In “Sean Fallon, Celtic’s Iron Man,” the autobiography of the former Parkhead assistant manager, the Irishman reveals the full emotional extent that the Lisbon triumph had on Jock Stein.

There in the dug-out beside Stein, Fallon, recounted how the manager, forever perceived as clinical, pragmatic and robust, had to take himself out of the fray in the final minute of the action against Inter Milan as Celtic made history.

The last shot of Stein as the match neared its conclusion, shows him heading towards the dressing rooms, seemingly unable to watch. Yet Fallon confirmed that immediately that it was not the tension of the situation Stein found unbearable but the emotion.

Jock wasn’t nervous; he was just so proud by that point that he had started to get tearful, and he was embarrassed,” explained Fallon. “He didn’t want the players to see him like that so he just got up and walked away.

“While everyone was celebrating, he was down in the tunnel composing himself. I always knew there was another side to Jock but that was something to see, even for me, because he wasn’t an emotional man in normal circumstances.

“I was always very soft-hearted compared to him in that respect - I’ll start crying watching the telly if something sad comes on. But that day, it all hit him. He was so proud of that team that he was almost bursting.”

Celtic fans exploded onto the pitch, meaning that accepting the trophy was almost impossible. The winning medals were handed out unceremoniously from a shoe box in the dressing room but it was Fallon who was charged with getting Billy McNeill to the podium to collect the European Cup, an image that has been emblazoned on the psyche of generations of Celtic fans ever since.

“I remember when Jock asked me to take Billy up, thinking, ‘How am I going to manage this?’” said Fallon. “We had to push through a bit at first - some folk nearly pulled the ribs off me, trying to get my blazer off.

“But, before long, the Celtic supporters had crowded round us and were helping us get there. I don’t think I’ve ever shaken so many hands or been patted on the back so often. And it was tremendous to be up there with Billy, so close to him as he lifted the cup. It was the first time they had used that trophy and I remember thinking it was magnificent.

“That was the big one for us; the ultimate success. It’s one of those moments you know you’ll never forget.”

For the unassuming Fallon, bringing the trophy back to Glasgow was an even bigger thrill than winning it in Lisbon. “I actually think the part of the European Cup win I enjoyed the most wasn’t Lisbon, but bringing the cup home to Glasgow and seeing the joy it had brought to so many people,” reflected Fallon, who died in 2013. “That journey back to Celtic Park, with the streets packed and the stadium overflowing, will stay with me forever.”

Extracts taken from Sean Fallon: Celtic’s Iron Man, by Stephen Sullivan is available from Backpage Press. ‘Iron Man: The Sean Fallon story’ premiers on BT Sport at 10pm this evening.