_(cropped).jpg) Irwin in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Denis Irwin[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1965-10-31)31 October 1965 (age 60)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Cork, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Full back[4] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1983 | Leeds United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1986 | Leeds United | 72 | (1) |
| 1986–1990 | Oldham Athletic | 167 | (4) |
| 1990–2002 | Manchester United | 368 | (22) |
| 2002–2004 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 75 | (2) |
| Total | 682 | (29) | |
| International career | |||
| 1986–1987 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 1989 | Republic of Ireland U23 | 1 | (1) |
| 1990 | Republic of Ireland B | 1 | (0) |
| 1990–1999 | Republic of Ireland | 56 | (4) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Joseph Denis Irwin (born 31 October 1965) is an Irish former professionalfootballer and sports television presenter. Irwin is the joint most successful Irish footballer in history, a record he shares withRonnie Whelan and fellowManchester United stalwartRoy Keane, having won 19 trophies in his career.[5]
As a player, he played as afull back from 1983 to 2004. Irwin is best known for his long and successful stint at Manchester United, where he established himself as one of the most important players in a team that won a host of domestic and European trophies from 1990 to 2002, including sevenPremier League titles and theUEFA Champions League. He has been regarded byAlex Ferguson as, pound for pound, his greatest ever signing.[6] Earlier in his career he played forLeeds United and thenOldham Athletic, and finished his career with a two-year spell atWolverhampton Wanderers, the club he supported as a child.[7]
Irwin wascapped by theRepublic of Ireland national side 56 times, scoring four goals and featuring in the side that reached the second round (last 16) at the1994 FIFA World Cup.
Irwin was born and raised inCork, County Cork, and was educated at Togher Boys' National School andColáiste Chríost Rí.[8] As a schoolboy, he excelled at bothGaelic football andhurling, and played atCroke Park more than once, on one occasion marking future teammateNiall Quinn.[9]
Irwin began his career withLeeds United in 1983, making 72 appearances in theSecond Division, before moving on toOldham Athletic on a free transfer in 1986. He helped Oldham reach the semi-finals of theFA Cup and thefinal of theLeague Cup in 1990 before he was transferred toManchester United for a fee of £650,000.[10]
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In 12 years atOld Trafford, he made 296Premier League appearances and won seven Premier League title medals, as well as two FA Cup winner's medals (1994 and 1996), a League Cup winner's medal, andUEFA Champions League andEuropean Cup Winners' Cup honours. He was comfortable in either of thefull back positions and an expert atfree kicks andpenalties, and even in his mid-thirties he was still United's first-choiceleft back in preference to the youngerPhil Neville.[citation needed]
He scored a total of 22 league goals for Manchester United, including several penalties. The first of these came on 7 September 1991 in a 3–0 home win overNorwich City in the First Division.[11]
Notable goals came on 26 December 1991, when he scored twice in a 6–3 away league win over his old club Oldham Athletic, and his late winner againstSouthampton in May 1995[12] which kept the league title race open until the final match.[13]
Irwin was awarded atestimonial match for Manchester United – played on 16 August 2000 against Manchester City at Old Trafford. Despite testimonials beingfriendly matches, due to the match being between local rivals it was a physical affair. Irwin went off injured in the 37th minute after a bad challenge by City strikerGeorge Weah.[14]
Irwin made his last appearance for Manchester United at Old Trafford againstCharlton Athletic on the final day of the2001–02 Premier League season (11 May 2002), which ended in a 0–0 draw. For his final appearance as a Manchester United player, Alex Ferguson awarded him the captain's armband.[15]
Irwin joinedWolverhampton Wanderers on a free transfer after the 2001–02 season, coincidentally joining theBlack Country club at the same time as his former Manchester United teammatePaul Ince made the move to theWest Midlands club, having previously been atMiddlesbrough. Irwin scored twice in his first season at Wolves, against Burnley[16] and Grimsby.[17]
After Wolves won promotion to the Premier League in 2003, Irwin was applauded by the Manchester United supporters when he walked onto the pitch at Old Trafford for an early season league match which United won 1–0.[citation needed]
Wolves were relegated at the end of the2003–04 season, and the 38-year-old Irwin then announced his retirement.[18]
Irwin played for theRepublic of Ireland national under-19 team that qualified for the1983 UEFA European Under-18 Championship and the1984 UEFA European Under-18 Championship. He wascapped 56 times for theRepublic of Ireland between 1990 and 1999, and scored four goals. His first appearance came on 12 September 1990 (just after his move to Manchester United), when he helped them beatMorocco 1–0 in a friendly atDalymount Park. He made his competitive international debut on 17 October 1990, when the national side began theirUEFA Euro 1992 qualifying campaign with a 5–0 win overTurkey atLansdowne Road. He scored his first international goal on 29 April 1992 in a friendly against theUnited States atLansdowne Road. His final international appearance came on 17 November 1999, at the age of 34, when Republic of Ireland lost to Turkey in theUEFA Euro 2000 qualifying play-off second leg inBursa.[19]
