John O'Shea signed off on his final Ireland international with a win tonight; Alan Judge giving the game its perfect send off with a late winner against the USA.
118 caps late, and O'Shea's will go down as one of the great Irish footballing careers.
Although he doesn't appear the sort to expect or enjoy too much fuss, plenty of people were keen to let the Waterford man know exactly what they thought of him.
John O’Shea is some hero. Taken off to a massive ovation after 37min and just trots off, no fuss, shakes hands with a few teammates greets young Lenihan and has word in his ear. Then shakes Martin’s hand and off up to the bench #legend #somebitofstuff #enjoyretirement ☘️☘️
— Kieran Donaghy (@starryboy14) June 2, 2018
John O’Shea is an absolute credit to himself & his family 👍🇮🇪⚽️
— Alan Cawley (@alancaw) June 2, 2018
John O'Shea leaves the pitch as an Irish player for the last time is a very sad sight!! Captain/Leader/ledgend
But most important......
a good Man! ❤❤❤— Noel Hunt 🌐 (@Noelhunt20) June 2, 2018
We celebrated the first start for Graham Burke and his goal, we also say thanks and good luck on his @FAIreland retirement to John O'Shea 🇮🇪👏👏 pic.twitter.com/TXicB1rfYD
— Shamrock Rovers FC ☘️ (@ShamrockRovers) June 2, 2018
Good luck to John O’Shea as he plays his final game for @FAIreland he’s done Waterford and Ireland proud. @YvonneManning81 It’s the End of an era.. #ThanksJosh #COYBIG ☘️⚽️🙌🏼
— Claudine Keane (@ClaudineKeane1) June 2, 2018
Taken off during the first-half to get the full appreciation of the home crowd, they didn't need much encouragement to let him know what he meant to them.
Thank you, John O'Shea 💚 #ThanksJosh #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/AuxiQoy3Aw
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) June 2, 2018
Speaking after the match, O'Shea was typically humble; concerned more with the plethora of young Irish talent than himself.
Reflecting on an emotional evening, O'Shea revealed there "was no sadness, only joy."
Delighted to see out his international career surrounded by friends, family and "half of Waterford," O'Shea singled out goalscorers Graham Burke and Alan Judge for getting exactly what they "deserved."
You can watch the whole of the post-match interview below.
"There's no sadness, it's just all joy."
The final interview with John O'Shea as a @FAIreland international.
Typically humble & modest, praising the new players in the squad.#ThanksJohn #COYBIG 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/N4NDXwznwz— eir Sport (@eirSport) June 2, 2018
