Hughes signed for Celtic from Shotts Bon Accord in 1960, and scored 189 goals in 416 appearances during his eleven seasons with the club. He was part of the Celtic squad who won the 1967 European Cup and became known as the Lisbon Lions. Although Hughes was dropped for the side who won the final, he was awarded a winner’s medal in recognition of the part he played in the team. He had played in the requisite number of matches to qualify for a medal, as had Joe McBride and Charlie Gallagher.
Celtic reached the European Cup final for the second time in 1970, after they defeated English champions Leeds United in both legs of the semi-final. In the first leg, Celtic beat Leeds 1–0 at Elland Road with a goal from George Connelly. The second leg, which was played at Hampden Park in front of almost 140,000 people, was won 2–1 by Celtic. Hughes scored Celtic’s first goal in that match, after Billy Bremner had given Leeds an early lead and levelled the aggregate score. Celtic lost the final 2–1 after extra time to Dutch side Feyenoord, with Hughes playing the whole game. Despite playing primarily on the wing, Hughes remains one of Celtic’s highest all time highest goal scorers (6th) and is firmly established as a club legend.
