Raised in Govan by mother Annie from Carloway on the Isle of Lewis and father Murdo of Glendale, Skye, Ronnie Mackinnon is a thoroughbred Glasgow Islander and one of the finest centre-halfs in the illustrious history of Rangers, yet he still remembers his annual trips to the Western Isles as a youngster.
Ronnie revealed: "I played for my mother's home village of Carloway a few times when I was a teenager and my first was in a game against the RAF at 16. I was up for my holidays with my brother and my mother as we did most summers and I remember this guy, 'Massie', came up to my Auntie Chrissie's and asked my brother Donnie if he wanted to play.
"My brother was always bigger then me by quite a few inches so I wasn't asked. I recall at the time Carloway were bottom of the league while the RAF were going really well and riding high at the top of the league."
He continued: "Later on 'Massie' came back and asked if Donnie was ready yet. By this point I was annoyed at not being asked to play and I asked 'What about me?' I was invited along and we both played. Donnie played centre-half and I played inside-left. Given the differing league positions, we weren't fancied, but we won 7 - 1 with me scoring four or five goals.
"They still talk about that game to this day and it was a great night. There was actually another set of brothers who played that night in Murdo and Duncan Frallan.
"At that time Carloway had a great centre-half by the name of 'Eno' and after I left the island he continued to follow my career. "He would often write to the newspapers in Glasgow and tell them stories about my Highland heritage and visits to Carloway and my love of fishing. He would also phone me regularly and he helped keep my feet on the ground."
The Mackinnon twins returned to Glasgow having left their considerable mark on football in the Western Isles and it wasn't long before both boys were in high demand and coveted by the mighty Gers.
"In Glasgow I stayed in Govan on Greenfield Street just around the corner from Sir Alex Ferguson. My brother and I would play between a set of lamp posts on Greenfield Street with wee rubber balls. We were football daft.
"Alex Ferguson and I actually both ended up at Rangers and spookily my brother and Alex's brother Martin, ended up at Partick Thistle together," he continued.
Ronnie signed provisional forms with Rangers in 1958 at the age of 18. The newspapers at the time reported there were more than a dozen clubs chasing his signature but he concedes that as a die-hard Rangers fan, there was no contest when he learned of the light blue interest.
"They also wanted to sign my brother but he had already given his word to Willie Thornton, manager of Partick Thistle and he signed with them. Looking back I'm quite glad he did as he might have kept me out of the team. He was a great centre-half," added Ronnie with a smile.
In 1962 a fresh faced Mackinnon made his dream debut for his boyhood idols in a game against the Army. He didn't have to wait long for his first taste of glory as Rangers lifted the League Cup the same year with a 2 - 0 win over St Mirren.
Ronnie and his new team mates won the treble a year later, enjoying home and away wins over Celtic and beating Morton and Dundee in the League and Scottish Cups respectively.
"When I was a young player, we used to have games pitting the youngsters against the first team. These games were invaluable and it was where we learned," he commented.
"The older players helped us out immensely and brought us on with their words of encouragement and advice. It also showed us the standards we had to achieve if we wanted to make it."
Early forays into the uncharterted land of European football were also highlights of Ronnie Mackinnon's fledgling career, yet he and Rangers were not always made to feel at home on their travels.
As he explained: "I always enjoyed playing in Europe and I remember making my European debut in a pre-season tour of Russia. John Greig, Willie Henderson and myself were all tagging along on the trip for the experience and we played games in Moscow, Kiev and Tiblisi.
"I also remember an away game in Seville. With only a couple of minutes to go we were winning and through to the next round and the crowd turned on us and one of their players stopped trying to win the ball, instead choosing to kick our players. A fight broke out and it turned into a free for all. I was on the ground and one of their players came along and bit my ear. It wasn't a nice experience."
It wasn't long before the national team came calling and Ronnie made his Scotland debut against Italy at Hampden in 1965 - taking the place of a international legend at the same time.
"I'll never forget my debut though as I never in a million years expected to be playing. The man in my position was Celtic captain Billy McNeil.
"I remember the squad were in the dining room having something to eat before bed when Jock Stein came and announced the team. I was only half listening but when I heard my name I did a double take. I stayed behind after everyone had gone to bed and asked him if he had said my name.
