Ralph Brand, who played alongside Baxter in the great Rangers side of the 1960s, described his friend as a ‘‘Scottish Braveheart’’ in an emotional tribute.

Mr Brand told those gathered at the cathedral of the day he first saw Baxter play for Rangers, and revealed how the pair developed a strong bond throughout their footballing lives and after their careers were over.

Mr Brand said: ‘‘My first memory of Jim was his first game for Rangers. I had been rested and from the stand I watched this tall, young, dark Fifer playing in the number 10 jersey.

‘‘You didn’t need to be well versed in football to realise that this new signing was something else.

‘‘Jim’s humour and his manner were absolutely incredible.

‘‘To have a great football side, the one thing that is essential is camaraderie and friendship in the dressing room and Jim was every bit as comfortable in the dressing room as he was on the pitch.

‘‘It was a delight to listen to some of the quips that Jim bantered about in the Rangers dressing room.’’

Mr Brand also told how Baxter’s love of mischief often got him into trouble with the then Rangers manager, Scot Symon.

But he said Jim’s incredible footballing ability ensured that, despite his poor disciplinary record, he was an essential part of the Rangers side.

He said: ‘‘There was nothing more delightful than to see Jim in his day his left foot swung just like a Mantovani score.

‘‘He drilled precision passes as accurately as anyone I’ve ever seen. His self-belief and his confidence spread to the rest of the side and we thanked him for bringing out the best in all of us and for the success that followed.

‘‘When he played, a swivel of the hips and a change of direction had his opponents slipping all over the place. His ball skills were unbelievable.’’

He added: ‘‘To the Scottish football fan of the 1960s, Jim was a Scottish Braveheart and in the last few days the people of the nation have shown their love for this great, wonderful footballer.

‘‘I will never ever see anyone like him again and unfortunately because the television cameras in the 1960s were in their infancy, a lot of the footage was either thrown away or lost.

‘‘But in the memories of the people and the spectators who were privileged to watch him they knew he was one of a kind.’’

Mr Brand also paid tribute to the way Baxter had faced up to his illness with great courage and refused to let it get him down.

He said: ‘‘The measure of the man was when Mother Nature came along and tapped him on the shoulder for his last game.

‘‘But his determination, his courage and his unquenchable spirit will always live with me.

‘‘I know he’ll be smiling now having got me speaking in Glasgow Cathedral, our adopted city.’’