Full name Charles Gallagher 1958–1959 Yoker Athletic Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland Name Charlie Gallagher | Playing position Role Football player Years Team Position Inside forward | |
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Date of birth (1940-11-03) 3 November 1940 (age 75) | ||
Charlie Gallagher (born 3 November 1940 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a former Irish international football player.
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Background
Gallagher was born in Glasgow in 1940, the son of Irish parents Dan and Annie (née Duffy) from County Donegal. He first played for St. John's (Gorbals) Boys' Guild in 1952, Holyrood Senior Secondary in 1953, before joining Kilmarnock Amateurs in 1955 and Yoker Athletic in 1958. Charlie was a modest player who had an undeniable talent.
Professional career
Gallagher was recommended to Celtic by his PE teacher, John Murphy. Murphy had connections with Celtic and doubled as announcer at Parkhead on matchdays.
On 20 September 1958, Gallagher provisionally signed for Celtic and made his full debut on 6 March 1959. Jock Stein signed him as a full professional on the same day. Gallagher was part of the Lisbon Lions squad that won the 1967 European Cup Final, although he did not play in the final. The same year, Gallagher became the first Scottish born player to play for the Republic of Ireland when he travelled to Ankara on 22 February 1967 to represent Ireland against Turkey.
Gallagher played for Celtic for over ten years, making a total of 171 appearances and scoring 32 goals including 106 Scottish League appearances and 17 league goals. He also played in 13 European games. Gallagher remained at Celtic until 1 May 1970, when he transferred to Dumbarton. He retired from playing in April 1973. Gallagher worked as a scout for Celtic from April 1976 to April 1978.
Personal life
He has a brother, Danny and a sister, Eileen, and is a cousin of fellow Celtic player Paddy Crerand. Charlie now lives in Bishopbriggs with his wife Maryrose. He has 3 children (Paul, Kieron and Claire) and 8 grandchildren. In 2016 a biography, Charlie Gallagher? What A Player written by David W. Potter and published by Celtic Quick News appeared.