As young kids, footballers seldom dream of lifting trophies.
More often than not, they hope to replicate the performances of their footballing idols more so than envisioning a Premier League winner’s medal.
That’s why, when passing a park, you might see a young lad standing over a free kick à la Cristiano Ronaldo or attempting Zinedine Zidane’s Roulette to get past a defender.
For a young Irish full back, there is only one man worth emulating and it’s a legendary Corkman by the name of Denis Irwin.
Irwin mastered the position from his time with Manchester United and the Republic of Ireland national team but it was his ability to lead while not being the most outspoken man in the world that arguably earned him most of his plaudits.
And Seamus Coleman is well on his way to following in Irwin’s footsteps.
That comparison is not lost on Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane who sees a striking similarity between the Everton full back and Irwin.
“I think he [Coleman] leads,” Keane told the Irish Examiner. “Would I compare him to Denis Irwin? I don’t mean in the football sense, but the way Denis played. Denis led by being a brilliant player and Seamus Coleman is the same type of player.
“He leads by the way he plays, and that’s by being a brilliant player and a good lad. He doesn’t look like he gets too high one way and too low the other. He’s just a real Steady Eddie – and I mean that in the nicest possible way – just like Denis was.
“And just the fact that I’m talking about him in the same breath as Denis Irwin tells you what I think of Seamus. I don’t do that with many players, not in terms of comparing them to Denis.”
Praise doesn’t come much higher than that.
Huge All-Ireland final GAA Hour features an interview with Kilkenny manager Brian Cody. Subscribe here on iTunes.
