Youth may be wasted on the young, but here in central France tomorrow two not so young men will play in the biggest game of their career and both will be determined it does not pass them by.
While youthful starlets likes Raheem Sterling and Anthony Martial have seen their best form allude them thus far at Euro 2016, some old stagers have come into their own.
Hungary goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly (40) has entertained in his sweat-pants, Gareth McAuley (36) had enjoyed a fine major tournament bow at the centre of the Northern Ireland defence (before his own goal against Wales) but no one has grabbed an opportunity late in their footballing life as well as Dimitri Payet and Wes Hoolahan.
While still only 29, Payet was late to this French side. Making his debut in 2010, but only really establishing himself in the team in the run-up to this, the largest footballing event in France since their 1998 World Cup triumph.
Similarly Hoolahan, despite making his debut back in 2008, only established himself as a Republic of Ireland international once Giovanni Trapattoni had returned permanently to his office above a garage in the suburbs of Milan.
Under the Italian’s reign the former Shelbourne man became a cause celebre, Eamon Dunphy championing his favourite ‘street footballer’ regularly on RTÉ and declaring the failure to find a place for the Norwich playmaker in the international team a national tragedy. A sign of how backward a footballing country we are.
All a little dramatic of course, but it is true that Martin O’Neill has not always trusted Hoolahan, now 34, to play away from home or twice in a week.
Even his club mate Robbie Brady was led to bemoan Hoolahan’s late-blooming as an international, saying it is a “shame to Irish football” that the talented and imaginative Dubliner has not had more time on the biggest of stages.
“But he’s here now so I think people just need tune in and watch the best of him because he’s a top class player,” said his fellow Canary.
He proved his class and his determination on Wednesday night when recovering from a poor miss against Italy to moments later set up the winning goal for Brady. Payment for compliments if ever there was…
If #IRL don't win tonight this could be the last of @dionfanning and @me_stafford's French paper review 😢https://t.co/up3lGRygWG
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 22, 2016
Similar to Hoolahan, who scored in Ireland’s 1-1 draw with Sweden, Payet started Euro 2016 like a man determined to make up for lost time.
His form for West Ham in the Premier League was impossible to ignore and, should he play Sunday, he will have earned as many caps in 2016 as he did in the previous two years combined.
He rewarded Didier Deschamp’s faith with man of the match performances against Romania and Albania, scoring in both matches and adding an assist against the Romanians.
It has been Happy Hammer Payet, not global superstar Paul Pogba or Champions League finalist Antoine Griezmann, who has made things happen for France.
Accordingly he has been anointed France’s ‘chouchou’ – the darling they cannot do without. It seems L’Equipe are incapable of going a day without running a feature on the man born on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean.
Hearts have melted as television channels have rerun interviews with Payet as a child, where he professes his dream is to play for France.
While Hoolahan long march to these European Championships began in the League of Ireland and passed through Livingstone, Blackpool and Norwich (above), Payet too has taken the long route to Lyon.
Returning to Reunion from his adopted home, he began with Excelsior before heading back to France and the Nantes second team before breaking into their senior side and earning a move to the storied Les Verts in Saint-Etienne, just up the road from the city where France and Ireland will do battle.
From there he went north to Lilles, on to Marseille, before being signed by West Ham last summer. He is your typical overnight sensation who is a lifetime in the making.
Speaking on Saturday Deschamps seemed uneasy with his star turn’s meteroic rise, but also confident that Payet can handle his new status as a national treasure.
“You give him a status, you take it away, you give it him, bring him down and up,” he told the media.
“He’s making the difference, he’s enjoying it, he’s been praised a lot from all quarters and has deserved it as well but he started working at the beginning of the week to try and maintain his performance levels,” said the France manager.
“There is occasionally the opposite that happens, you give people certain tags and they don’t live up to it. I speak to players a great deal but Dimitri is not a young player.
“Sure, he doesn’t have huge experience in French setup but he knows what he has gone through in the past, how he’s got to this level today and he doesn’t want to give that up by any means.”
Does Martin O’Neill see a similar appreciation of the opportunity before Hoolahan and other members of his squad, which is the oldest in the tournament?
“I’m convinced of it,” said the Ireland boss. “The older players here will feel that they want to enjoy it as much as they can, some had experience of four years ago.”
Hoolahan was not in Poland in 2012, but he is here now and, like Payet, he is desperate to make his mark.
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