the likes of van Basten and Jesper Olsen, along with Johan Cruyff who was just finishing off his career and giving some experience to that young team.

ON THE SPOT AT ITALIA ‘90
There will always be one moment which will define Pat Bonner’s career and it came in the penalty-shoot out victory over Romania at Italia ’90. With the scores tied, he saved Daniel Timofte’s effort which allowed David O’Leary the chance to send Ireland through to the last eight of the competition. As a result of the victory, Bonner’s save has become an iconic moment in Irish history and elevated him to national treasure status in his homeland. 

FAVOURITE SAVE
There were 253 clean sheets, and thousands of saves along the way in 641 appearances for Celtic, but Pat Bonner is still able to pick one save out as his favourite.

"It was in 1981 at Cappielow and it was my second season in the team."

‘People won't remember it but it happened against Andy Ritchie and Morton,’ he said. ‘It was in 1981 at Cappielow and it was my second season in the team. Andy had a habit of bending down so the goalkeeper couldn’t see him behind the wall, and then at the last minute he would spring up and hit it so you could never judge what he was doing. It was a ploy he did very well. He hit the ball outside the wall, bending in towards the top corner. I dived the full length and not only did I save it, I held it – and I have it on video to prove it!’

641 CELTIC CAREER APPEARANCES
League: 483, Scottish Cup: 55, League Cup: 64, Europe: 39

235 CELTIC CAREER SHUT-OUTS
League: 180, Scottish Cup: 34, League Cup: 24, Europe: 14

8 CELTIC CAREER MAJOR HONOURS
League Titles: 4, Scottish Cup: 3, League Cup: 1