Sean Maguire for Preston North End- Image Credit: Football Insider
The obvious answer is no. Players from almost all nations can go anywhere in the world to play football. Uruguayan Sebastián Abreu has played for 32 clubs in 11 different countries across 4 continents (the record for most clubs in a career). Lutz Pfannenstiel began his career in Germany but went on to play in all six of the FIFA Confederations, the only man to do so. These are the two most extreme examples of players travelling the world through football. Many players have been at the opposite end of the spectrum too. The likes of Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs all remained at Manchester United for their entire careers. Paolo Maldini and Francesco Totti remained with AC Milan and AS Roma for their time in the game, captaining both clubs in Italy, respectively. Some only play for a small handful of clubs in the same country or league system, the likes of Phil Neville, Scott Brown and Chris Wondolowski fall into this category.
With all of this potential for variation of career paths, trends start to emerge that can be tracked. Many Polish players depart the Polish Ekstraklasa to move to Germany and, previously, Russia. Portuguese players can often be found in Spain and players from all around Southern and Central America end up in the Brazilian Série A, Argentine Primera División and the Mexican Liga MX. Players tend not to move too far from their parent country, with neighbouring nations often making up the highest percentage of foreign players in leagues.
Naturally, this trend can be applied to Irish football, the football most local to myself. The vast majority of Irish footballers, both previously and currently, play(ed) their football in either England or Scotland (I am not counting the NIFL Premiership as a foreign league). This makes sense both geographically and logistically, all nations are neighbours, all speak English (debatable with the Scottish and some parts of Ireland) and trade agreements mean that the movement of those employed as footballers have a relatively easy time moving from Ireland to the UK. The large diaspora of Irish immigrants in Britain also means that some clubs retain an identity of ‘Irishness’, Glasgow Celtic being the most obvious example. Over some decades, Ireland has been a bit of a talent factory for these clubs too, with John O’Shea, Denis Irwin, Packie Bonner, Robbie and Roy Keane among many others becoming legends of the English and Scottish leagues. However, a collection of factors has contributed to Irish players of this calibre not really being in circulation anymore, not least the mismanagement of the FAI since the early 2000’s by John Delaney and his associates. Brexit has not helped the issue either, with the transfer of any footballer to a British league being made more complicated. Who knows how long before that affects the Irish as well, given how poorly managed the UK’s split from the EU has been.
With a drop in quality of player and a murky political landscape on the horizon, this does beg the question, where do Irish players go? As an EU member state and under the Common Travel Area agreement that exists between the UK and Ireland, for now, the Irish are uniquely poised to be able to seamlessly travel throughout Europe and the UK, with an ease that no other nation has. Previously, the Common Travel Area has been utilised to the point that the majority of national squads played almost exclusively in the Premier League or for Celtic. While also being a prime exponent of FIFA’s allowance for diasporic players to claim Irish nationality or ‘the Granny Rule’ in plain English, this is not sustainable. Ireland must start to produce quality players without British academies. It is time to make use of the ability to travel freely in the EU now. To go even further afield, the USA is becoming a more and more popular place for Irish players to play in, likely given the fact that both nations speak English. While a competitive league and an excellent watch, the MLS does not have the quality of play and youth development that exists in European leagues. Ireland’s own top football division also has this problem. The quality of facilities, intensity and level of funding simply do not exist in the League of Ireland to regularly produce top quality players.
Let’s look at some numbers. There are currently 369 Irish footballers playing abroad, according to soccerway.com, and probably some more that are not known about. Of those 369 players, 297 of them play in England or Scotland. That’s just over 80% of players available in the data (this jumps to 311 and 84% of players if you include Wales). If that does not illustrate a complete over-reliance on the British market, I don’t know what does. The fact also remains that the quality of the Premier League means that it is difficult for any promising but unpolished young English players to get opportunities to play, so how do Irish players expect to?
A litany of Irish names littered England and Scotland’s top divisions from the creation of those leagues, but no Irish player is at the upper echelon of the sport now. They currently occupy spots at mid-table Premier League clubs or waste away in the Championship, no longer challenging for the top prizes. Caoimhín Kelleher is one of the few Irish nationals nowadays that is likely to win significant honours and he’s nowhere near challenging Liverpool’s main man Alisson Becker.
So, the Irish must embrace their European identity and, unfortunately, follow the lead of young British players, taking their chances abroad. Jude Bellingham has become an international star at Borussia Dortmund as a teenager and Scotland’s Aaron Hickey has really grabbed his chance with both hands in Italy for Bologna this season. That’s not to say that no Irish talent has tried their luck abroad, Zack Elbouzedi has played in almost every game for AIK in Sweden this season and Josh Cullen (though born in England) was ever-present in Vincent Kompany’s rebuild job at Anderlecht in Belgium and has followed him to Burnley. However, these players are not playing in top European divisions, they are certainly fantastic talents, but they can’t hope to rival the impact of Bellingham, Hickey, or Jadon Sancho’s time at Dortmund. Young Irish players will have to start taking the chance of going to the likes of a France, Italy, or Holland to get a footballing education that has a higher probability of senior football at the end of it.
