Celtic’s historic European Cup triumph was yesterday marked with a special plaque unveiling at the stadium that gave birth to the Lisbon Lions.

The ceremony was the culmination of months of hard work by Hoops fan David Mitchell. During a visit to the Estadio Nacional, David noticed two plaques mounted on the wall.

One related to the England national team using the ground as their training camp during Euro 2004 and the other to the 1949 match between Benfica and Torino when, sadly, the entire Torino team and staff died when their aircraft tragically crashed when returning home to Italy.

So David then mounted a one-man campaign, in tandem with Celtic and the local authority, to ensure the club’s 1967 victory was properly recorded at the ground.

And yesterday he joined Lion John Clark at an official ceremony as the plaque commemorating the win was unveiled.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell paid tribute’s to David’s perserverance to have the achievement formally recognised at the stadium.

He said: “I would like to applaud David for his real commitment to this great idea and thank him for all the work he has put into making it a reality. 

“I would also like to sincerely thank the stadium management in Lisbon for all their assistance in this project. 

“This is a very special year for the club and the Lions. I am sure they in particular will be delighted that their famous win has been recognised in this way.”

David was naturally delighted to see all the parties had come together for the plaque to be installed on the stadium wall.

He said: “It struck me that while so many thousands of supporters visit the stadium regularly, we should really find a way to achieve a permanent record of that great day in 1967, to honour both Celtic and of course our greatest ever team, the Lisbon Lions, and all they did for us.

“It has been great to work with Celtic on this project and we hope that this will be something our supporters can enjoy for years to come. 

“The people responsible for the stadium in Lisbon have also been fantastic in helping us achieve this and I would like to thank them all for their assistance.”

Lisbon Lion Clark said: “This has been a great idea and something I am sure our fans will love.

“The Estadio Nacional will always hold such important places in our hearts. 

“We have visited the stadium many times and now when we or our supporters return again it will be fantastic to see the plaque in place as a record of that wonderful day.”