Known as "Jinky" for his elusive dribbling style, Johnstone played for Celtic for 13 years and was one of the Lisbon Lions, the team that won the 1967 European Cup Final.

[6] Rodger Baillie of The Sunday Times called Johnstone a "genius who lived by magic and mischief",[7] while Hugh McIlvanney wrote that no other player "besieged opponents with such a complex, concentrated swirl of deceptive manoeuvres or ever conveyed a more exhilarating sense of joy in working wonders with the ball.

Johnstone's ability caught the eye of the English giants but, upon his return to Scotland, Celtic scout John Higgins persuaded him to sign for Celtic;[2] He signed youth terms on the same day as left-back Tommy Gemmell, who lived a few miles away and would also have a long association with the club.

[10] In an early round tie against Nantes, Johnstone's trickery on the wing saw him dubbed "the Flying Flea" by the French press,[2][10] while his performances over that season saw him finish third in the European Footballer of the Year award.

[10] Two weeks after their European Cup win, Celtic played Real Madrid on 7 June 1967 in a testimonial match for the now retired Alfredo Di Stefano.

In front of over 100,000 fans at the Bernabéu Stadium, the sides engaged in a keenly fought contest that saw Bertie Auld and Real Madrid's Amancio sent off.

Di Stefano played for the first 15 minutes, but it was Jimmy Johnstone who stole the show with an exhilarating performance that had even the Spanish supporters chanting "Olé!"

His performance in the second leg of the semi-final against Leeds United at Hampden Park was particularly outstanding,[2] and his mazy run in the second half set up Bobby Murdoch to score with a powerful shot for Celtic's winning goal in a 2–1 victory on the night.

[27] His manager at Dundee was former teammate Tommy Gemmell, but Johnstone later stated that his 'heart was not in it' and he did not apply himself properly during his short spell at Dens Park, having lost the motivation to play for other clubs after being released by Celtic.

[11][28] Johnstone began his international career on 5 February 1964, playing for the Scottish Under 23 side in a friendly against England U23s, losing 2–0.

[5][33] The first goal came with Scotland trailing 4–1, when he latched on to a pass from Denis Law and used his pace and power to run past the English defence and beat goalkeeper Gordon Banks from close range.

[5] Johnstone, along with Denis Law, was reported as one of Scotland's best performers, and his play resulted in England's Nobby Stiles being booked for a crushing tackle on him.

[35] In May 1974, during the build-up to the 1974 FIFA World Cup, and days before a British Home Championship match against England at Hampden, Johnstone and his other Scotland teammates took part in a drinking session at their hotel in Largs, Ayrshire.

[36][37] Johnstone was part of the Scotland squad that travelled to West Germany for the World Cup in the summer of 1974, but he didn't play in their three games.

[43] A documentary film about Johnstone's life, created by Jamie Doran and narrated by Billy Connolly[44] titled Lord of the Wing first aired on the BBC on 25 April 2004.

[46][47] Having been diagnosed with incurable motor neuron disease (MND) five years earlier,[41] Johnstone died in March 2006, aged 61.

[48] In 2008, a bronze statue by Kate Robinson of Johnstone in action was unveiled at the main entrance to Celtic Park.

[42][38][49][50] In 2011, a statue of Johnstone and a memorial garden were created on the site at his former school, close to his home, on the Old Edinburgh Road, in Viewpark.