Luigi Macari MBE (born 7 June 1949) is a Scottish former footballer and manager. He began his playing career at Celtic where he was one of the Quality Street Gang, the outstanding reserve team that emerged in the late 1960s that also included Kenny Dalglish and Danny McGrain. He is best known for his time at Manchester United, where he played over 400 games. He helped them win promotion back to the First Division and then played in their FA Cup win of 1977. He then finished his playing career at Swindon Town.

Macari was the manager of Swindon, West Ham United, Birmingham City, Stoke City (two spells), Celtic and Huddersfield Town.[4][5]

Playing career

Celtic

Lou Macari was the only child of Margaret and Albert; he was born in Edinburgh, and spent the first year of his life with his family in the village of Newtongrange, before the family moved to London.[6] His father was in the catering industry, and had represented the British Army at football.[7] The family moved to Largs in North Ayrshire when Macari was aged nine.[8] He was spotted playing for Ayrshire county by Celtic, and signed schoolboy forms for the club at the age of 16.[9] He turned professional at the club in 1968, on wages of £15 a week.[10]

Macari quickly became part of the renowned reserve side known as the Quality Street Gang that also included Kenny Dalglish, Danny McGrain and David Hay.[11] In August 1968, Celtic Reserves needed to defeat Partick Thistle Reserves by at least seven goals to win their Reserve League Cup section over Rangers Reserves. Celtic won 12–0, with Macari scoring four goals.[11] Macari scored 91 goals in two seasons for the reserves and in occasional first team games,[11] having broken through into the Celtic first team in 1970.[9] In 1971, he replaced Willie Wallace in the starting line up for the replay of the 1971 Scottish Cup Final, and scored for Celtic in a 2–1 win over Rangers.[12]

Manchester United

After a promising start to his playing career with Celtic, he moved south of the border in 1973 for £200,000 to sign for Manchester United, where he spent the bulk of his playing career. During his time with Celtic he had scored 57 goals in 100 appearances since making his first team debut in 1970. He won three League titles and two Scottish Cups in his time at Celtic.[13]

His first game for Manchester United came in January 1973 against West Ham United in which he scored a point-saving goal in a 2–2 draw. In 1977, his deflected shot off teammate Jimmy Greenhoff won Manchester United the FA Cup final against Liverpool (and ultimately denied Liverpool the European treble). He made 400 appearances for the club, scoring 98 goals.

Macari's early career at Old Trafford was spent trying to lead an attack that struggled to achieve anything. Relegation to the Second division in 1974 was the low point but Macari blossomed as a midfielder in the following seasons under Tommy Docherty, as United began to win back a large following with attacking football in which Macari enjoyed popularity alongside players such as Gordon Hill, Steve Coppell and the Greenhoff brothers.

Macari helped United win the Second Division title in 1975. They finished third on their return to the top flight and were runners-up in the FA Cup before going one better and lifting the trophy a year later.[9] He was on the losing side in the 1979 final against Arsenal,[9] and also played in a string of European campaigns during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Scotland

Macari won two Scotland Under 23 caps in early 1972,[14] before making his debut for the full Scotland national team in May 1972 against Wales.[15] He was a member of the Scotland squad for the 1978 World Cup tournament in Argentina. However, he attracted widespread criticism when it emerged that he had led complaints that the £20,000 bonuses the players would receive if they won the World Cup were too low, then made extra money by selling stories to the press[16] about the disarray and tensions within the Scottish camp. As it turned out, the Scotland team lost their first match to Peru, and drew with Iran. They beat the Netherlands 3–2 but this was insufficient to proceed in the tournament and the Scotland squad returned home without qualifying for the knock-out stage. Macari and his team-mates did not receive the bonuses which were the subject of contention. He won a total of 24 senior caps, scoring five international goals.[17]

Management career

After leaving Manchester United in 1984, he managed Swindon Town, West Ham United, Stoke City (twice), Celtic, Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town. As a manager Macari insisted upon a strict fitness regime, which included extra sessions in the players' free time and the banning of alcohol in and around the club.[18]

Post-retirement activities

Macari currently lives in Stoke-on-Trent and works as a pundit for MUTV on several shows. He is a regular guest on Match Day Live before Manchester United home and away games. As well as phone-in shows such as Wednesday Night Phone-in he occasionally does punditry for Sky Sports, and also writes regular comment pieces for the Stoke-on-Trent newspaper The Sentinel. He has given several guest talks at Staffordshire University on the Sports Journalism courses. Macari also owns the "Lou Macari Chip Shop" on Chester Road, near Old Trafford. He wrote his autobiography in October 2009 called Football, My Life.

