How do you define success on the international stage? For most, this would be judged by caps won and major tournament appearances, certainly in this country anyway.
However, sometimes the brightest stars burn for the shortest amount of time.
You would have to travel well down the list of Ireland's most capped players to come across the name of Liam Lawrence. The winger earned only 15 caps over a two year period, but he was an absolute baller.
Making his debut at Craven Cottage in the friendly against Nigeria in May of 2009, Lawrence would go on to establish himself as an important player by the end of the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.
He also scored on only his second international appearance, banging in this belter of a free-kick in the win against South Africa at Thomond Park.
The player made a habit of scoring screamers over the course of his career. His time at Sunderland and Stoke City was littered with belters, with the goals below just two examples.
"They've just seen a goal of the highest order!"@SunderlandAFC fans - where were you when Liam Lawrence did this? #GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/HLCGwNzxf7
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 22, 2016
Liam Lawrence lets fly! 🚀 #GoalOfTheDay @stokecity pic.twitter.com/fFcNKdsAEA
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 20, 2019
While you may remember Lawrence as an important player throughout that qualifying campaign, the reality is that he didn't make his competitive debut until the second last group game, Italy's visit to Croke Park.
He played the full 90 minutes, assisting Glenn Whelan's opener in the eighth minute. Unfortunately, a late Alberto Gilardino goal would deny Ireland a famous victory that night. They were consigned to the play-offs as a result.
We all know what would happen over those two games against the French. Lawrence started both legs, being one of our better performances in Paris. Unfortunately, he would never grace the World Cup stage.
Lawrence would score one more goal for his country, in the friendly against Paraguay in May of the following year. However, as the team hurtled towards Euro 2012 qualification, he would fall out of favour.
While he would start the first three games of that campaign, he soon was relegated to the bench. He would not be selected in the squad for the tournament. His last cap came in a friendly against Scotland.
It's certainly fair to say we should have seen more of him in an Ireland jersey. A player of his quality should have earned far more than 15 caps. His set-pieces were a huge asset, especially for a team who prided themselves on taking advantage of such situations.
Ultimately, it wasn't to be. At least we'll always have Paris...
