Dunphy was always engaging - On his game

Like almost everything he says or does, Eamon Dunphy’s decision to quit RTÉ as a commentator, to concentrate on podcasting, has already begun to spark debate and discussion among soccer aficionados.

Love him or loathe him, Dunphy could never be ignored. For the past 40 years on RTÉ, he has been, by turns,infuriating and entertaining, but at all times illuminating and engaging.

From the moment he made his TV debut, during Italia ‘90, objecting to Jack Charlton’s style of playing, to his defence of Roy Keane when he played with Manchester United, and his famous own-goal, when he called Cristiano Ronaldo “a brat” and Niall Quinn “a Mother Teresa”, Dunphy has been a sparkling force on the airwaves and will be missed.

It is unlikely we will get another TV panellist prepared to declare that attempting to equate Giovanni Trapattoni with Terry (El Tel) Venables “is like comparing Abraham Lincoln with George W Bush”.

Not always a great analyist, but invariably a good one.