As a Corkman watching young Caoimhin Kelleher get his Champions League medal, there’s a sense of fierce pride – and murderous jealousy.
Seriously, like – that could have been me up there at his age – if it wasn’t for a lack of about a foot in height, a capacity for hard work and any basic skills whatsoever.
Not that you would begrudge the young, handsome and blond Caoimhin the vast success, riches and fame he seems destined for. Or the legions of supermodels that will doubtless by throwing themselves in front of him. Oh no.
Watching the final in a pub in Cork city centre, surrounded by happy Liverpool, sad Spurs and quietly seething Man Utd fans at the final whistle, there was a great sense of pride as the sub-goalie went up to get his medal.
To be fair to him, the 20-year-old, who has yet to play a competitive senior game for Liverpool, didn’t make a big deal of his moment.
He seemed to be happy to let the guys who played get all the limelight and just take it all in.
It must be surreal going from Ringmahon Rangers in the suburbs of Cork city to Anfield and then Madrid and a Champions League final.
His Rebel County forefathers Denis Irwin and Roy Keane were there before him in 1999, when Caoimihin was a babe in arms (really, the kid was only born in 1998, for feck’s sake).
Irwin and Keane were, in different ways, strong characters who fought hard for the chances their talent deserved.
Keane had written to Nottingham Forest as a kid to ask for a trial but was knocked back. When the club finally came calling and signed him from Cobh Ramblers, Roy turned up for his first day wearing his best suit and shiny shoes.
It really is a different world now for talented Irish kids like Kelleher and his Liverpool team-mate Conor Masterson (from Celbridge, Co Kildare). Talent is spotted quickly and the best are smoothly fast-tracked to the top.
After all of the depressing John Delaney shenanigans, the future looks bright for Irish football.
Silent treatment best way to top Trump
The best thing we can all do with that eejit Trump when he lands here on Wednesday is just ignore the fecker.
He’s only coming to get his picture taken with some poor bagpipe player as a couple of young ones dance a jig behind him.
We could have paid Wales to pretend they were us for a couple of days and the eejit wouldn’t have known the difference.
Don’t get me wrong, Trump is hugely dangerous to us and the rest of the world. And it’s sad the US elected such a ridiculously transparent conman (at best), they used to be a serious country.
Donnie could care less about Ireland and the Irish – we’re just a big golf course in the middle of the ocean to him.
You’d almost feel sorry for Leo having to go through the motions.
But if we just ignore Donnie and his goons they’ll be gone within 48 hours and then they’re America’s problem again.
This week I’m loving...
Katie Taylor. The woman is just epic.
This week I’m dreading...
Endless crowing from the brother, a Liverpool fan.
