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{{Other people||Paul Wilson (disambiguation){{!}}Paul Wilson}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Paul Wilson
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1950|11|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Bangalore]], India
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2017|09|18|1950|11|23}}
| death_place =
| height =
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = [[Drumchapel Amateur F.C.|Drumchapel Amateurs]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2354346/Visionary-who-made-dreams-come-true.html |title='Visionary' who made dreams come true |author=Philip, Robert |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|place=London |date=26 January 2005 |accessdate=24 October 2018}}</ref>
| years1 = 1967–1978
| years2 = 1967–1970
| years3 = 1978–1979
| years4 = 1979–1980
| years5 = 1980–1982
| clubs1 = [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]
| clubs2 = → [[Maryhill F.C.|Maryhill]] (loan)
| clubs3 = [[Motherwell F.C.|Motherwell]]
| clubs4 = [[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]
| clubs5 = [[Blantyre Celtic F.C.|Blantyre Celtic]]
| caps1 = 131
| caps2 =
| caps3 = 21
| caps4 = 10
| totalcaps = 160
| goals1 = 30
| goals2 =
| goals3 = 1
| goals4 = 0
| totalgoals = 31
| nationalyears1 = 1975
| nationalteam1 = [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]]
| nationalcaps1 = 1
| nationalgoals1 = 0
}}
'''Paul Wilson''' (23 November 1950 – 18 September 2017)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.celticfc.net/news/13257 |title=Death of former Celt, Paul Wilson |publisher=Celtic FC |date=18 September 2017 |accessdate=18 September 2017}}</ref> was an Indian-born [[Scottish people|Scottish]] professional [[Association football|footballer]], who played for [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]], [[Motherwell F.C.|Motherwell]] and [[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]. His football career peaked in season 1974–75 after being moved to play as a striker when he scored 29 goals for Celtic, including two in that season's [[1975 Scottish Cup Final|Scottish Cup final win]]. He played for Scotland that season, making him the only non-white player to represent the full Scotland team in the 20th century, and the first footballer with Asian origins to represent any of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland at senior level.

Following his mother's death, his enthusiasm for football diminished. He left the professional game at the age of 29.<ref name="india"/>

==Early years==
Wilson was born in [[Bangalore]], India.<ref name="india">{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/interview-paul-wilson-on-stein-celtic-and-racial-abuse-in-the-1970s-1-1901659|title=Interview: Paul Wilson on Stein, Celtic and racial abuse in the 1970s|first=Andrew|last=Smith|work=The Scotsman|date=10 October 2011|accessdate=31 July 2014}}</ref> His Scottish father was stationed there with the [[Royal Air Force]]. His mother was Indian of Dutch-Portuguese origin. The family moved to Scotland when Wilson was one year old, living first in the [[Dennistoun]] district of [[Glasgow]] then in the town of [[Milngavie]] in the northern outskirts.<ref name="india"/>

==Career==
===Club===
[[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] manager [[Jock Stein]] signed Wilson for the club in 1967 and immediately farmed him out to [[Scottish Junior Football Association|Junior club]], [[Maryhill F.C.|Maryhill]], to gain experience before returning to Celtic. Wilson was part of a group of young players named the [[Quality Street Gang (Celtic F.C.)|Quality Street Gang]] by the Scottish media. He was one of many in that group who gradually replaced Celtic's [[Lisbon Lions]] team which had won the [[1967 European Cup Final]]. Wilson's senior debut was in a European Cup 9–0 win at [[Celtic Park]] against [[KPV Kokkola]] in 1970 in which he scored twice.

Wilson was a quick footballer able to shoot with either foot. He was largely deployed by Stein on the wing where he felt Wilson's pace would be useful. Wilson disliked playing wide, preferring to play more centrally. He had dark skin tone and received racist abuse in his football career during [[Old Firm]] games against rivals [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]]<ref name = "india"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Gilroy, Carrington and McDonald | year=2001| title='Race', sport, and British society| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D6eCAgAAQBAJ&q=Wilson |page=42| accessdate=8 August 2010|isbn=0-415-24629-6}}</ref>

Wilson became a first team regular in August 1973. He ended season [[1973–74 in Scottish football]] with a league winners' medal but did not feature in the squad for the [[1974 Scottish Cup Final]], a 3–0 win over [[Dundee United]].

