Icons of Football

Original version

A BBC TV channel for Scotland which will broadcast every evening and will show drama, factual, comedy and news programmes made in Scotland

BBC Scotland HD

Series 2

Documentaries

Sport

Sport: Football

How some of Scottish football’s biggest stars made their names on and off the pitch.

The incredible stories of how some of Scottish football’s biggest stars made their names on the pitch... and off it.

BBC Scotland

Charlie Nicholas

KT Tunstall

Jim Kerr

Hayley McQueen

Jim Duffy

Viv Anderson

Willie Miller

Pat Bonner

David Robertson

Adrian Thrills

Ewan Torrance

Claire Kelly

Martin Conaghan

Icons of Football: Series 1: Charlie Nicholas

Series 1

BBC Scotland - Icons of Football, Series 1, Charlie Nicholas

How Charlie Nicholas’s amazing goal-scoring talent earned him the name Champagne Charlie.

Growing up in Glasgow, Charlie Nicholas dreamed of playing for Celtic, the team he loved. And when the chance to make his dream come true came along, he grabbed it, scored goals for fun, and earned himself the nickname Champagne Charlie after hitting 48 goals for Celtic in one season. However, when negotiations stalled on a new Celtic contract, Charlie decided he needed to make a move, and he headed south to join Arsenal, where he became known for making an impact at the showbiz parties and clubs of London.

There was also success on the pitch at Arsenal, and his cavalier style made him a fan favourite. However, it didn’t make him a hit with manager George Graham, and eventually Charlie headed back to Scotland to sign for Aberdeen, where he enjoyed a new lease of life. But Celtic eventually came calling, and Charlie couldn’t resist. However, his second spell at Celtic Park never saw him hit the dizzy heights of his first spell at the club.

After hanging up his boots, Charlie decided his next step would be talking about the game he loved, and he forged a new career as a pundit on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday. So how does he look back at his career, and what does he think about the nickname that stuck with him throughout it all?

Icons of Football: Series 1

A BBC TV channel for Scotland which will broadcast every evening and will show drama, factual, comedy and news programmes made in Scotland


How some of Scottish football’s biggest stars made their names on the pitch... and off it.

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