Packie Bonner facts for kids

Patrick Joseph Bonner, born on May 24, 1960, is a famous Irish retired footballer. He was a fantastic goalkeeper and played his whole professional career for the club Celtic. People often called him 'Pat' or 'Packie'. He also played Gaelic football for his home county, Donegal. Packie played 80 games for the Republic of Ireland national team, starting on his 21st birthday.

Packie's Early Sporting Life

Packie Bonner was a talented athlete from a young age. Before becoming a famous soccer player, he played Gaelic football for his home county, Donegal. He played at both junior and senior levels in the 1970s. He even played in the National Football League (NFL) for Gaelic football.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Soccer

Packie began his soccer journey in the late 1970s. He played for his local youth team, Keadue Rovers. When he was just 16, he had tryouts with Leicester City. He even played as a goalkeeper for them in the FA Youth Cup.

In August 1977, Packie almost signed with League of Ireland team Finn Harps. He had impressed them in a friendly game against Stoke City F.C.. His manager at Finn Harps, Eunan "Busty" Blake, made a special promise. He said if a bigger club wanted Packie, he would let him go.

Joining Celtic F.C.

Soon after, Sean Fallon, a scout for Celtic, saw Packie play. He invited Packie to Glasgow for a trial. True to his word, Busty Blake tore up Packie's Finn Harps contract. Packie never played a competitive game for Finn Harps. On May 14, 1978, Packie Bonner officially signed with Celtic.

Packie became a legend at Celtic. He played in 483 league games for the club. Overall, he played 646 games, making him the goalkeeper with the most appearances in Celtic's history! During his time with Celtic, he won many trophies. He helped them win the League Championship four times. He also won the Scottish Cup three times and the League Cup once.

In 1994, the manager Lou Macari let Packie go. But then Tommy Burns became manager and brought Packie back. Packie's last game for Celtic was the 1995 Scottish Cup final, which they won. After this victory, he became a player-coach. He finally left Celtic in 1998 to work as a coach.

Playing for Ireland

Making His International Debut

Packie Bonner played his first game for the Republic of Ireland on his 21st birthday. This was a friendly match against Poland on May 24, 1981. For a while, Jim McDonagh was Ireland's main goalkeeper. But by March 1986, when Jack Charlton became manager, Packie was the clear number one choice.

On his 34th birthday, Packie played his 75th international game. This was a 1–0 win against Bolivia at Lansdowne Road. At the time, this equaled the record for most games played for Ireland, held by Liam Brady.

Euro 1988 Success

Packie played a key role in Ireland's journey to UEFA Euro 1988. He played in seven of their eight qualifying games. Ireland had some great results, like beating Scotland 1–0 away and Bulgaria 2–0 at home. They also drew 2–2 with World Cup bronze medalists Belgium.

Ireland seemed unlikely to qualify, needing Bulgaria to not draw their last game against Scotland. But in a dramatic turn, Scotland scored a last-minute winning goal! This meant Ireland, and Packie, qualified for their first ever UEFA European Championship.

At Euro 88, Packie played in all of Ireland's matches. This included a famous 1–0 victory over England in Stuttgart. Ireland scored early and played well in the first half. In the second half, Packie made many amazing saves, especially from Gary Lineker. He was named Man of the Match. This was Packie's eighth clean sheet in a row for Ireland. Ireland then drew 1–1 with the Soviet Union. They just missed out on the semi-finals after losing to the Netherlands in their final group game.

1990 FIFA World Cup Heroics

Packie missed Ireland's first qualifying game for the 1990 FIFA World Cup due to a back injury. But he played in the remaining seven matches. Ireland only let in goals in one game, a 0–2 loss to Spain. Packie's excellent performance in that game stopped an even bigger defeat. Ireland later beat Spain 1–0 at home. In November 1989, they secured their spot in the World Cup with a 2–0 win against Malta.

This was the first time the Republic of Ireland had ever qualified for the World Cup! Packie made two unforgettable moments that are still talked about in Irish sports history.

In Ireland's very first World Cup game against England, Ireland was losing 1–0. Packie made a strong clearance that went all the way to the English penalty area. This helped set up Kevin Sheedy's goal, which tied the game. Packie's determined face during that moment is a famous image from Ireland's first World Cup.

After a 0–0 draw with Egypt, Ireland needed a draw with the Netherlands to reach the next round. Ireland was losing 1–0. Again, Packie made a long clearance that caused confusion for the Dutch team. This allowed Niall Quinn to score the equalizer, sending Ireland to the knockout stage!

Ireland's next game against Romania went to a penalty shootout. The score was 4–4 with one kick left for each team. Packie made a simple save from Daniel Timofte's penalty. This set up David O'Leary to score the winning kick for Ireland!

In the quarter-final against Italy, Ireland lost 1–0. Packie saved a powerful shot, but it knocked him off balance. This allowed Salvatore Schillaci to score the winning goal. Packie returned home to Dublin as a hero. FIFA has even called Packie's penalty save one of the greatest moments of that World Cup. Packie himself said, "It really wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that that one save changed my life forever."

1994 FIFA World Cup

Packie played in all 12 qualifying matches for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Ireland seemed set to qualify after a great start. They needed only a draw against Spain at home to guarantee their spot. However, they lost that game. This meant they had to beat Northern Ireland in their last game. Ireland drew 1–1 with Northern Ireland but still qualified for the finals. They made it ahead of Denmark because they had scored more goals.

In the World Cup finals, Ireland beat Italy 1–0 in their first match. This was a huge moment! But the rest of the tournament was tough for Ireland and for Packie. They lost 2–1 to Mexico and drew 0–0 with Norway. These results were just enough to get them to the second round.

However, Ireland's tournament ended with a 2–0 defeat to the Netherlands. This game was a low point for Packie. Ireland was already losing 1–0. Then, a long shot from Wim Jonk should have been an easy save. But Packie fumbled the shot, and it slowly rolled into the net. Ireland couldn't recover and was knocked out.

Later International Career

Packie struggled to keep his place in the Ireland team during the UEFA Euro 1996 qualification games. He only played one match, as captain, in a 4–0 win against Liechtenstein. Alan Kelly played most of the other games. Ireland was later knocked out by the Netherlands in a playoff.

Packie's Legacy

Packie Bonner became the Republic of Ireland's most capped goalkeeper. He played 80 games for his country. This record stood until 2007 when another Donegal native, Shay Given, passed it. Packie is still a very important figure in Ireland. He is remembered for his part in some of the most famous moments in Irish sports history.

Coaching and Media Work

On February 2, 2003, Packie Bonner was named technical director of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). This happened after Brian Kerr became the manager of the Republic of Ireland team. Packie had previously worked as the senior team's goalkeeping coach. He has also worked as a football presenter for TV3.

Packie's Personal Life

Packie Bonner is married to Ann, and they have two children, Andrew and Melissa. His son, Andrew, also played football as a striker for the Republic of Ireland youth teams. He also played in the Scottish Junior leagues at club level. Later, Andrew became an amateur distance runner.

Packie has a twin brother named Denis. Denis also played football in Ireland for Galway United and Finn Harps. Packie also has five sisters.

Career Statistics

International Appearances

Awards and Honours

Celtic

• Scottish Premier Division: 1978–79, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1985–86, 1987–88
• Scottish Cup: 1979–80, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1994–95
• Scottish League Cup: 1982–83, 1997–98

Individual

• Ballon d'Or: 1989 (17th place)

See also

In Spanish: Pat Bonner para niños

• List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland
• List of one-club men in association football