Packie Bonner facts for kids

Patrick Joseph Bonner (born 24 May 1960), often called Pat or Packie, is a famous Irish retired footballer. He was a fantastic goalkeeper and played his whole professional career for Celtic. He also played 80 games for the Republic of Ireland, starting on his 21st birthday. Before becoming a soccer star, he even played Gaelic football for his home county, Donegal.

Playing Gaelic Football

Before soccer, Packie Bonner was a talented Gaelic football player. He played for the Donegal county team when he was younger and also as an adult in the 1970s. He played several matches in the National Football League.

Packie's Club Soccer Journey

Starting Out in Soccer

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

In August 1977, Packie was set to join League of Ireland team Finn Harps. He had impressed them in a friendly game against English team Stoke City F.C.. His manager at Finn Harps, Eunan "Busty" Blake, made a special promise. If a bigger club wanted Packie, he would let him leave.

Soon after, Sean Fallon, a scout for Celtic, saw Packie play. He invited him to Glasgow for a trial. True to his word, Blake let Packie go. Packie signed with Celtic on 14 May 1978, without playing a single competitive game for Finn Harps.

Life at Celtic

Packie Bonner became a legend at Celtic. He played in an amazing 483 league games for the club. Overall, he played 646 matches, making him the goalkeeper with the most appearances in Celtic's history!

During his time with Celtic, he helped them win many trophies:

• Four League Championship medals.
• Three Scottish Cup winners' medals.
• One League Cup winners' medal.

He was briefly released by manager Lou Macari in 1994. But he was quickly re-signed by Tommy Burns after Macari left. His very last game for Celtic was a victory in the 1995 Scottish Cup final. After this win, Packie became a player-coach. He finally left Celtic in 1998 to work as a coach alongside his former teammate, Tommy Burns.

Playing for Ireland

Packie Bonner played his first international game for the Republic of Ireland on his 21st birthday. This was a friendly match against Poland on 24 May 1981.

For a while, another goalkeeper, Jim McDonagh, was Ireland's first choice. But by March 1986, when Jack Charlton became manager, Packie was the clear number one. He earned his 75th international cap on his 34th birthday. This was in a 1–0 win against Bolivia at Lansdowne Road. At that time, it matched the record held by Liam Brady for most appearances for Ireland.

Euro 1988: A Big Moment

Packie played in seven of Ireland's eight qualifying games for UEFA Euro 1988. 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.

It looked like Bulgaria would qualify. But in their last match, Scotland scored a last-minute winning goal against Bulgaria. This surprise result meant Ireland, and Packie, qualified for their first-ever UEFA European Championship!

At Euro 88, Packie played in all of Ireland's games. 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 amazing saves, especially from Gary Lineker. He was named Man of the Match! This was his eighth clean sheet in a row for Ireland.

Ireland then drew 1–1 with the Soviet Union. They just missed out on reaching the semi-finals. They let in a goal in the final minutes of their last group match against the eventual champions, the Netherlands.

1990 World Cup: A Hero's Save

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. The only goals Ireland let in during the qualifiers were in a 0–2 loss in Spain. Packie's excellent performance in that game stopped an even bigger defeat.

Ireland then beat Spain 1–0 at home. In November 1989, they secured their spot in the World Cup. They won 2–0 away against Malta in their final game.

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 to make it 1–1.
• 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 sent a long clearance into the Dutch penalty area. This caused confusion and allowed Niall Quinn to score the goal that sent 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 a weak penalty by Daniel Timofte. 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 he was knocked off balance. This allowed Salvatore Schillaci to score the winning goal. Packie returned home to Dublin as a hero the next day.

FIFA has remembered Packie's penalty save as one of the great 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."

Euro 1992: Close Call

Packie remained Ireland's top goalkeeper for UEFA Euro 1992 qualifiers. Ireland was in a group with Poland, Turkey, and England. Ireland narrowly missed out on qualifying. In a crucial game against Poland, Ireland was leading 3–1 with minutes to go. But they let in two late goals, and the game ended 3–3. This draw ultimately cost them a spot in the tournament.

1994 World Cup: Another Qualification

Packie played in all 12 qualifying matches for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Ireland was doing very well, with seven wins and three draws in their first ten games. They just needed a draw against Spain at home to qualify. However, they lost 3–1.

This meant Ireland needed to beat Northern Ireland in their last game. They drew 1–1, but still qualified! They finished ahead of Denmark because they had scored more goals. Packie's saves throughout the qualifiers were very important in keeping Ireland's goal difference high.

In the World Cup Finals, Ireland beat Italy 1–0 in their first match. But the rest of the tournament was tough. They lost 2–1 to Mexico and drew 0–0 with Norway. This was just enough to get them to the next round.

However, their tournament ended with a 2–0 defeat to the Netherlands. This was a tough moment for Packie. Ireland was already 1–0 down when 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 out of the tournament.

Euro 1996 Qualification

Packie struggled to keep his place in the Ireland team during the UEFA Euro 1996 qualification. He only played one match, as captain, in a 4–0 win over 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, playing 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 for his role in some of the most famous moments in Irish sports history.

Coaching Career

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

Packie's Family 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 Scottish junior leagues and later became a distance runner.

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

Career Statistics

International Games

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