Denis Irwin facts for kids
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Irwin in 2017
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Denis Irwin | ||
| Date of birth | 31 October 1965 | ||
| Place of birth | Cork, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.73 m | ||
| Playing position | Full back | ||
| 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 1986–1987 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 3 | (4) |
| 1989 | Republic of Ireland U23 | 1 | |
| 1990 | Republic of Ireland B | 1 | |
| 1990–1999 | Republic of Ireland | 56 | |
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Joseph Denis Irwin (born on 31 October 1965) is a famous Irish former professional footballer. He is also a sports TV presenter. Denis Irwin is one of the most successful Irish footballers ever. He shares this amazing record with Ronnie Whelan and Roy Keane. Throughout his career, he won an incredible 19 trophies!
Denis Irwin played as a full back from 1983 to 2004. He is best known for his long and successful time at Manchester United. There, he became one of the most important players. His team won many titles, including seven Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League. This was between 1990 and 2002. His manager, Alex Ferguson, even called him his best signing ever! Before Manchester United, he played for Leeds United and Oldham Athletic. He finished his career playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers, the club he supported as a kid.
Irwin also played for the Republic of Ireland 56 times. He scored four goals for his country. He was part of the team that reached the second round (last 16) at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Early Life and Football Beginnings
Denis Irwin was born and grew up in Cork, Ireland. He went to Togher Boys' National School and Coláiste Chríost Rí. As a schoolboy, he was very good at both Gaelic football and hurling. He even played at Croke Park, a famous stadium, more than once. One time, he played against his future teammate, Niall Quinn.
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Journey
Irwin began his football career with Leeds United in 1983. He played 72 games for them in the Second Division. In 1986, he moved to Oldham Athletic for free. He helped Oldham reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup. They also made it to the final of the League Cup in 1990. After this, he moved to Manchester United for £650,000.
Becoming a Manchester United Legend
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Denis Irwin played for 12 years at Old Trafford, Manchester United's home stadium. He played 296 games in the Premier League. He won seven Premier League titles, which is amazing! He also won the FA Cup twice (in 1994 and 1996). Other wins included a League Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the European Cup Winners' Cup.
He was great at playing in both full back positions. He was also an expert at taking free kicks and penalties. Even when he was in his mid-thirties, he was still Manchester United's top choice for left back. He was chosen over younger players like Phil Neville.
He scored 22 league goals for Manchester United, many of them from penalties. One of his first goals was on 7 September 1991 against Norwich City. He scored twice in a 6–3 win against his old club Oldham Athletic in 1991. He also scored a late winning goal against Southampton in 1995. This goal kept the league title race exciting until the very last game!
On 16 August 2000, Denis Irwin had a special match called a testimonial match. This was played against Manchester City at Old Trafford. Testimonial matches are usually friendly games. But because it was against a local rival, it was a tough match. Irwin had to leave the game early due to an injury.
His very last game for Manchester United was on 11 May 2002. It was against Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford. The game ended in a 0–0 draw. For this special final game, his manager Alex Ferguson gave him the captain's armband. This showed how much he was respected.
Time at Wolverhampton Wanderers
After leaving Manchester United in 2002, Irwin joined Wolverhampton Wanderers for free. His former Manchester United teammate, Paul Ince, also joined Wolves at the same time. Irwin scored two goals in his first season with Wolves.
In 2003, Wolves won promotion to the Premier League. When Irwin played at Old Trafford against Manchester United, the United fans cheered for him. This showed how much they still loved him. Wolves were relegated in 2004. After that season, 38-year-old Denis Irwin decided to retire from playing football.
Playing for Ireland
Denis Irwin played for the Republic of Ireland national under-19 team. He was part of the teams that qualified for the European Under-18 Championships in 1983 and 1984. He played 56 times for the senior Republic of Ireland between 1990 and 1999. He scored four goals for his country.
His first game for Ireland was on 12 September 1990 against Morocco. His first goal for Ireland was on 29 April 1992 against the United States. His last international game was on 17 November 1999, when Ireland played Turkey.
Irwin played in his only international tournament for Ireland at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. He played as a right back in the first two group games. Ireland beat Italy 1–0 and lost to Mexico 2–1. He missed the next game due to a suspension. He was an unused substitute when Ireland lost to the Netherlands in the Round of 16.
Life After Football
Since 2004, Denis Irwin has worked as a presenter for MUTV, Manchester United's TV channel. He has also helped cover several football tournaments for RTÉ, an Irish TV channel. He writes a column for the Sunday World newspaper in Ireland. He also helped with RTÉ Sport's coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Honours
Oldham Athletic
- Football League Cup runner-up: 1989–90
Manchester United
- Premier League: 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01
- FA Cup: 1993–94, 1995–96; runner-up: 1994–95
- Football League Cup: 1991–92; runner-up: 1990–91, 1993–94
- FA Charity Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1996, 1997
- UEFA Champions League: 1998–99
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1990–91
- European Super Cup: 1991
- Intercontinental Cup: 1999
Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Football League First Division play-offs: 2003
Individual
- PFA Team of the Year: 1989–90 Second Division, 1993–94 Premier League, 1998–99 Premier League, 2002–03 First Division
- PFA Team of the Century (1997–2007): 2007
- English Football Hall of Fame: 2016
See also
In Spanish: Denis Irwin para niños
