Willie Henderson is considered by many, to be Thee Greatest Right Winger ever to have played for Rangers.
Personally speaking, he was my first ever real hero, and in my lifetime, he is without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest Right Winger I have ever seen.
Henderson had electric pace that could leave any defender for dead, he could dribble inside or outside an opponent, he could cross the ball magnificently, he could pass the ball with precision, and he could shoot too, when the opportunity presented itself.
In this day and age of stats and thats, Henderson would sit atop of all others in the 'assist' column.
He was born on 24th Jan 1944, in Caldercruix, North Lanrkshire
He signed professional forms for Rangers on his 17th birthday.
Six weeks later on March 11th 1961, Willie Henderson, a raw 17 year old kid, who was probably the shortest player in Scotland, and also a tad short on the eyesight, was making his debut for The Rangers in a League match at home to Clyde.
Rangers won 2-1 with goals from Davy Wilson and George McLean (not the Dandy one).
Also in the side that day, having made his own debut only four days earlier, was a 20 year old Ronnie McKinnon, playing at Right Half.
These two youngsters would go on to play in the same side on more than 400 occasions, and make some 900 appearances between them, for Rangers, over the next ten years.
At that point in the season, Rangers were running away with the Title, sitting 6 points clear of Kilmarnock with 6 games to play. (2 pts for a win in those days)
Rangers would drop 6 points in their next four games when they failed to win any of them.
Kilmarnock took 7 from 8, (beating Rangers 2-0 along the way)
and with 2 games left to play trailed Rangers by only 1 point.
Hibs were the visitors to Ibrox for that must win penultimate game, and the young Henderson was recalled to a badly wounded Rangers side that had lost 1-6 at Pittodrie three days earlier.
Rangers would win 1-0 thanks to a Ian McMillan goal, but the game was not without drama.
Hibs goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson would save his 7th penalty of the season, from Alex Scott.
Henderson in only his third game was carried off with torn ankle ligaments.
This forced him to miss any chance of being involved in the Title clincher at Ibrox, which Rangers won 7-3 v Ayr Utd, or the ECWC semi final (2nd leg) v Wolves, and the two-legged ECWC Final itself v Fiorentina.
The 1961-62 season saw Henderson establish himself in the team, making 22 appearances in all competitions
He would make his European debut in a European Cup tie v ASK Vowarts (E.Germany) in Malmo. This was Rangers home tie, but the East Germans were refused visas, hence the reason the game was played in Sweden.
Henderson scored after 36 mins to give Rangers a 1-0 lead.
Unfortunately, the game was abandoned (Fog) after 45 mins. and Henderson's first ever goal for Rangers did not count.
The game was played the following morning, and Rangers won 4-1 with Henderson scoring the fourth. (and this time it counted).
On March 17th, Henderson lined up in the unfamiliar position of outside left for a league match at Brockville, that will always be remembered for Davy Wilson being moved to centre forward, and scoring six times as Rangers won 7-1.
By the end of that season, Willie Henderson had displaced Scotland's first choice right winger Alex Scott, to second choice right winger for Rangers.
Henderson would collect his first medal as Rangers beat St Mirren 2-0 in the Scottish Cup Final.
62-63 saw Rangers produce some of their best football ever with a forward line of Henderson, McMillan, Millar, Brand and Wilson.
Although Baxter and McMillan were the ones 'with the vision', Henderson was very much a supplier to his other three forwards, as Messrs Millar, Brand and Wilson, between them scored a staggering 112 goals that season.
That record of 3 different Forwards all scoring 30 plus goals each, in the same season, is a record that stood for over 50 years, until Barcelona finally achieved this in the 2015-16 season with Messi, Saurez and Neymar.
Henderson weighed in with 8 of his own in that 62-63 season, and would score the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win at Parkhead in Sept.
Rangers would go on to win the Double of League Championship and Scottish Cup.
Henderson would feature in 46 of 54 games.
He won his first cap for Scotland at aged 18 (replacing Alex Scott) on 20th Oct 1962, scoring the decisive third goal in a 3-2 win over Wales at Ninian Park.
To this day, Henderson is the second youngest debutant for the National side since 1929.
In the last 90 years, only Denis Law (by 31 days) was younger when making his debut for Scotland.
Henderson also scored in his second appearance three weeks later in 5-1 win v N.Ireland at Hampden.
In Feb 63' Alex Scott (having made only 4 League appearances that season) moved to Everton.
In April, Henderson would tear the English defence to ribbons, as 10 man Scotland claimed a famous 2-1 victory at Wembley.
(Baxter scored twice, Caldow had his leg broken, and Davy Wilson played at left back).
In June, Henderson scored in the Bernabeu as Scotland hammered Spain 6-2.
He was still a teenager in a young Scotland side where everyone else was between 23 and 27.
He was a star in arguably Rangers best ever forward line.
63-64 Rangers won the Treble, and Henderson played in 47 of the 52 games that season.
As a 20 year old, Henderson already had 2 Scottish League Titles, 3 Scottish Cup Winners and 2 League Cup Winners medals in his wee cabinet.
The following season 64-65, on November 21st, Rangers announce that Willie Henderson will be out for the remainder of the season, with bunion trouble.
Just over Two months later, at the end of January, Willie Henderson returned to the Rangers side, and played in every one of the 19 remaining games that season.
He also played 4 games for Scotland, and was selected to play for the WORLD XI, in an Exhibition Match against a Stanley Matthews XI (that included Jim Baxter).
Henderson would score for the World XI.
65-66, Henderson played in 39 of 51 games, and collected a Scottish Cup winners medal.
66-67, Henderson played in 51 of 55 games, as Rangers went all the way to the Final of the ECWC.
67-68, Henderson played in 36 of the 51 games, this despite missing almost three months of the season.
68-69, Henderson played in 51 of 55 games, and was selected for 'The Rest of Britain' v Wales.
69-70, Henderson played in 36 of 47 games.
70-71, Henderson played in 45 of 53 games. In Dec, he replaced Johann Cruyff as a sub for 'The Rest of the World' v Benfica
In his time at Ibrox, Henderson had witnessed Eric Caldow, Jim Baxter, Davy Wilson, Willie Johnston, Davie Provan, Dave Smith(twice), and Ronnie McKinnon all suffer leg breaks,yet the attention paid to his own bunion problems, seemed to gain many more columns in what media we had back then.
Despite all his injury problems, from the time he established himself in the team in 1961, until he was phased out 10 years later, Willie Henderson played in over 400 games for Rangers.
It is worth noting that Wee Willie won 17 of his 29 Caps for Scotland after the bunion problem, that, despite being in direct competition to Celtic's greatest ever....Jimmy Johnstone.
Whilst in direct competition Henderson won 27 Caps to Johnstone's 11, and some of those 11 were gained at the expense of an injured Henderson.
Not much doubt here as to who was the better of the two.
Jimmy Johnstone won more than half of his 23 Caps, AFTER Willie Henderson had retired from International football in April 1971.
Unlike his ginger haired buddy, Henderson was direct, lightning fast, a fantastic dribbler, could cross, could pass, could finish, he had it all.
To this day, I still have many a image in my head of wee Wullie,
of those six inch red turnovers on his socks,
of those bandy legs that could be easily nutmegged, with both feet locked together,
of the wee barra taking a corner kick, in a glossy Citizen Colour Special,
but my all time favourite image of him was not on the field of play, it was the night we beat Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final replay, with a Kai Johansen special, in 1966, and there is a picture of Henderson stepping out of the players entrance at Hampden that night, with a huge cigar between his lips, and both arms raised aloft in triumph.
Willie Henderson is a Rangers Legend.