Macari was portrayed by Scottish actor Tony Curran in the 2014 television film Marvellous, based on the life of former Stoke City kitman Neil Baldwin.[34]

Personal life

Macari's mother died just before the 1978 World Cup in strange circumstances. He subsequently discovered that she had overdosed on tablets. "My mum had been on her own, and in the conversation I'd had with her she said she had some friends up there. Putting the pieces together after she died, I just wasn't convinced that the friends were good friends. Some money had gone missing."[35]

His sons Michael and Paul have played professionally with Stoke, when Macari was manager of the club. His youngest son Jonathan died by suicide in 1999 after being released from his contract at Nottingham Forest.[36] Family friend and former manager Dave Bassett said that Jonathan could not handle the pressure of living up to his father's greatness. There was also talk of drugs affecting his son's life and leading to his suicide,[37] but Macari later discounted that theory, admitting that much like the death of his mother, the complete story behind the tragedy may never be known.[35] Years later he said that "money in a young man's pocket is a recipe for disaster and we had that disaster. Only when you go through something like that do you understand the hell of it."[38]

His grandson Lewis plays for Notts County, having signed from Stoke City.[39]

Macari worked with Stoke-on-Trent council to set up The Macari Centre, a street retreat to house the homeless sleeping rough, which opened in February 2016.[40][41] In the COVID-19 pandemic, following the closure of the crowded premises of The Macari Centre, Macari rented a warehouse and filled it with glamping pods for homeless people, giving them socially distanced places of their own and their own individual addresses.[42]

In June 2026, Macari was made an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours for services to association football and to homeless people in Stoke-on-Trent.[43]

Career statistics

As a player

Club

Source:[44]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other[A] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Celtic 1967–68 Scottish Division One 000010000010
1968–69 Scottish Division One 110030000041
1969–70 Scottish Division One 157220000211910
1970–71 Scottish Division One 115118512002113
1971–72 Scottish Division One 2010556584314225
1972–73 Scottish Division One 11300643230239
Total 58268824141288211058
Manchester United 1972–73 First Division 16500000030195
1973–74 First Division 35521100000386
1974–75 Second Division 3811207700004718
1975–76 First Division 3612613200004515
1976–77 First Division 389734141005314
1977–78 First Division 328431020104011
1978–79 First Division 32650100000386
1979–80 First Division 39920300000449
1980–81 First Division 38920201000439
1981–82 First Division 11220000000132
1982–83 First Division 9210301000142
1983–84 First Division 5010202000100
Total 3297834827101014040497
Swindon Town 1984–85 Fourth Division 27310100021314
1985–86 Fourth Division 9000300000120
Total 36310400021434
Career total 42310743165524229143557159
A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Anglo-Italian Cup, Drybrough Cup, FA Charity Shield, Football League Trophy and Glasgow Cup.

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Scotland[45] 197263
197340
197550
197762
197830
Total245

As a manager

Source:[44]

Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
PWDLWin %
Swindon Town 23 July 1984 3 July 1989 2851386780048.4
West Ham United 3 July 1989 18 February 1990 40151213037.5
Birmingham City 7 February 1991 18 June 1991 241266050.0
Stoke City 18 June 1991 26 October 1993 138693831050.0
Celtic[46] 27 October 1993 14 June 1994 3412148035.3
Stoke City 29 September 1994 1 July 1997 151554749036.4
Huddersfield Town 16 October 2000 14 June 2002 93362928038.7
Total 765337213215044.1

Honours

As a player

Celtic

Manchester United

As a manager

Swindon Town

Birmingham City

Stoke City

Individual

References

General

  • Macari, Lou; Garside, Kevin (2008). Football, My Life. Bantam. ISBN 978-0-593-06108-4.

