My God, this is incredible.
This is pride. This is pure Irish. This is Seamus Coleman.
There probably hasn’t been a more perfect captain for the Ireland team. Roy Keane once lambasted Michael Carrick after his “flat” post-match interview for Manchester United – it summed up his performance, according to the Ireland assistant manager who seemed furious at the lack of passion.
Then you look at someone like Seamus Coleman and you can see it in his eyes. There’s a fire there. His jaw is steel-like. He always seems ready for the next challenge and the next tackle. He’s always ready.
Becoming captain has been a long, hard journey for the Donegal man but, in a way, there was never really anywhere else he was going to accept ending up.
Seamus Coleman: The making of the best right back in the world https://t.co/oAglvSUuxh
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 11, 2016
Coleman is a leader of men.
He demands perfection. For Ireland.
He demands even more than that. For Ireland.
McCarthy is f**king on it tonight
Seamus Coleman is making damned sure of itpic.twitter.com/Vsy5SfTPYd
— Conán Doherty (@ConanDoherty) June 22, 2016
After the Republic’s historic victory in Vienna, a 1-0 win over Austria – the country’s first competitive away win against a higher-ranked side since 1987 against Scotland – Coleman was filled with pure energy and desire.
He spoke with fire, pride and he bellied all the good things that are this Irish side. He praised the fans, praised the men that put in the shift in the face of adversity and he was breathless.
“Massive three points,” he roared.
“I say it all the time, when I come out with this group of lads, it’s a privilege.
“We know we’re going to leave it all out there. We ran our luck a few times, but the likes of Jonny Walters up top… James McClean, his back is hanging off him and he puts in a performance like that.
“David Meyler: He’s been waiting for a chance and he was different class.
“We know it’s only three points but it’s massive. And them fans who have come out here for us… three and a half thousand of them. That’s what it means to us as well.”
It’s goosebumps stuff, really.
"We're really proud of our fans" – the skipper is delighted with a great evening's work #RTEsoccer https://t.co/FKQ87JdD6E
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) November 12, 2016
This is a leader. This is our leader.
Seamus Coleman's comments after France show why he should captain Ireland for the next six years https://t.co/jcmSeK5Xol #coybig
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 26, 2016
