Only one Irish player in the world’s top 500 footballers

Martin O’Neill’s task has been put into perspective by two new magazine lists, writes Liam Mackey.

Liam Brady caused a bit of a stir in his Irish Examiner column when, ahead of the Euro qualifier against Poland, he underscored his pessimism about Ireland chance’s of qualifying for the finals by declaring that the quality of player currently available to Martin O’Neill was at “an all-time low”.

True, he admitted to having had to “chew on his words”, if not quite eat them following that game of two halves at the Aviva which saw an encouraging second-half performance rewarded with that last-gasp Shane Long goal which keeps our qualification hopes alive.

Nevertheless, Brady’s fundamental doubts about the strength of this Irish squad have received further backing in the form of a couple of international magazine polls which appear to show a definite disconnect between how certain Irish players are viewed in this country and how they are seen from the great beyond.

In its latest edition, one of the globe’s leading football magazines, ‘World Soccer’, has unveiled its list of the ‘500 Most Important Players On The Planet’- currently playing, that is - and the alphabetical roll of honour makes for sobering reading for those with a tendency to study the game through green-tinted glasses.

True, ‘World Soccer’ is not infallible and its main selection criterion for inclusion in the list – “the most newsworthy who, by definition, are the most important” – hardly scientific but, nevertheless, it comes as something of a jolt to see that only one Irish player is deemed worthy of making the cut - and then primarily on the grounds of reputation and what he has achieved in one of the world’s less exalted football leagues.

So step forward none other than Robbie Keane, whose ‘World Soccer’ testimonial reads: “Winner of the 2014 Most Valuable Player award after captaining LA Galaxy to another MLS title. A natural goalscorer.”

And that’s it – a veteran whose future in the international team is under scrutiny as never before is, according to ‘World Soccer’, the only Irish footballer deemed worthy of mention alongside the other 499 best players on the planet.

As for players Irish supporters might deem serious contenders, especially in the up and coming bracket – notably Seamus Coleman and, to a lesser extent, James McCarthy – they are both conspicuous by their absence even though ‘World Soccer’ does manage to find places in its top 500 for three of their Everton team mates, the Belgian duo of Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas, and, despite his recent woes, what the magazine calls “one of the great white hopes of English football,” Ross Barkley.

And so to the latest issue of ‘FourFourTwo’ which, somewhat less ambitiously, confines itself to listing the ‘Football League’s 50 Best Players’ – ie those from outside the Premier League – as chosen, in this instance, by a fans’ vote across all three divisions in England.

Again, scarcely scientific, but again, interesting reading for Irish supporters, and not least for the omission of the player on whom so many are now pinning their hopes of success in the qualifiers – Norwich’s Wes Hoolahan.

So no Wes then, but six Irish players do make the list, although only one manages to breach the top ten.

In reverse order, take a bow Scunthorpe’s Paddy Madden at 41, Cardiff’s Eoin Doyle at 36, Huddersfield’s Sean Scannell at 34, Sheffield Wednesday’s Keiren Westwood at 21, Bournemouth’s Harry Arter at 19 and, finishing highest up the rankings at number 6, Ipswich Town striker Daryl Murphy.

For the record, the Number I spot was taken by Irish new boy Arter’s Bournemouth team mate, winger Matt Richie.