Jaden Umeh ready to balance burgeoning Ireland career with Leaving Cert exams

Ireland's Jaden Umeh makes his international debut. Pic: Bryan Keane/Inpho

After the high of making your Republic of Ireland debut on home soil, along comes the lousy Leaving Cert to let the air out of the balloon.

Jaden Umeh could have floated out of the Aviva Stadium on Thursday night, such was the elation he was revelling in after making that senior breakthrough off the bench in the 1-0 friendly win over World Cup-bound Qatar.

The Cork teenager had spoken in the build-up about how he had never been to the stadium in any capacity, so it’s a visit he will never forget, particularly with an army of family and friends on hand to savour the moment with him.

Umeh is busy making strides at Benfica, although the winger has yet to break into their first-team despite training with them on a regular basis. 

Until now, his most eye-catching work was reserved for Ireland’s Under-17s and, recently, the Under-21s.

But Heimir Hallgrímsson liked what he saw during the past week, after Umeh was forced to withdraw from the Ireland camp in Spain for the low-key Murcia clash with Grenada a fortnight ago, as Benfica needed him for a Uefa Youth League game.

Jaden Umeh of the Republic of Ireland with supporters. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

Umeh ticked all the boxes in training this week and was rewarded with his first cap off the bench in a front-footed display laced with intent, and which began with a run, trick and shot with his first passage of play.

The 18-year-old will now fly out to Canada this weekend with the rest of the Ireland squad for next Friday’s friendly against the World Cup co-hosts in Montreal, hoping to don the green shirt for the second time in a week.

But there’s a fly in the ointment.

Umeh’s Leaving Cert exams begin on Wednesday with English paper one, followed on Friday by Maths paper one. He may be over the other side of the world, but so are his school books as he gets in some last-minute prep.

Umeh must sit the exams at precisely the same time as students in Ireland. So when the clock hits 9.30am on Wednesday, Umeh will be turning over his own paper in Montreal at 4.30am, with an official from the Canadian board of education in the room with him.

“It’s going good,” said the former Ringmahon Rangers player of his studies. “School is important as well, so I just want to get it done and over with now, have it on my profile. I'm ready for the challenges both on and off the field. I just give everything my 100 percent. I'm trying to keep in the right mindset with school and football. I think I'm managing it well.” 

Jaden Umeh of Republic of Ireland with family. Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

With all of that going on, Umeh won’t be rooming with any of his teammates in Canada. The exams may be hanging over him, but he is reluctant to wish away time as he knows this is an exceptional week in his life and one he doesn’t want to fast-track. Not with the prospect of a second cap at the end of it.

“It's something amazing, something I dreamed about since I was young, and especially my family,” said the former Cork City man, reflecting on Thursday’s debut at Lansdowne Road. “For it to become reality is something special, it’s such a moment.

“When I got onto the pitch, I wanted to show the fans what I could do, even in small minutes. I think I did that. They were on my side. Especially at the start when I touched the ball. It just gave me that race of energy, and I just wanted to show something I can do. That motivation definitely gave me the confidence to take people on one-v-one.” 

Umeh continued: “The fans are ours, and the stadium is filled with them. I heard more roars than I usually would, so that was something special. When the manager gave me the go-ahead on the bench, I felt that rush of excitement. Not only for me, I know it's something my family wanted to see.

“They sacrifice a lot. Even travelling up here from Cork, it's a long drive. This is what they wanted to do for us (Umeh, and older brother Franco, who plays for Portsmouth) since we were young. They brought us to a lot of places. I'm just grateful for everything they've done for me. They sacrificed a lot, and they wasted their own time to just give us the time.” 

With Euro 2028 coming to these shores in a couple of years, and Ireland determined to be there either by qualifying automatically or availing of one of the co-host spots that Uefa are holding in reserve, Umeh wants to lay claim to a regular role in Hallgrimsson’s squad by then.

But to do so, he may have to leave Benfica in the hunt for first-team football. Jose Mourinho took a shine to Umeh after watching him play for their youth team, but Mourinho isn’t the manager anymore as he prepares for a return to Real Madrid.

Umeh said: “I can't tell the future, you know? Benfica's looking for a new head coach at the moment. Once that decision is made, I definitely might have talks and see what the next step is. I just want to show my skills anytime I step on the pitch with Ireland.”