The Road to Lisbon

Book excerpt: A young fan invests his hope in his heroes in this “spectacular” novel inspired by the true story of a hardscrabble Scottish football club’s 1967 season (Scottish Daily Mail). In 1967 Celtic manager Jock Stein stepped from the tunnel of Lisbon’s Estadio Nacional and took up a position pitch-side as his team of homegrown players ran out to face the might of Inter Milan, the charismatic superstars of Italian football, in the European Cup final. Celtic were a team forged in Stein’s own image, steeled with a relentless industry and integrity by their inspirational manager whose character had, in turn, been honed by the horrors of the deep dark of the coalfields. This extraordinary novel delves into the very heart of that incredible season, telling the story through the eyes of Stein—as he plots and plans and drags his team to the pinnacle of European club football—and those of Tim, an idealistic young fan journeying to the big game from the south side of Glasgow, whose dreams of life beyond the decaying slums are inextricably tied to those of his heroes. The Road to Lisbon is a novel of hopes and dreams, of self-discovery and triumph over adversity—and of an unerring love for an institution that represents so much more than just a football club.