Walter Smith documentary to be aired over festive season as football greats reflect on Rangers legend’s career

A documentary charting the career and achievements of Scottish football great Walter Smith will be aired later this month.

The Rangers legend passed away in October at the age of 73 after a battle with illness as tributes flooded inro Ibrox from across the football world.

The programme, produced by the BBC, will provide an in-depth look into Smith’s 45-year long career, documenting his playing days before moving into coaching at Dundee United where he learned his trade under Jim McLean at Tannadice.

It will cover his two trophy-laden spells as manager of Rangers, his four-year spell in the Premier League with Everton and his short stint as Scotland boss, during which he restored pride in the national team and famously steered the Scots to the first of two 1-0 wins against France in Euro 2008 qualifying.

Some well-known figures from the wider football spectrum that worked with and under Smith will feature in the documentary.

Interviewees include Sir David Murray, who played a leading role in bringing Smith to Ibrox, Graeme Souness, who Smith would succeed as Light Blues boss in 1991 and another legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, who Smith assisted during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico then again at Manchester United in 2004.

Brian Laudrup, who starred for Rangers between 1994-1998, also gives his insight on his former boss.

A promotional trailer was released by the BBC on Twitter, which shows a short excerpt of Souness saying: “If you meet a few people like that in your life, you’re blessed.”

Laudrup lauds him as “the best manager I ever had”, while Ferguson describes him as “special”

A description of the programme on the BBC’s website said: “A winner as manager for Rangers and Scotland, Walter Smith was a man whose character won respect across the hard tribal lines of our national game.

“Featuring rare archive, and told with interview contributions from the people who knew him best and who worked with him throughout his long and varied career, the programme explores the numerous successes at Rangers, his experiences as a manager when he headed south to Everton in the English Premiership, his leadership of the Scotland national men’s team and his sensational return to Rangers in 2007.

“Walter: A Life in Football follows the highs and lows of Smith’s career, exploring the characteristics that made players, fellow managers and supporters venerate him. He was genuinely loved and revered by many, including titans of the game such as Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson.”

The show will be aired on Thursday December 30 at 9pm on BBC One Scotland and BBC iPlayer.