Top 10 best Irish soccer players in football history: A ranked list

Ireland has participated in the World Cup three times and is considered one of the best footballing nations in the world. The country has football as its most popular sport and has produced some of the best in the game. So, who is the greatest Irish Soccer player of all time? Read on to learn more about the best Irish soccer players.

Ireland has produced some of the most remarkable names in world football. One outstanding name is George Best, who has been slipped into the GOAT debate by many pitting him against the likes of Diego Maradona, Pele, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Here are some of the best Irish soccer players.

Top 10 best Irish soccer players

Ireland has produced many world-class players who have dominated Europe for a while. Most of them played for bigger foreign leagues, as the Irish league is less financially lucrative. Here are some of the top Irish soccer players:

10. Damien Duff

The Irish, known as the "wizard on the wing," was linked to nearly every big European club. He was born on the 2nd of May 1979 in Ballyboden, Ireland. A big part of his career was spent in Blackburn Rovers. He is one of the retired Irish players after hanging his boots on the 1st of January 2016.

He played for clubs such as Shamrock Rovers, Melbourne City FC, Newcastle United, Chelsea FC, Fulham FC and Blackburn Rovers. He scored 82 goals and made 76 assists in 622 games in his career.

9. Shay Given

The former Irish soccer player was born on the 20th of April 1976 in Lifford, Ireland. He had 134 caps for Ireland. The star played for great clubs, such as Manchester City, Stoke City, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough FC, and Newcastle United.

In his career, the goalkeeper conceded 789 goals and had 178 clean sheets in 618 games.

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8. Pat Jennings

The star was a goalkeeper who retired on the 1st of July 1986. He was born on the 12th of June 1945 in Newry, Northern Ireland. He played for Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. He is currently a goalkeeping coach at Tottenham Hotspurs.

In his career, he conceded only 368 goals and 90 clean sheets in 297 appearances. He made only one appearance for the Irish National team.

7. Dennis Irwin

The former Manchester United man retired on the 1st of July 2004 after a successful stint with Wolves. He was born on the 31st of October 1965 in Cork, Ireland. The left-back played for teams such as Leeds United, Oldham Athletic, Wolves and Manchester United.

He made 56 appearances for Ireland, scoring four goals. He scored 37 goals and 25 assists across 598 appearances in his career.

6. Liam Brady

Liam Brady played as an attacking midfielder and retired on the 1st of July 1990. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, on the 13th of February 1956 and is currently an academy manager at Arsenal. He made 72 appearances for Ireland, scoring nine goals.

He played for clubs such as West Ham United, Ascoli Calcio, Arsenal, UC Sampdoria, Juventus and Inter Milan. In his career, he scored 53 goals and assisted a further 7 in 357 appearances.

5. Paul McGrath

The Irish international was born on the 4th of December 1959 in Ealing, Ireland. The former centre-back retired on the 1st of June, 1998, after playing for teams such as Hibernians FC, Sheffield United, Derby County, Manchester United and Aston Villa.

He made 83 appearances for Ireland, scoring eight goals. In his career, he scored 12 goals and assisted three goals in 388 appearances.

4. John Giles

The midfielder scored five goals for Ireland in 69 appearances. He retired on the 1st of July 1983 and is currently the West Brom manager. The star was born on the 6th of November 1940.

Over his career, he scored 84 goals and assisted five others in 400 appearances for clubs such as Shamrock Rovers, West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United and Leeds United.

3. Robbie Keane

Ireland's current top scorer, he scored 68 goals in 146 appearances for his nation. The centre-forward was born on the 8th of July 1980 and retired on the 28th of November 2018. He is currently the assistant manager at Middlesbrough.

He scored 321 goals and assisted 87 more in 728 appearances. He played for teams such as West Ham United, Aston Villa, ATK, Inter Milan, Celtic FC, Liverpool FC, Coventry City, Leeds United, Wolves, LA Galaxy and Tottenham Hotspurs.

2. Roy Keane

Dubbed the greatest Manchester United Captain ever, the Irishman was born in Mayfield on the 10th of August 1971. He played defensive midfielder and scored ten goals in 67 appearances for Ireland. He retired on the 1st of July 2006.

He played for clubs such as Celtic FC, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. In his career, he scored 77 goals and assisted 42 more in 606 appearances. He is one of the best former Irish players.

1. George Best

So, who is the most famous Irish football player? It is George Best. Just as his name suggested, he was one of the best. He is one of the Northern Irish soccer players on the list, as he was born in Belfast on the 22nd of May 1946. Sadly, he passed away on the 25th of November, 2005. He played for Fulham FC and Manchester United.

In his career, he scored 147 goals and assisted five more in 400 appearances. He made one appearance for Ireland.

Black Irish soccer players

Ireland is a dominantly white country and does not have many black players. However, recently there has been an emergence of some black players, such as Adam Idah and Andrew Omobamidele. The two currently play for Norwich FC. In a recent interview, Idah said,

They are also part of young Irish soccer players eager to represent their country in international competitions and win titles.

Best Irish soccer players 2023

Ireland has an excellent crop of players coming up who are super talented. Some of the best current Irish soccer players are Andrew Moran, Mark Travers, Gavin Bazunu, Nathan Collins and Evan Ferguson. Most of the best Irish soccer players right now play in the Premier League, one of the world's most competitive leagues.

Who are the top 5 players in football history?

Football has seen many GOATS in different generations perform at the highest level. Five of the best names ever in football history include Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stefano.

George Best comes out on top of the ten best Irish soccer players in history. He had incredible performances in the clubs he played for. Other players on the list include Roy Keane, Robbie Keane and Damien Duff.

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