It was only fitting that we should meet Damien Duff at the Aviva Stadium – formerly Lansdowne Road – the ground where he won so many of his 100 caps for Republic of Ireland.
Damien’s reflections on his fledgling international career – at the FIFA World Youth Championships in 1997 (in Malaysia, where Ireland finished third in the world) and 1999 (Nigeria) – gives us a remarkable insight into the extraordinary character and talent that would emerge in memorable spells at Blackburn, Chelsea, Newcastle and Fulham.
From the genius of Brian Kerr to cleaning Tim Sherwood’s boots as a youngster at Blackburn Rovers, poring over Mourinho’s seven-page dossiers at Chelsea and eliminating Barcelona in an epic Champions League tie in 2005, Damien’s insights are golden.This is a man who remains so in love with football that he recently hired an Astroturf park by himself to have a kickabout. That says it all about a remarkable football man.I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.Graham
