RANGERS legend John Greig has laid a wreath at the statue of Billy McNeill at Celtic Park in tribute to his former Old Firm opponent.

Tributes to Mr McNeill - who became the first British man to lift the European Cup when the Hoops beat Inter Milan in 1967 - have continued to pour in following his death on Monday aged 79.

And Rangers captain John Greig paid his own respects as he led a delegation from Ibrox to Parkhead.

"I think we worked to earn respect from each other," he said. "On the field of play, we weren't friends at all, but off the field the mutual respect was there from both of us.

"Both our families got to know each other quite well. I knew he had not been well for quite a while. It's always a sad, sad thing when the end happens."

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Joined by the Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson and board member Andrew Dickson, Mr Greig placed a wreath of red, white and blue flowers under Mr McNeill's statue along with a card that read: "Always remembered, from the directors, players and staff of Rangers Football Club."

Mr Greig, now Rangers' honorary life president, added: "Billy was always an out-and-out gentleman.

"He always treated me with the greatest respect and we enjoyed a lot of times helping charities and different things off the field. He was a good, good friend and I was very sad to hear of him passing away.

"He was a giant on the park. He was actually too good-looking to be a centre-half.

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"Apart from being a great defender, Billy also scored so many goals because he was so great in the air.

"That was one of the things we always had to watch when we played against Celtic, although there were plenty of other problems for us in that team. It was a great Celtic side."

Mr Greig was leading out the Light Blues during the same period in the late 1960s and early 1970s when McNeill was Celtic skipper.

But as well as being derby opponents, they were also team-mates for Scotland and grew to be close friends.

Meanwhile Billy McNeill's family have urged the Celtic support to honour the club's former skipper and manager in the way he would have wanted - with "noise, passion and enjoyment".

The Parkhead outfit have outlined their plans to celebrate the life of the first British man to ever lift the European Cup when they host Kilmarnock on Saturday.

Neil Lennon and his first-team squad plan to lay a wreath below the statue of the late defender, who died at the age of 79 on Monday, outside Celtic Park 90 minutes prior to the 12.30pm kick-off.

Special video tributes will be played on the stadium's screens, while the players will also wear special black armbands.

But instead of the traditional moment of silence, club chiefs say there will instead be a minute's applause before the game with Killie gets underway following a request from Mr McNeill's loved ones.

In a statement posted on the club's website, his family said: "We do not believe football stadiums were ever built to be to be silent. Our father would not have wanted that. They should be places of noise, passion and enjoyment.

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"Football was his life and Celtic Park was a very large part of that. So please celebrate his life with a moment of cheers, songs and applause because that would make him feel at home again."

Further tributes are also planned for the William Hill Scottish Cup final with Hearts on May 25, with club chiefs announcing they will send out the entire Hoops team wearing Mr McNeill's iconic number five shorts at Hampden.

Meanwhile, former Celtic star Kenny Dalglish has revealed how the "wonderful education" he received from a man know affectionately as 'Cesar' during his early days at Parkhead helped put him on the road to his own moment of European glory.

Dalglish was 17 years old when he broke into the Celtic first team just 18 months after Mr McNeill had skippered the club to their historic Lisbon triumph over Inter Milan in May 1967.

On a meagre wage at the time, a car was beyond the future Scotland and Liverpool star's means so he would often take a lift from the Hoops captain to and from training.

It was those journeys which helped cement into Dalglish's mind the standards required to reach the top.

And the lessons proved fruitful as he went on to replicate the success enjoyed by McNeill and the Lisbon Lions after making his move to Anfield, where he lifted the European Cup three times.

Paying tribute to Mr McNeill, Mr Dalglish said: "My condolences go out to Billy's family and their loved ones. Marina and I are deeply saddened by the news as we have known the family for the best part of 50 years.

"I count myself as being extremely privileged to have been a team-mate of Billy's and also his friend. He was an inspirational leader on the pitch but, just as importantly, he offered wise counsel off the pitch.

"This is a sad time but also a period to reflect and remember the happy memories. I'll never forget how as a 17-year-old I got to train with Billy and other Lisbon Lions in 1968/69. I was in awe. They made every young player feel welcome.

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"They never excluded you from anything, even to the point where Billy would pick me up on the South side of Glasgow and take me to training. I didn't have a car so I relied on Billy and others such as Jim Craig and Bertie Auld to take me in.

"Billy looked after you or made sure you were looked after. That was his way. He set extremely high standards and others followed that exemplary leadership and kindness.

"Sharing the journeys in the car with Billy taught me how to handle success and be humble. To spend time with the Celtic captain was a wonderful education and stood me in good stead for my professional career and also as a person."

Tributes to Mr McNeill - who played a record 790 games for Celtic and twice managed the club as he racked up an incredible 31-trophy haul - have poured in from around the world since news of his death was revealed by his family on Tuesday.