As a teammate, Damien Duff was 'quiet' according to Marcel Desailly.
The two spent the 2003/4 season together at Chelsea.
In Dublin yesterday, the 47-year-old explained that the former Ireland international enjoyed a laugh but would usually never contribute with his own joke.
Perhaps this was down to Duff being new to the group. With familiarity would likely come a loosening of the tongue.
It's this memory of Duff which lends a slight surprise to Desailly's voice when told that the recently retired player will be on RTÉ as an analyst this summer - 'He can talk?'
Desailly's recall of Duff on the pitch is an entirely different matter. He remembers a 'phenomenon'.
What a player! When he was at Blackburn, he was a phenomenon. I remember when we played against them – this is 2003 when Ranieri was manager - wow, it was amazing. [Keith] Gillespie on the right and Damien Duff on the other side. Wow, it was like a volcano. It was coming from everywhere.
His experience of Duff as both an opponent and teammate makes Desailly feel that the winger did not fulfil his potential.
He was a great player but I was probably expecting him to do more than what he has achieved. The injury and many other elements blocked him but what a player, what a player.
Photo credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Carlsberg ambassador, Marcel Desailly, was in Dublin today to kick start the celebrations for Irish fans ahead of Euro 2016. Carlsberg’s commitment to ‘do it better for the fans’ ensured over 1,500 fans will attend Ireland games in France and support the Green Army. For more information visit Facebook.com/Carlsberg
