JOHN ALDRIDGE POPPED along to The Fantasy Football Club last night and sketched out his best XI of players he’s played alongside.
It’s a pretty formidable group with his former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland team-mates making up the entire selection.
Five ex-Irish players made the cut and here’s what Aldo had to say about them:
Paul McGrath:
“He is the hardest defender I have ever played against. A true gentleman. When we beat Italy 1-0 in the giant stadium in the 1994 World Cup, if any young lad is aspiring to be a centre-half, get the DVD of that game and watch Paul McGrath. It was the best performance I have ever seen, he had [Roberto] Baggio in his pocket for 90 minutes. He was absolutely awesome.”
Mark Lawrenson:
“He was brilliant. One of the best tacklers and the best reader of a game I’ve ever seen. He had long legs but if you needed someone to get a little toe on the end of the ball to get it away, Lawro’s your man. He was a fabulous player, very elegant.”
Ray Houghton:
“Ray was a very intelligent footballer, he really was. He was just so brainy. Jack [Charlton, the former Republic of Ireland manager] didn’t know his dad came from Donegal. When Jack picked me, I told him about Ray Houghton and he said “bring him along, he can have a game as well”.”
Liam Brady:
“He was fabulous. One of the best left foots you are likely to ever see in world football.”
Roy Keane:
“He is a man mountain. People questioned his temperament but you are talking about a winner and a born leader. It’s in his blood. Very passionate about the game.”
Aldo’s dream team in full:
Bruce Grobbelaar, Steve Nicol, Paul McGrath, Alan Hansen, Mark Lawrenson, Ray Houghton, Roy Keane, Liam Brady, John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Ian Rush.
