What was already an important night for Ireland on Monday was elevated for one man, as James McClean made his 100th appearance for his country.
McClean captained Ireland as they faced Gibraltar in a EURO 2024 qualifier, 11 years after making his debut in a friendly against the Czech Republic.
He has been one of Irish football's greatest modern servants, and marked the special occasion in style by playing a crucial role in Ireland's 3-0 victory.
With Ireland's youfhful squad looking nervy at the break, the leadership of James McClean as a senior player in this Irish side shone through in the second-half, as the team rallied to a routine win.
And after the final whistle blew, in classic fashion, McClean had time to have a pop at the Irish media for their support of the national team, issuing a rallying cry to get behind the young players in Ireland's squad.
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James McClean celebrated on occasion of 100th Ireland cap
James McClean became just the seventh player to rack up a century of caps for Ireland on Monday night, joining Robbie Keane, Shay Given, John O'Shea, Kevin Kilbane, Steve Staunton, and Damien Duff in the 100 club.
Ahead of kick-off v Gibraltar in Dublin, McClean was honoured with a commemorative cap and medal, presented to him by none other than football-mad President of Ireland Michael D Higgins on the Aviva Stadium pitch.
It's a special night for James McClean and his family as the Derryman captains his country on his 100th international appearance. #RTESoccer pic.twitter.com/c6HUtsmnpB
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) June 19, 2023
It was a special night for McClean, and he was able to share it in the company of his family, as his three children joined him as Irish mascots for the EURO 2024 qualifier.
Once the game got underway, Ireland took longer than expected to break down the Gibraltar defence, but McClean was a consistent bright spot in the Irish attack, and got his just rewards in the second-half.
After substitute Mikey Johnston broke the deadlock early in the second-half, James McClean laid on an assist for Evan Ferguson to score Ireland's second with an excellent cross to the six-yard box.
Ireland 2-0 Gibraltar - Evan Ferguson heads home after some fine Irish build-up play and suddenly the mood has turned at the Aviva Stadium.
📺 Watch: https://t.co/JYf06csIye
📻 Listen: https://t.co/dVJTUVZZpa
📷 Follow: https://t.co/O8l1PkdPQa pic.twitter.com/uBzVeNSPQA— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) June 19, 2023
In injury-time, a near carbon copy saw McClean find Corkman Adam Idah in the area to score his first international goal.
Full-time: Ireland 3-0 Gibraltar - Adam Idah rounds out a satisfying second-half performance with Ireland's third goal as James McClean claims another assist.
📺 Watch: https://t.co/JYf06csIye
📻 Listen: https://t.co/dVJTUVZZpa
📷 Follow: https://t.co/O8l1PkdPQa pic.twitter.com/FZT82nf1dc— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) June 19, 2023
The pre-match celebration of James McClean was richly deserved for the veteran wing-back, who celebrated in style with two brilliant assists
After the game, McClean spoke to RTÉ, and summed up the emotion of his big night at the Aviva Stadium:
It was incredible. Obviously, that moment beforehand with my family on the pitch, and the reception I got from the crowd made it that little extra bit special.
When you top it off...it couldn't have gone much better, really.
It is the stuff of dreams. You come up dreaming of representing your country and it's rare that that happens, the chances are very, very slim. To do it once is obviously extra special but to do it 100 times and get presented by the President, and the president of the association as well...it was a special, special night.
McClean stood up for his manager Stephen Kenny after he was questioned in the pre-match press conference, intervening after a particularly prickly line of questioning.
As he reflected on what has been a memorable Irish career thus far, James McClean issued a rallying cry for the Ireland team as they look forward to the remainder of the qualifying campaign - and McClean had time to ask questions himself of the Irish media's support of the national team.
He said that he was stunned at the lack of positivity in coverage of what is a young Irish side, and called for patience, showing his leadership as he made a genuine cry to support the exciting prospects coming through in the Irish national team:
We're all in this together. Ideally, we'd like to have the media on our side as well, a bit of positivity with such a young squad.
Listen, at half-time, there were a bit of nerves and anxiety coming into the game. We knew we had to bounce back from Friday.
These young lads could have crumbled in the second-half - but they didn't. We showed we have the quality with the goals, and we were very comfortable in the end.
James McClean's post-match comments exemplified his leadership qualities, as he stood up for the younger players alongside him in the starting XI amid a barrage of criticism.
On a night when he was rightly celebrated for what he has contributed to Irish football, he showed why he remains such a crucial part of the national team setup.
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