Finnan calls time on Ireland career

STEVE FINNAN’S late volley against Cyprus at Croke Park last October will be his last contribution in a Republic of Ireland jersey after he announced his retirement yesterday.

The Liverpool full-back announced his retirement from the Irish set-up yesterday to bring to an end a career that spanned eight years and yielded 50 caps, including four appearances in the World Cup finals of 2002.

Finnan, who will turn 32 in April, has always been a man of few words when is comes to the media and he continued that trend by issuing a short statement announcing his decision via the Liverpool website.