Stein moved the fast and elegant Wilson to play up front for the 1974–75 season where he outscored his friend and strike partner, [[Kenny Dalglish]], with 29 goals. This culminated with Wilson scoring two headed goals in the 3–1 victory over [[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrie]] in the [[1975 Scottish Cup Final]]. This was also the season he was selected to play for Scotland.<ref name = "india"/>

Wilson's mother died in the week leading up to the final against Airdrie. He later stated his mother's death was the source of his waning enthusiasm for football. This was not helped by a niggling injury requiring cortisone injections. Wilson did though collect a second championship winning medal in 1976–77 when he had been a regular until [[Alfie Conn Jr.|Alfie Conn]] joined in March that season. Wilson remained at Celtic until 1978 when he was out of favour under [[Billy McNeill]]'s management. At Celtic he made 226 appearances in all competitions, scoring 62 goals including six in matches against Rangers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/celtic/player2.php?playerid=2712 |title=Celtic player Paul Wilson (record by opponent) |website=FitbaStats |accessdate=24 October 2018}}</ref>

Next Wilson moved to [[Motherwell F.C.|Motherwell]] for one season.<ref>[http://www.motherwellnet.com/database/player-archive/w/paul-wilson/ Paul Wilson], MotherWELLnet</ref> He then finished his senior career at the end of the 1980 season with [[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]] at the age of 29.<ref name = "india"/>

After his spell at Thistle he was tempted into junior football by ex-Celtic teammate [[Jimmy Johnstone]] with [[Blantyre Celtic F.C.|Blantyre Celtic]],<ref name = "india"/> winning a [[Scotland national Junior football team|junior international]] cap.

===International===
Wilson gained one international [[caps (sport)|cap]] for [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]]. On 5 February 1975, [[Willie Ormond]] sent him on as a 75th-minute substitute for Kenny Burns in a European Championship qualifier. The 1–1 draw was against [[Spain national football team|Spain]] in [[Valencia]] in which [[Joe Jordan]] had put the Scots ahead.<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/tabless/scot-intres1975.html Scotland - International Matches 1971-1975 RSSSF]</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/ideally-suited-to-face-up-to-racism-why-the-boy-from-possil-is-mystified-over-scots-game-1.3973 |title=Ideally suited to face up to racism Why the boy from Possil is mystified over Scots game |last=Greig |first=Martin |work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |date=25 November 2006 |accessdate=10 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{SFA Profile |id=113833 |name=Paul Wilson}}</ref> Wilson remarked, "I nearly scored but their keeper just got his hands to my effort. I was as sick as a dog. I was so proud to get my one cap."<ref>{{cite web|title= Wilson, Paul|url=http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Wilson,+Paul|work=The Celtic Wiki|accessdate=26 March 2016}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=February 2023}}

[[Andrew Watson (footballer, born 1856)|Andrew Watson]] collected three full caps in the 1880s. Wilson was the only non-white of the 727 players to be selected by the full Scotland international team during the 20th century.<ref name=the18>[https://the18.com/soccer-entertainment/paul-wilson-celtic-scotland-national-team "Remembering Paul Wilson: The Only Non-White Player To Represent Scotland In The 20th Century" the18.com 28 December 2017]</ref><ref name = "india"/> The book "'Race', Sport and British Society" notes Wilson's Scotland outing was a full three years before [[Viv Anderson]] became the first black player to play for England: "Anderson's selection was heralded as a significant step forward for black representation in football; Wilson's selection for Scotland was ignored," wrote the authors. Wilson was the first player of Asian descent to have represented any of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland at senior level.<ref name = "india"/> The third non-white player to be capped by Scotland was [[Nigel Quashie]] in 2004.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

==Honours==
;Celtic<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/celtic/player2.php?playerid=2712|title=Celtic player Wilson, Paul) |website=FitbaStats |accessdate=12 February 2020}}</ref>
* [[Scottish Football League]]: [[1973–74 Scottish Division One|1973–74]], [[1976–77 Scottish Premier Division|1976–77]]
* [[Scottish Cup]]: [[1974–75 Scottish Cup|1974–75]], [[1976–77 Scottish Cup|1976–77]]
* [[Scottish League Cup]]: [[1974–75 Scottish League Cup|1974–75]]
**Runner-up [[1973–74 Scottish League Cup|1973–74]], [[1975–76 Scottish League Cup|1975–76]], [[1976–77 Scottish League Cup|1976–77]], [[1977–78 Scottish League Cup|1977–78]]
* [[Glasgow Cup]]: 1974–75 (shared)
* [[Drybrough Cup]]: 1974–75

==See also==
* [[List of Scotland international footballers born outside Scotland]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{NeilBrownPlayers|player/paulwilson|Paul Wilson}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Paul}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:Footballers from Bangalore]]
[[Category:Scottish men's footballers]]
[[Category:Scotland men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Scotland men's junior international footballers]]
[[Category:Scottish Junior Football Association players]]
[[Category:Scottish people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Scottish people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:Scottish people of Portuguese descent]]
[[Category:Indian people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:Indian people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:Indian people of Portuguese descent]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Scotland]]
[[Category:British sportspeople of Indian descent]]
[[Category:British Asian footballers]]
[[Category:Anglo-Indian people]]
[[Category:Celtic F.C. players]]
[[Category:Drumchapel Amateur F.C. players]]
[[Category:Motherwell F.C. players]]
[[Category:Partick Thistle F.C. players]]
[[Category:Maryhill F.C. players]]
[[Category:Scottish Football League players]]
[[Category:People from Milngavie]]
[[Category:People educated at St Ninian's High School, Kirkintilloch]]
[[Category:Blantyre Celtic F.C. players]]
[[Category:Place of death missing]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]

Paul Wilson (footballer, born 1950) - Revision history

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