Gone are the days of Ireland consistently having a top star at a title challenging Man United or Arsenal, where the likes of David O’Leary became bonified club legends. While Irish football has always been brilliant at celebrating its past, remembering the careers of the likes of John Aldridge, Niall Quinn, Richard Dunne, etc. it is in looking to the future where Ireland always falls short. Players in the near future cannot hope to regularly reach the levels of even the three mentioned here by staying in the Irish football system or by being overlooked in the English system. Yes, almost every Irish youngster grows up supporting Man Utd, Liverpool or Arsenal and almost all of them follow Celtic in some way but, barring Celtic, these young prospects will not get a chance to shine at any of these clubs. Left-back Liam Scales departed reigning League of Ireland champions Shamrock Rovers at the start of last season, but he is part of a shrinking minority that have managed to move to one of the typical previous ‘homes’ for Irish players outside of Ireland. His impact has been minimal at best, but one season is never enough to judge a players’ transition to a new club in a new country. In saying this, it is an indication that players emerging from the Emerald Isle are not providing the quality of reinforcements that they once did. There was a time when these players were coveted, they could be immediate starters and, more than a few, actual difference makers. Roy Keane is often considered the greatest captain and leader in Premier League history; Robbie Keane is one of the league’s top scorers and Damien Duff was a key part of José Mourinho’s first formidable Chelsea squad.
What this illustrious past of fantastic talent tells us is that the appetite for success and potential for supply is there. Soccer is one of the most popular sports in Ireland, often being ranked the third most popular sport in the country after Gaelic Football and Hurling. Shane Long, now of Reading F.C. is a prime example of a player who displayed talent in all of these, as well as athletics. A county minor hurler with Tipperary, he chose to follow association football instead. This may yet become a more commonly trodden path as the population of Ireland continues to be less able to commit to the rigours of Gaelic games, while they retain amateur status. It is simply not logical for people to commit almost as many, if not more, hours to sports that do not pay at the highest level, as sad a fact as that is.
Along with almost natural athleticism, ignoring the fact that Ireland has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe, citizens of the nation are almost natural migrators. Many nations and citizens around the globe can trace roots back to Ireland, with the UK and US having the majority of Irish diaspora, according to celtictitles.com anyway. Obviously, this has been exploited by the Irish national team, with Jack Charlton’s sides and the infamous ‘Granny Rule’ being both brilliantly exploited and a bit of a running joke. A positive takeaway from this is that Irish citizens are not afraid to travel around the world. Probably the best example of an Irish footballer finding success on the continent is Liam Brady, who spent the best part of a decade playing in Italy’s Serie A after moving from Arsenal. No matter one’s opinion of his punditry, his quality as a player cannot be denied and his example of finding success when moving further abroad is one that should be followed.
Sure, players like Shane Duffy, Séamus Coleman and the Matt Doherty are still knocking about in England’s top division, but they are no longer star quality players. Troy Parrott is not likely to get a look-in at Spurs any time soon and Gavin Bazunu has left Man City for a stuttering Southampton in search of minutes. These players in particular have been tipped for great things and have also already taken the option of lower division loan moves in the past, only to return to the same situation. Regular top-flight football is a must for any player at the developmental stage of their career and that will simply not be found in England. Only so many players can saturate the Scottish Premiership, so all that is left is to do is broaden the horizons.
With all of my outlining of the problems and suggestion of a solution in broad terms, it is only fair that I look into more of the intricate details of said solution. Where could the players go instead? Why should they go there? How will this help the problem? The first two of these queries tend to go hand-in-hand as one often presents the answer for the other.
For ease of integration, to start, leagues in the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand make the most sense. These countries all speak English as a first language and retain certain elements of Anglophone culture due to their colonisation by Britain, an immediate connecting factor to Ireland. Many Irish emigrated to these parts of the world as they were under the jurisdiction of the British Empire and were, therefore, easy to access, in a bureaucratic sense. While I have said that the MLS in the USA is not of the standing that Irish players are used to, it would be foolish to suggest that it is not of a higher quality than Ireland’s own domestic league. With the shift of focus, in the MLS, from stars who are past their prime to young, exciting talents, it seems a perfect place for hot prospects to try their luck. England’s Jack Harrison is the poster boy for this route. The Canadian Premier League is, almost, a brand-new league. The recent success of the Canadian national team presents a fresh audience for the global game too. It would be prudent for those emerging from the League of Ireland to look at getting in on the ground floor of this newfound interest, where they could, nearly, be guaranteed opportunities. New Zealand actually has a brand-new league, which only had its first champion last December, but the quality of this league may be questionable for now. Australia’s A-League is a well-established top division, but currently suffers from the MLS’ old problem of relying on ageing talents.
