ONE OF IRELAND’S most underrated footballers of the last 15 years retired today, as midfielder/defender Steven Reid announced that he will step away from the game.
A spate of injuries meant that he never fulfilled his potential in the Premier League, but even saying that, he enjoyed a long career at a high level, playing for almost 17 years.
We wanted to celebrate Reid on the day of his retirement, so here are 10 reasons you should buy the man a drink of his choice if you happen to bump into him this evening.
1. He was capable of smashing the ball at 189 km/h*!
*We used our eyes to measure this strike rather than a speed gun.
2. He wasn’t afraid to stick it to Trap
After the Italian said it would be ‘very difficult’ for Reid to return from his injury problems, the Irish international told him to shut his Trap….attoni.
Sorry about that…
3. He was a great man to have in a promotion battle
He didn’t score many goals but when he did they were usually screamers, like this one for Millwall against Oldham in 2001 that helped them get promoted to the Championship.
4. He crunched Dutchmen for fun when he captained his country in 2006
Steven Reid was Roy Keane, Denny Landzaat was Marc Overmars and this was taken just before the Reducer: Part II.
5. Even his international goals were belters
He only scored twice for Ireland in 23 caps, but as Nigeria discovered in 2002, Reid has a bionic leg capable of bursting the net.
6. His mugshot pose for his 2002 World Cup call card let opponents know he was a serious operator
7. He showed great mental strength to come back from so many injuries
Reid only played 47 league games in four seasons between 2006-2010 but matched that total across the following two campaigns. It would have been easy to give up, but Reid persevered.
8. He only went and played a half with a broken bloody leg!
Former West Brom manager Steve Clarke said that Reid played 45 minutes with a fractured fibula against Arsenal in 2013.
9. He is probably the fourth best Steven (or Stephen or Steve) to ever play for Ireland
We’ll let you decide how we ranked Reid, Staunton, Finnan, Carr, Elliot, Ward, Kelly, Hunt, Ireland, Gleeson, McPhail and Quinn.
10. Because if you buy him a pint, he seems like the kind of guy who will get you one back
Happy retirement, Steven!
Originally published at 13.15
