Former Liverpool star Jermaine Pennant has revealed that he was 'quite close' to playing for the Republic of Ireland.
The 36-year-old, who refuses to rule out a return to football, told Mirror Sport that his management had talked to the FAI about the possibility, but there was too much red tape to get it over the line.
Speaking at the 'My Tribute Game' charity match for Tallaght Drugs and Alcohol Task Force and UK-based Charity NACO (National Association for Children of Alcoholics) organised by Calum Best, Pennant said: "I was quite close because my granddad is Irish.
"They [the FAI] contacted me because they heard that my granddad on my mother's side is Irish so there was contact, but it was hard to get through the paperwork."
News broke that Pennant was considering making the switch to Ireland in March 2011, having played underage for England but never receiving a call-up by age 28.
But he never got to discuss the possibility with then-manager Giovanni Trapattoni, who was in the process of guiding Ireland to Euro 2012, due to the complications with paperwork.
"I'm not sure who the manager was at the time, but my personal management were speaking about it and they were told I might be eligible."
Pennant, who also played for Arsenal and Stoke City in the Premier League, hasn't played since a 2017 stint with non-league Billericay Town, but isn't closing the door on a potential return to football despite carving out a niche in punditry and reality television.
"Playing in matches like today does bring the hunger back," he admitted. "I think I've still got a bit in the locker.
"I'm doing a bit of everything on TV, I've done some Sky Sports, some reality shows, I've been enjoying being on the TV, I like to think I'm a funny character."
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