SOME of the biggest names in football stood shoulder-to-shoulder with politicians and fans yesterday to pay tribute to former Sunderland, Rangers and Scotland soccer legend Jim Baxter.

Hundreds of mourners, led by Baxter's partner, Norma, his parents, Rab and Ag, and his sons, Alan and Steven, gathered at Glasgow Cathedral for his funeral.

The building was filled with friends including Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, one of Celtic's European cup-winning Lisbon Lion's Billy McNeill, former Scotland striker Denis Law, Rangers manager Dick Advocaat and Chancellor Gordon Brown.

Baxter died of cancer at the age of 61 on Saturday. He was diagnosed with the disease in January and spent a month in hospital before returning to his Glasgow home.

Sunderland AFC sent a wreath and also wrote to offer the club's condolences to close family of their former left-half.