Specific

  1. ↑ "Lou Macari". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  2. ↑ Lou Macari at the Scottish Football Association
  3. ↑ "Lou Macari". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lowe, Simon (2000). Stoke City The Modern Era – A Complete Record. Desert Island Books. ISBN 1-874287-39-2.
  6. ↑ Macari & Garside 2008, p. 7
  7. ↑ Macari & Garside 2008, p. 8
  8. ↑ Macari & Garside 2008, p. 9
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Burdett, Daniel. "Lou Macari". Stretford End. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  10. ↑ Macari & Garside 2008, p. 15
  11. 1 2 3 Burns, Will (20 March 2014). "The Quality Street Gang; The greatest Celtic team that never was". World Football Weekly. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  12. 1 2 "The Boy in the Picture – Lou Macari". The Celtic Underground. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Lou Macari". LMA. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "Macari, Lou". FitbaStats. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "Macari, Lou". FitbaStats. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  16. ↑ Stephen McGinty (30 December 2008). "How our man in Argentina put boot into Ally's World Cup flops". The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  17. ↑ Lou Macari's Scotland record londonhearts.com
  18. ↑ Macaari, Lou (9 June 2009). "Lou Macari: Vale fans must be realistic". The Sentinel. Retrieved 9 June 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  19. ↑ Macari, Lou (20 July 2010). "Lou Macari: Teams can't be a success unless they are fit for purpose". The Sentinel. Retrieved 20 July 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Manager profile – Lou MACARI". Swindon Town FC. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  21. ↑ "Macari cleared of tax fraud in running football club". Independent.co.uk. 29 July 1992.
  22. 1 2 "Managers – Lou Macari". West Ham United FC. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Lou Macari – Managerial Statistics". soccerbase.com. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  24. 1 2 Sharratt, Ben; Blows, Kirk (2010). Bring me the head of Trevor Brooking : three decades of East End soap opera at West Ham United. Edinburgh: Mainstream. p. 154. ISBN 978-1845966614.
  25. ↑ "Ludo: 'we Must Be Mad!'". whufc.com. 19 March 2015. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  26. 1 2 "MANCHESTER City yesterday signed West Ham's highly rated midfielder Mark Ward". Herald Scotland. 29 December 1989. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  27. ↑ Banks, Robert (1 September 2010). "Stop! Hammer Time". Sabotage Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  28. ↑ "Lou Macari - West Ham United FC". whufc.com. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  29. 1 2 "Lou Macari: Trophy bid can lead to unforgettable memories". The Stoke Sentinel. 4 September 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2015.[permanent dead link]
  30. ↑ "A Less Than 'Spooktacular' Record". Stoke City FC. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  31. 1 2 Cuddihy, Paul (6 June 2014). "Ronny Deila is Celtic's No.17". Celtic FC. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  32. ↑ "Celtic – Managers". Soccerbase. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  33. ↑ Traynor, James (30 January 1994). "Scottish Cup: Coyne spins out Celtic – Sport". The Independent. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  34. ↑ McIver, Brian (16 September 2014). "I loved playing Celtic icon Lou Macari in new film.. it made a change to play a human, says Scots actor Tony Curran". Daily Record. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  35. 1 2 Deveney, Catherine (10 August 2008). "Only a game: Lou Macari talks about the tragedy that changed his world". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  36. ↑ "Football manager's son found hanged". BBC News. 29 April 1999. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  37. ↑ Aston, Paul (1 October 1999). "'Real world' too much for Macari's son" (reprint). Birmingham Post. The Free Library (Farlex). Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  38. ↑ Buckland, Simon (19 October 2008). "Lou Macari faces his son's suicide". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  39. ↑ "Lewis Macari: Notts County sign on-loan Stoke City defender on permanent deal". BBC Sport. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  40. ↑ Ault, Richard (24 November 2017). "What can YOU do to help the homeless in Stoke-on-Trent?". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  41. ↑ Dickinson, Matt (24 December 2020). "So how did Lou Macari find a home for 43 people?". The Times. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  42. ↑ Hebditch, Jon (17 February 2021). "Celtic legend Lou Macari sets up street of glamping pods at warehouse to help homeless people". The Daily Record. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  43. ↑ "Birthday Honours List – United Kingdom". The Gazette. 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  44. 1 2 Lou Macari at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  45. ↑ "Macari, Lou". National Football Teams. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  46. ↑ "Manager details – Macari, Lou". FitbaStats. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  47. ↑ Macari & Garside 2008, p. 351
  48. ↑ Vernon, Leslie; Rollin, Jack (1977). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1977–78. London: Brickfield Publications Ltd. p. 491. ISBN 0354-09018-6.
  49. ↑ "Saturday 13th August 1977 – Charity Shield". MUFC Info. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  50. ↑ "1983 Charity Shield line-up". MUFC Info. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  51. 1 2 3 4 5 Macari & Garside 2008, p. 352
  52. ↑ "Manager of the Month". League Managers Association. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  53. ↑ "Pep Guardiola wins the Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy for the LMA Manager of the Year". League Managers Association. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Macari