"He confirmed he had and being of a very inquisitive nature I asked why. Italy's striker and Captain at that time was Sandro Mazzola and Jock felt I was better equipped than Billy to do the job on Mazzola who was very quick. He felt I was a little quicker than Billy," he said.
Two years later and Mackinnon was a firm fixture of the Scotland set-up and on one memorable day at Wembley, Mackinnon earned his place in the Tartan Army's heart forever when he was one of eleven Scottish bravehearts who became unofficial World Champions in 1967 after tormenting England on their own soil.
"The pinnacle of my football career was without a doubt the game at Wembley in 1967 against England who were world champions. The English don't like us and we don't like them and we went into that game as huge underdogs with no-one giving us a snowball's chance in hell.
"We were lambs to the slaughter but we certainly gave them indigestion that day. We won 3 - 2 but that wasn't a fair reflection of the score. There was a lot of showboating going on by our lads, especially Jim Baxter, which the fans loved and we didn't mind either as it slowed the game. I was marking Geoff Hurst who had scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final the year before. He scored towards the end of the game and I have to admit he was probably the most complete players I ever played against and maybe the hardest opponent," revealed Ronnie.
Hurst wasn't the only world star to cross swords with the Glasgow Islander and Ronnie also remembers tangling with the late, great George Best and Brazil's Pele.
He went on: "Thankfully I only played against George Best once as he gave a performance against me that was one of the best I have ever faced on a football pitch. I played against him for Scotland at Windsor Park and he was at his brilliant best and literally unstoppable. It was a very muddy day but that didn't stop him from tearing us apart. At half-time we were 1 - 0 up but I don't know how as he had done everything to try and score.
"He had struck the post and the crossbar and was playing amazingly. In the second-half he put the ball through my legs. I dragged him back by the shirt and committed a professional foul. I would be sent off for it nowadays. He picked up a bit of mud and flung it at me but it missed and hit the referee by accident.
"Instead of me getting booked, he was sent off and it was lucky for us that he was, as we were in trouble with him on the pitch," he chuckled.
"I also played against Pele and Brazil in 1966 in a 1 - 1 draw at Hampden. I remember before the game asking who was going to take care of Pele The Great. Jim Baxter turned around and said 'Who's Pele? Wait until I get out there.' He was right enough though as Jim was star man. Billy Bremner marked Pele that day and never gave him a sniff. Pele was a great player and if he turned you then you were history."
As part of one of the greatest Rangers and Scotland teams in history, Mackinnon considers dozens of world class stars as former club and international team mates, but for him there is only one true legend.
"The greatest team mate I ever had was John Greig. He was some player and a great friend as we had come through into the Rangers team at the same time and we also played our international football together," Ronnie said.
"Greig also presented me with a signed copy of his autobiography, 'John Greig, My Story' at a function in the Lewis and Harris Rangers Club last year. On the inside cover it read: "To Ronnie MacKinnon — the greatest centre-half I have ever played with."
Ronnie's Rangers career was brought to a premature end in 1972 after he suffered a double fracture of his leg in a Cup Winners Cup quarter-final clash with Sporting Lisbon. The injury deprived him of a place in the final and also brought his professional career to a halt as it took him 18 months to recover.
"When you play football there is always a chance of serious injury and when it happens it happens. I was out for 18 months and it was the turning point in my career and I was finished as a Rangers player at the age of 31," he lamented.
"I still received a medal and I was at the final in Barcelona when we won but it isn't the same watching from the sidelines as it is when you take part. That was one of the lowest points of my football career which is ironic as it is one of the greatest days in Rangers' history."
It was Ronnie's second disappointing Cup Winners Cup final after the defeat in the final at the hands of Bayern Munich in 1967.
"We played a great Bayern Munich side which had players like Franz Beckenbauer and Muller in it. We lost 1 - 0 after extra-time and that was disappointing."
His loyalty and service to Rangers was honoured when he was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame at a lavish ceremony attended by his friends and former team mates, thus ensuring his legacy will live on.
He added: "That was a fantastic night and one of the best nights I've ever had. My wife, Elizabeth, was there and there must have been 700 odd people there. I was sitting with my old team mates and it was a very proud night for me.
"When I am asked to pick a dream team of all the team mates I ever had at both international and domestic level I always give the same answer.
"It has got to be my Rangers team mates with whom we won so much."