Paul Michael Lyons McStay OBE, nicknamed the Maestro (born 22 October 1964, Hamilton), is a former football player who spent his entire career with Scottish team Celtic, making his debut in 1982 and retiring in 1997. He captained both Scotland and Celtic at all age levels. He was capped 76 times for his country and scored nine goals. He helped Celtic win three league titles, the last one in 1988 and remains a popular figure amongst Celtic's fans. A song called "Willie Maley", which celebrates McStay (among other former players) has become popular in recent years.
He moved to live in Sydney, Australia with his wife Anne Marie and their six children in 2010.
Club career
McStay signed for Celtic aged sixteen from Celtic Boys Club in 1981. He scored on his league debut against Aberdeen in a match Celtic won 3–1 on 30 January 1982. He first came to prominence in 1980, in a Schoolboy International match where Scotland played England at Wembley. Then 15, he was the captain and shone during the match like a player twice his age. He scored a great goal in the match and was awarded the Man of the Match award after Scotland ran out 5–4 winners.
When Roy Aitken left Celtic Park in 1990, McStay was appointed club captain, a position he retained until his retirement following the 1996–97 season. In his time with the club, Celtic won the League title three times, the Scottish Cup 4 times and the League Cup once. Although the second half of McStay's career coincided with a time when Celtic were in turmoil and were overshadowed by rivals Rangers, in 2002 he was voted a member of Celtic's greatest ever team by the club's fans. He is also a member of the Scotland Football Hall of Fame, which honours the best players to play in Scotland and is located in the Scottish Football Museum. [1]
McStay's great-uncles, Jimmy and Willie McStay, were former Celtic captains, and his brothers Willie and Raymond also played for Celtic. His nephew, John, played with Celtic Boys Club before moving onto Motherwell under 19s and now plays for Ayr United as a defender.[2]
International career
McStay made his full national team debut in 1983 and represented Scotland 76 times, including appearances at two World Cups in 1986 and 1990, during a 14-year international career. In mid-1982 he captained Scotland to victory in the UEFA European Under-18 Championship. This is the only major trophy to date, won by the Scottish Football Association. He captained each of the Scotland teams from under-16 level through under-18, under-20, under-21 and at full National team level.
International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
Career statistics
Honours
Club
International
- UEFA European Under-18 Championship (1)
Individual
References
External links
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