Super Paddies: The 11 Best Irish Players of All Time.

Super Paddies: The 11 Best Irish Players of All Time.
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1GK: Shay Given
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2LB: Paul Mc Grath
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3CB: David O'Leary
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4CB: Richard Dunne
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5RB: Steve Finnan
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6DM: Roy Keane
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7CM: Liam Brady
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8AM: Johnny Giles
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9LW: Robbie Keane
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10ST: Frank Stapleton
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11RW: Ray Houghton
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Super Paddies: The 11 Best Irish Players of All Time.

Aug 17, 2011

Super Paddies: The 11 Best Irish Players of All Time.

Ireland has produced some great players over the years, the likes of Giles and Keane as well as current stars Shay Given and Robbie Keane.

This slideshow is a list of those great players of Ireland.

All-Time Top Scorers for Ireland

Robbie Keane-51 goals

Niall Quinn-21 goals

Frank Stapleton-20 goals

Don Givens-19 goals

Tony Cascarino-19 goals

John Aldrige-19 Goals

Noel Cantwell-14 Goals

Gerry Daly-13 Goals

James Dunne-13 Goals

Ian Harte-11 goals 

GK: Shay Given

Ireland's greatest goalkeeper is also one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the English Premier League.

His shot-stopping ability and nimble qualities make him the bane of strikers all over the world.

LB: Paul Mc Grath

One of the greatest Irish players of all time, he was an unflappable center-back with a calming presence in defense.

He had the ability to play the ball as well.

Some Irish fans hold him in higher esteem than Bobby Moore.

CB: David O'Leary

He is remembered more for his days at Arsenal than for his International career, but David was a wonderful player nonetheless.

He has made an incredible contribution to his country and fully merits his place on this list.

He was famous for scoring the winning penalty against Romania at Italia '90 to send Ireland to the quarterfinal of the World Cup.

CB: Richard Dunne

The Irish center-back has been a rock for both his club, Aston Villa, and his country, Ireland.

He has been at one World Cup, the 2002 World Cup, when he was just bursting on to the scene at Manchester City.

He has become the first-choice center-back for Ireland, and he has improved since his tenure as Steve Staunton's junior partner.

RB: Steve Finnan

Steve Finnan is a brilliant right-back. He had great crossing abilities and tackling abilities.

He was hardworking down the wing and was one of Ireland's best players in 2002.

He also had a great tenure at Liverpool during the early years of the Benitez era.

DM: Roy Keane

He was a brilliant captain.

His tackling and energy were exceptional.

He had a great tenure at the heart of the Irish midfield and at the heart of the famous Manchester United team in 1999—the perfectly-balanced midfield of Scholes, Keane, Beckham and Giggs

CM: Liam Brady

Brady is a creative footballer, pure and simple.

He is remembered fondly by Arsenal fans for his heroic performance against Manchester United in a 3-2 Cup Final win, when Alan Sunderland scored the winning goal.

His passing, vision and delicate touch is brilliant.

AM: Johnny Giles

Johnny Giles is another creative Irish midfielder.

He was part of that famous Leeds United side, which lost out on the European Cup final, 2-0, to Bayern Munich.

They were also famed to be a cynical side that tackled hard a lot.

LW: Robbie Keane

Robbie Keane is another of the "golden generation," which is made up of the veterans of the current Irish team.

He provides an older head in midfield.

He has scored 51 goals for Ireland. Thirty-one more than his nearest competitor, Niall Quinn.

ST: Frank Stapleton

Stapleton was a brilliant No. 9 for both Manchester United and Arsenal.

He also played for Ireland and is one of their all-time top scorers.

He was renowned for his heading ability as well as his great finishes for club and country.

RW: Ray Houghton

Houghton has scored some of the greatest goals in the history of Irish football.

He scored the sole goal that defeated Bobby Robson's England and the goal to defeat Roberto Baggio's Italy in 1994.

He was a great winger, great at dribbling around people.

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