Pat Bonner:

Born in County Donegal in 1960, Bonner spent his whole senior career at Celtic signing for the hoops in 1978 and making 480 appearances. He made his international debut on his 21st birthday in 1981 and went on to make 80 appearances for the Republic of Ireland.

Steve Stauton:

Staunton was born in 1969 in Drogheda, during his 20 year career he played for 9 clubs with two separate spells at Liverpool and Aston Villa. He earned over 100 caps for the Republic of Ireland national team and captained them during the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Paul McGrath:

Born in 1959 McGrath made his football debut at the age of 21 for St Patrick’s Athletic. In 1982 he moved to England to play for Ron Atkinson’s Manchester United where he made 163 appearances before moving to Aston Villa where he played for 6 seasons, appearing more than 250 times. Alongside his league career he also gained 83 caps for the national team, playing in 2 World Cups and EURO 1988 (the team’s first international tournament).

Kevin Moran:

Dubliner Moran was born in 1956 and started his career at local side Bohemians, in 1978 he moved to Manchester United where he stayed for 10 years, making over 200 appearances, after a brief spell in Spain, spending two seasons at Sporting Gijon, he returned to England to see out his career at Blackburn Rovers. During his professional career he made 71 appearances for the Republic of Ireland, winning the FAI International Player of the Year award in 1989.

Denis Irwin:

Born in Cork in 1965, Irwin is no stranger to the North West of England having played for both Oldham Athletic & Manchester United, the latter of which cemented him in the history books, establishing himself as one of the most successful and important players in a team that won 12 trophies/honors during his 12 years at the club. He is the joint most successful Irish player in history, along with Ronnie Whelan and Roy Keane (see below). Irwin was capped over 50 times during his tenure with the Republic of Ireland national team.

Roy Keane:

Much like his teammate, Denis Irwin, Keane was born in Cork and first moved to the UK in 1990 when he secured a move to Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough. In 1993 he moved to Manchester United where he would spend the next 12 years, before finishing his career in Scotland with Celtic. Keane also spent 14 years playing for the Republic of Ireland playing in two world cups during that time, the first in 1994 and the second a well documented, brief appearance at the 2002 world cup. Keane would return to the international setup in November 2013 as Assistant Manager to Martin O’Neill.

Ronnie Whelan:

The third and final player named as Ireland’s most successful player in history is Ronnie Whelan, born in Dublin in 1961 he is known for his long and successful career at Liverpool, spanning 15 years and making 362 appearances, during this time he also played over 50 times for the national team including one European Championships & two World Cups.

Damien Duff:

Born in Dublin in 1979, Duff could be considered one of the more ‘recent’ players named on this list. At the age of 46 he only retired from football in 2015/16 after a playing career spanning 20 years, starting with his move to Blackburn Rovers in 1996, where he made 185 appearances over 7 years, he left the English game in 2014 when he joined Melbourne City for a brief spell before returning to Ireland where he finished his career with Shamrock Rovers. Duff made his senior debut for the Republic of Ireland in 1998 and went on to make 100 appearances, making him the 5th most capped player.

Ray Houghton:

Born in Glasgow in 1962 to an Irish father and Scottish mother, Houghton stated his career at English side West Ham United, however, would only make one appearance during his time and would get his ‘big break’ in 1982 when he moved to Fulham. He went on to play for another 6 clubs, most notably, Liverpool FC where he made over 150 appearances. Houghton qualified to play for Ireland through his father and played 73 times, scoring 6 goals – one which is fondly remembered as the winning goal, when Ireland beat England 1-0 in the European Championships in 1988.

Robbie Keane:

Regarded as one of the best Irish players of all time, Keane is the most capped Irish international player, having made 146 appearances in his 18 year career, as well as holding the record for the top goal scorer with 68 goals. Born in Dublin in 1980, Keane made his professional debut at the age of 17 for Wolverhampton Wanderers, he would then go on to play for another 10 clubs during his career, most notably, Tottenham Hotspur x2, where he made a combined 238 appearances, scoring 91 goals and LA Galaxy where he spent 5 years between 2011-2016, scoring 83 goals in 125 appearances.

John Aldridge:

The last player named in Craig’s top XI is Liverpudlian and prolific goal scorer, John Aldridge. Scoring 329 Football League goals in his 20 year career is he the sixth-highest goal scorer in the history of English football. Liverpool born but eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland due to his great-grandmother, Aldridge was recruited by then manager Jack Charlton in 2986. During his 10 year international career, Aldridge made made 69 appearances, scored 19 goals and appeared at two World Cups.