09-Mar-2021 14:47:04 | Guardian
I became my country’s youngest ever captain at 25 and have been planning to coach for years. Let’s see where it takes me
By The Coaches’ Voice for the Guardian Sport Network
Love. That’s the reason I played for Ireland for so long. It’s pretty simple. I loved watching players in the green jersey growing up, and when I put it on, it just fit. It always felt right. That didn’t change from my debut in 1998 through to my final appearance in 2016; 146 caps, 68 goals and three major tournaments later.
Growing up, I saw what tournament football can do for a country. The 1990 and 1994 World Cups brought the whole country together when times were tough for a lot of people. You see what it means to everyone. All I ever wanted to do was play for Ireland and score goals. I broke Ireland’s scoring record in 2004, when I scored my 22nd goal at 24 years old. As soon as I did that, I wanted 30 goals. As soon as I scored my 30th goal, I wanted 40. And on it went.
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