Pico Lopes has never been a man to be lost for words and a World Cup debut draw with European champions Spain was never going to shut him up as he reflected on the monumental achievement at the Atlanta Stadium.
Speaking to David Sneyd of The42.ie website, one of the few Irish journalists in America for the tournament, Pico spoke of his pride at offering real joy on the pitch to all those who helped him get to the World Cup stage back home in Ireland.
Delayed for his media duties by a Facetime chat with his Shamrock Rovers team-mates back in Dublin, Lopez had a quick photo taken with fellow World Cup hero Ray Houghton before telling Sneyd about that call back to the Rovers crew.
“I was chatting to the lads at Shamrock Rovers [in the dressing room], they were out watching the game. I gave them a Facetime after that. That’s why I’m late. A lot of them went out to watch the game,” he said.
“That, to me, means the most. The people you lock heads with every day and push each other to get better in training, they’re out back home supporting me. They’re really proud. They’re so happy. They’re so proud.”
A decade after quitting a banking job and part-time football with Bohemians to go full-time with Shamrock Rovers, Lopes is now the first player playing in the League of Ireland to play in a World Cup finals.
He added: “It’s probably hard to sum up in words, but for me, it’s just a story of never giving up. Believe you can get better. My goal in football since I started playing was to try and improve.
“You don’t stop improving when you’re 22, 23. Your whole career is trying to do that. I’ve said this a lot, but my first international game was when I was 28. I’ll be 34 in two days and I’ll probably feel every bit of that after today. And I played my first World Cup. So, yes, look, dream, believe and work hard. Anything you love, things can happen.
“I’m immensely proud. We’ve got some great players in that league and there have been over the years and even now. To represent the League of Ireland, it’s huge. That’s how I managed to be here. I’ve been playing there my whole career. I started out there part-time and now I’m full-time.
“The support I’ve had from everyone I’ve met along the way. From the immediate family, from friends, League of Ireland supporters, everyone back home.
“It makes me feel really supported and it gives me a bit of motivation to go out there and show what I can do for them. I feel like I’m representing all the people who wish me well. I suppose that point out there is for them as well.”
Asked if his performance was up there alongside Paul McGrath’s at the Giants Stadium in 1994, Pico insisted: “No, I don’t think it was that good. I’m probably a bit rusty. That’s my first 90 minutes since April. I was happy to get under the belt. There’s probably times on the ball that I could use it better.
“But the important thing and the pleasing thing to me is we weren’t afraid to make mistakes today. I think that’s something we had to embrace. You’re going to give the ball away, you’re going to make mistakes.
“They’re going to be really good in attack. So it’s important that you switch on, you react to mistakes and get back defensively, which I thought we did really well.
“Look, it’s amazing to get a point and a clean sheet in our first game of the World Cup against an amazing team like Spain are. It’s amazing. Honestly, it’s a moment that we should be proud of and enjoy.
“The last corner they had, I glanced up at the stopwatch. I think there were 30 seconds left and I was just screaming, ‘one more, defend this corner, one more’, and that would be it.
“I was just hoping we’d get ahead on it or something or Vozinha would come and claim it like he has. I was just praying for this and I knew if we didn’t concede then that would probably be it.”
Roy Keane has offered an olive branch of sports to his former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and included the Scot on his footballing Mount Rushmore as part of his stint as a pundit on ITV’s World Cup coverage.
Asked by the British channel to name the four biggest influences on his footballing life, Keane name checked Diego Maradona, Brian Clough, Jack Charlton and then Ferguson - but through gritted teeth according to a report in the Irish Sun.
He said: “From a younger age, watching players growing up, I loved watching Brazil and Diego Maradona. Particularly Zico and Maradona, but I’d go with Maradona, definitely.
“As I was getting a bit older then, looking for breaks, I’d have to put Brian Clough in there. He gave me my opportunity to go to England and have a career.
“A big influence on me would have been Jack Charlton. The job he did with Ireland, obviously because I played in USA ’94 here, and I was a bit young to maybe appreciate Jack’s messages, but yeah, I’d put Jack Charlton in there.
“And obviously a manager I spent most of my time with, Alex Ferguson. Obviously still disappointed the way he treated me in the end, but that’s life. I’m not one to hold grudges.
“Did I give you four? Yeah, that’s four. And I’ve got to mention, obviously, a lot of people in Ireland. When I played with Rockmount and Cobh Ramblers, people at the time were a great help to me - my managers there, coaches, and teammates.”
Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley has another cut across the bows of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson and blasted the decision to bring 16-year-old Hoops prospect Josh O’Dwyer into the senior Irish set-up for the recent friendly against Canada.
Set to move to RB Salzburg in the summer, O’Dwyer was included as a training player by Hallgrimsson in a squad that included his Rovers team-mates Adam Brennan, Ed McGinty and Matt Healy but Bradley wasn’t happy with the decision.
“I don’t agree with the Josh one, I have to say, I didn’t agree with that at all,” Bradley told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
“You have Heimir speaking about people needing to play for the Under-21s before they go with Ireland. You have a kid (O’Dwyer) who hasn’t played for the Under-19s.
“Now I’ve been that young player, that superstar at 15 that everyone talks about. When you’re pushed before you deserve it, it can really really hurt you. I’ve seen Keith Treacy talk about it and he was spot on, you need to be very, very careful.
“Josh has a really high level of ability, there’s no doubt about that and he can be something very, very good but... it baffled me. There’s players that have earned it.”
Dubliner Darren O’Dea has been appointed to the coaching staff at Slovakian side Slaven Bratislava after the club announced Manchester City legend Yaya Toure as their new manager.
The Irish Mirror reports that O’Dea, capped 20 times by Ireland, will take up the role of assistant manager with the side as Toure landed a job that Robbie Keane was linked with after his departure from Ferencvaros.
Glasgow Rangers have agreed a deal that will see manager Danny Röhl depart for Austrian side RB Salzburg with Hearts boss Derek McInnes set to replace him at Ibrox.
Röhl was only appointed as successor to Russell Martin last October with Rangers now in talks to agree compensation with Hearts after enticing McInnes to accept a three year deal according to Sky Sports.
