Imagine for a moment there was a scale that measured footballers in terms of how beloved they are by Irish football fans. Clinton Morrison, capped 36 times by his country, would exist on one side of that scale, which we'll call the beloved side of the scale. Kris Boyd, who had over 150 appearances for Rangers and 18 caps for Scotland, would be on the extreme other side of that scale, where the less beloved players can be found.
A brief snippet on Soccer Saturday today on Sky Sports captured exactly why this is.
The moment came during a conversation on today's Euro 2024 draw.
The panel were discussing Scotland being drawn with hosts Germany for the first game of the competition on June 14.
Boyd welcomed the occasion, and the challenge.
Boyd then made a snide remark to his right, where Morrison was sitting and said that the Ireland international would 'definitely' be at the competition, perhaps supporting Scotland or England.
Clinton, however, was having none of it.
"I'm not there, mate. Nah. I'm Irish"
You can watch the clip below.
#KrisBoyd showing his usual football knowledge telling Clinton Morrison he’ll be there #EURO2024
CM - I’m #Irish mate 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/kqzubMe7kY— Joe Miller (@joe_averagejoe) December 2, 2023
READ MORE: Prankster Claims Credit For Sex Noise Prank That Disrupts Euro 2024 Draw
Clinton Morrison's Irish roots
Morrison qualified for Ireland through his grandmother, who was from Dundalk and lived in Garristown before moving to the UK. This profile from 2002 in the Irish Times explains why Morrison took his mother's surname as a teenager and his own Irish connections.
My Nan she moved to England when she was about 40 and she lived here ever since. I knew from when I was small I could play for Ireland. When I came to Palace when I was 16 I talked to Ian Evans about playing for the Irish under-21s some day but I don't think he believed I had any real Irish in me. Nobody believed I had Irish in me. I was only in Ireland once. I went down to the boats, done fishing somewhere near Garristown. I was about eight or nine. Just the once, we went."
Clinton Morrison hasn't made an international appearance for the Republic of Ireland since 2006, but it's great to see he's still wearing the green jersey on UK TV.
