Ultimate pro Shay Given proves cup magic alive and well

The hip thing to do in recent times at any mention of the romance of the FA Cup is to scoff, but is anyone else uplifted that for all the talk about a fitting Wembley send-off for Stevie G, the termination of that possibility has simultaneously opened up the prospect of a fairytale story for a Shay G?

As of yesterday, Shay Given has been 39 years on the planet. For at least 15 of those, he was indisputably Ireland’s best goalkeeper. For a dozen or so he was one of the best three goalkeepers in the Premier League, among the top 10 in the world.

You think how difficult it is to operate in that realm. Last month, World Soccer Magazine selected what it considered to be the 500 most important players on the globe. Robbie Keane was the only Irish player that featured. And note the use of the term ‘important’, not ‘best’.