Irwin made his only international tournament appearance for Republic of Ireland at the1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. He started at right back in the team's first two group matches; a 1–0 victory againstItaly and a 2–1 loss toMexico. He was then suspended for Republic of Ireland's final group game (0–0 draw vs.Norway) and was an unused substitute in the 2–0 loss to theNetherlands in the Round of 16.[20]
Considered by pundits to be one of the best full-backs of his generation and in Premier League history,[21][22][23][24] Irwin was comfortable with both feet, which allowed him to play either as a left-back or as a right-back.[22][23] A goodcrosser of the ball,[25] in 2021,Gary Lineker praised Irwin for his intelligence and passing ability.[22] He was also known for his work-rate and consistency.[26][27][28][29] Despite being a defender known for his strong tackling ability, he was also known for his eye for goal, courtesy of his abilities atfree kicks andpenalties; as such he was capable of assisting his team both defensively and offensively.[22][23][30][31]
Since 2004, Irwin has worked as a presenter onMUTV.[32] Irwin has been involved in coverage of several football tournaments on RTÉ. He is also a columnist with Ireland'sSunday World newspaper. He contributed toRTÉ Sport's coverage of the2010 FIFA World Cup.[33][34]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leeds United | 1983–84 | Second Division | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 1984–85 | Second Division | 41 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 45 | 1 | |||
| 1985–86 | Second Division | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| Total | 72 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 82 | 1 | |||
| Oldham Athletic | 1986–87 | Second Division | 41 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 3[b] | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
| 1987–88 | Second Division | 43 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 49 | 3 | ||
| 1988–89 | Second Division | 41 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 46 | 2 | ||
| 1989–90 | Second Division | 42 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 60 | 1 | ||
| Total | 167 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 204 | 7 | ||
| Manchester United | 1990–91 | First Division | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 52 | 0 |
| 1991–92 | First Division | 38 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 51 | 4 | |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 40 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | — | 48 | 5 | ||
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 42 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3[g] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 62 | 4 | |
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 40 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5[g] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 6 | |
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 31 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | ||
| 1996–97 | Premier League | 31 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8[g] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 25 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[g] | 2 | 1[d] | 0 | 37 | 4 | |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 29 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12[g] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 48 | 3 | |
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 25 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 13[g] | 0 | 4[h] | 0 | 42 | 3 | ||
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7[g] | 2 | 1[d] | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10[g] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| Total | 368 | 22 | 43 | 7 | 31 | 0 | 75 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 529 | 33 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2002–03 | First Division | 43 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3[i] | 0 | 52 | 2 | |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | |||
| Total | 75 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 85 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 682 | 29 | 64 | 7 | 57 | 3 | 75 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 900 | 43 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 1990 | 2 | 0 |
| 1991 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 8 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 56 | 4 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 April 1992 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | 10 |  United States | 2–0 | 4–1 | Friendly | [38] |
| 2 | 29 October 1997 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | 47 |  Belgium | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification | [39] |
| 3 | 5 September 1998 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | 49 |  Croatia | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying | [40] |
| 4 | 10 February 1999 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland | 51 |  Paraguay | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [41] |
Oldham Athletic
Manchester United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Individual