For a shorter travel distance and more European flavour, there are few better options than the Netherlands. With over 90% of the population conversational in English (dutchreview.com), a long-standing history of being the best country in Europe for cultivating young talent and a Champions League quality top division, there are few reasons for Holland not to be the best option for any young Irish footballer. English prospects are already exploiting this opportunity. Noni Madueke had a solid season for PSV, Reiss Nelson has been playing in the Eredivisie for Feyenoord, and Vitesse Arnhem have a reputation as a Chelsea affiliate club. Ryan Johansson and Liam Bossin are the only two Irish players I can find that currently ply their trade in the Netherlands, and Johansson is only on loan from Sevilla! Bossin and Johansson are two of only 9 Irish players to have ever played in the Netherlands, with only four Northern Irish players to add to that number. It seems that the land of the Oranje has been criminally underexploited in the past by the predominantly English-speaking nations. Historically a superpower of the European game and the great innovators of ‘Total Football’, the Flying Dutchmen have been in a transitional period since the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where they finished in the bronze medal place. Having qualified for the 2022 edition of the tournament and finished in the round of 16 at the 2020 European Championships, the nation is obviously on an upward trajectory. It cannot be said that they are quite the juggernaut they once were though. So, this gives any quality, young Irish players an opportunity to take minutes that may have been reserved for premium players in the past.
These destinations present more opportunity than Britain, particularly England, ever would. The demand for success is so high in England, that even their youngsters struggle for opportunities. In the Championship, the money at stake and the financial tipping point that all the clubs operate on leads to many coaches looking for tried and trusted players and methods. Therefore, the option to just stay put becomes viable through circumstance rather than choice. Contrary to my point earlier players may have to wait it out in Ireland and hope to get spotted in a fleeting European cup competition appearance, or a pre-season friendly. While this may sound like a bit of a sticking point for some, there could be a benefit to the league. If, by lack of opportunity in the preferred destination of Britain, players stay in the Emerald Isle and play their best football to try get noticed, the quality of the league inevitably improves. The talented players no longer take the first available ticket to Wycombe or Wimbledon because they actually get to play week in, week out in Ireland. If the quality of the league improves then investment will eventually rise, and the league becomes a better product. A better product means better players come in and then, staying and investing themselves in the League of Ireland becomes an easier sell to Irish talent. This will not happen in the short-term though, it would take years, maybe decades, to have an internationally competitive league system.
That is speculative talk and imaginings of the future, however. There is one potential theory in the current reality that does not want to be given acknowledgement. One that may deserve the ‘elephant in the room’ tag, as much as we want to avoid clichés. The next generation of Irish footballers coming through may not be at the level to warrant minutes outside of the country. The recent fortunes of the national team would suggest this to be the case. Caps have become more common for players appearing in the League of Ireland, Daryl Horgan’s caps while at Dundalk and Jack Byrne are arguably the two most prominent examples of this. Horgan has since moved to Britain and Byrne had a forgettable sabbatical in Cyprus before returning to Tallaght. While it is good for the league to have players receiving international exposure; the reason for it being the dearth of talent is unfavourable. Having the caps to go around is always the preferable situation but that is not the current reality.
Recently, however, the transfers of Cathal Heffernan, son of Olympians Rob and Marian, and Liam Kerrigan to Italy have, hopefully, started a trend of young Irish players betting on themselves. AC Milan and Como are set to receive the pair respectively and there looks to be bright futures for them there. Both are young League of Ireland exports, Kerrigan came through at Sligo Rovers and later UCD, while Heffernan is a product of Cork City. This has to be the start of a new trend for the Irish.
Facts dictate then that the talent is, in fact, there, just not in the abundance of previous generations. The access to facilities, coaching, training, etc. still lags behind. It is certainly not all doom and gloom though. There are still players getting their opportunities to make a living from football, just less of them. The Irish dependency on the British game is still a worrying situation. Adam Idah, Jayson Molumby and Jason Knight illustrate how our young players still look to Britain as the place for their talents to shine. But a new wave of more open-minded Irishmen is on the rise and the crest of that wave is coming. The workload that these young footballers are expected to take on now certainly permits them the right to be given a chance at a top club with top facilities, they just need to be willing to make the jump.
By Owen Coyne
Taken to the Corner 