Norman Whiteside: O’Neill was always a leader

As the 17-year-old boy debutant from Belfast in the celebrated Northern Ireland World Cup team of 1982, Norman Whiteside already spotted unmistakable signs during that Spanish summer of where his skipper’s long-term future would lie.

“To see Martin O’Neill in the Northern Ireland dressing room, one million percent he was going to be a manager,” said Whiteside yesterday. “Same with my other captain with Northern Ireland, Sammy McIlroy.

“The good thing about them was that they were outspoken for the rest of the team. If something wasn’t right they would go to the manager. They’d be our spokesperson — dressing room stuff, bonuses, a fight over money.