Ex-Man United captain honoured in Belfast

A former Manchester United captain credited with saving FC Barcelona from extinction has been honoured in a mural painted as part of a campaign for a memorial at his unmarked grave.

Dubliner Patrick O’Connell may not be a well-known name in British and Irish football circles but he is revered in parts of Spain.

After playing as a central defender for United, Sheffield Wednesday and Hull in the years around the First World War, the former Ireland captain went on to pursue a managerial career in Spain where, in 1935, he led Real Betis FC of Seville to its one and only La Liga title.