What we wouldn’t give to have these two in their prime lining out for Ireland in France this summer.
Roy Keane and Paul McGrath are arguably the greatest footballers to ever play for Ireland (we said arguably!) and back in 1997 the younger man got to show his appreciation for McGrath during a special episode of ‘The Late, Late Show’.
McGrath’s playing days were winding down with Sheffield United when he was invited onto the chat show along with Jack Charlton, Jimmy Magee and others for a celebration of his career.
In the audience was Roy Keane, who had recently suffered a season-ending cruciate injury tackling Alf-Inge Haaland of Leeds, and as he discussed his recovery with Gay Byrne he recounted the advice McGrathhad offered over the phone.
“He rang me last week after I found out about the injury and he said, ‘I’m sorry about your injury and you know Roy, you have to be careful. Don’t be going out and don’t be drinking too much.’
“I said, ‘Paul, you’re really giving me a lecture’ and he said, ‘I know, I’m sorry.’ And he hung up.”
The uproarious laughter that greeted McGrath’s advice was a sad reminder of the struggles the ‘The Black Pearl of Inchicore’ has had with alcohol, but Keane also spoke of how fond he became of the quiet defender after he retired from international football.
“The funny thing is I played with Paul, I was fortunate enough to play about 30 games with Paul in the Irish team but I never really knew Paul because he was obviously very quiet. Fortunately I met him on holidays two years ago and got to him and Caroline and the kids or whatever.
“He’s a great bloke and a fantastic player.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eL0tGIoxzA
