Italian media celebrates Liam Brady's 70th birthday - 'A true gentleman of the midfield'

Footballer Liam Brady at his new club Juventus after he was signed by the Italian side from Arsenal, for a fee of just over £500,000. September 1980. (Photo by Monte Fresco/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)

The Italian media haven't neglected to mark the 70th birthday of Ireland great Liam Brady, born February 13, 1956 in Whitehall, Dublin.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, still Italy's most widely read paper, paid generous tribute to "The Ice Irishman" and recalled the summer of 1980, when he arrived at Juventus from Arsenal, as a pivotal one in the evolution of Italian football. 

"In 1980, the borders reopened, and the steely-eyed Irishman left Arsenal for Juventus. And he wasn't the only one..."

"Liam Brady's 70th birthday celebrations provide the impetus to return to the historic first wave of foreigners arriving in Serie A in 1980, when the borders reopened. Eleven arrived. The Fantastic 11."

It's a reminder how huge that transfer was, as Italian football lifted restrictions and laid on a tentative welcome to Johnny Foreigner. 

Wishing a big happy 70th Birthday to one of Irish Fooball's greatest, Liam Brady 💚🤩 pic.twitter.com/6dRon8UTmG

— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) February 13, 2026

Not all were a success, Gazzetta reminds us. "Eneas de Camargo. He played in Italy for just one season, wearing the number 10 jersey for Bologna in 1980-81.

"He feared the cold, he was intimidated by it. He played in black flannel tights, the kind his elderly aunts wore in long-ago winters."

But there were other superstars. Daniel Bertoni joined Fiorentina via Seville from Independiente in Argentina, having won the World Cup two years earlier. 

Austrian Herbert Prohaska, also considered among European's best midfielders that summer, came from Austria Vienna to Inter. "The Austrian with the coppery moustache and curly hair had a curious nickname, snail."

The legendary Ruud Krol joined Napoli from Ajax, having summered at Vancouver Whitecaps.

And the genius Brazilian Paulo Roberto "Falcao", came from São Paulo's Internacional to Roma. 

In his book Born to be Footballer, Brady recalls a pivotal clash with Falcao that first season as Juve stayed ahead of Roma late in the title race in a draw that featured a controversially disallowed Roma goal. 

"The brilliant Brazilian midfielder Falcao was their foreign signing and the media billed it as me against him: Brady v Falcao. But they also had Carlo Ancelotti in midfield. I had (Marco) Tardelli alongside me and we were braced for a hell of a battle to control midfield. I’d never experienced that level of tension before."

Liam Brady of Juventus in action during the Serie A 1981-82, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Gazzetta today described Brady's influence on Juventus. "A Dubliner, with a divine left foot, a classic playmaker, and a rare kindness.

"He arrived at Juventus after seven years at Arsenal. Trap adored him. He was sold after two seasons (and two Scudettos) to make way for Platini (and Boniek). 

"For Juventus fans, Brady is the man who, on the final day of the 1981-82 season, stepped up to the spot in Catanzaro and, despite knowing he was already a former player, scored the spot kick that sealed the Scudetto.

"He played in Italy until 1987, with Sampdoria, Inter, and Ascoli."

Guerin Sportivo magazine also added its tribute: "Liam Brady, who turns 70 today, will always remain the first non-Italian to win the Scudetto after the transfer window reopened. A true gentleman of the midfield."

Back in England, the PFA sent its best wishes to the winner of its main award in the season before that first Italian summer. "Wishing a happy 70th birthday to Arsenal icon and winner of the 1979 PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Liam Brady."

Wishing a happy 70th birthday to Arsenal icon and winner of the 1979 PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Liam Brady 🏆 pic.twitter.com/w2qqGem3Fg

— PFA (@PFA) February 13, 2026

The journey to that accolade began 53 years ago in the Highbury office of the Arsenal manager, when Brady signed his first professional deal. 

"It is very easy for me to recall that cold morning inside Bertie Mee’s office. February 13, 1973, my 17th birthday, was warmed up by relief.

"It was a conversation in so far as Bertie talked and I listened. I could have three more years to learn my trade. I’d start on £25 a week. And overnight, the big target changed — get in the first team."

He hit that target and many more. Happy birthday, Liam.