Kevin Moran: Codebreaker aired this evening on RTE and was another resounding success, following on from the brilliant Liam Brady: The Irishman Abroad, which was shown in February.
Both players had unique careers; Brady with his ventures in Italy, and Moran playing at the highest level in both gaelic football and soccer.
The guest appearances in the Moran doc are fantastic, ranging from Dublin legend Jimmy Keavney and Man United's Brian Robson to Everton's Peter Reid and Mani of Stone Roses fame.
The first third of the documentary dealt with Moran's years playing for Dublin, in a sport which he always saw as just a bit of fun, with soccer always his number one growing up.
Regardless, he was a phenom in the blue jersey and won two All-Ireland medals, and four Leinster Championships.
Kevin Moran - The Dual Code Star
Really enjoyed tonight’s documentary on Kevin Moran. Great job @kevinbrannigans @sportsdes @paulcahill13 and all involved #codebreaker #rtesport pic.twitter.com/2xiszQQeMX
— Bernard Jackman (@bernardjackman) May 29, 2023
That was an inspiring documentary and story about Kevin Moran #Codebreaker pic.twitter.com/Ztj44cw9dc
— JC (@carrolljames89) May 29, 2023
What a fantastic documentary about Kevin Moran. Possibly the most extraordinary story in Irish sport, Kevin Moran is definitely up there as one of our greatest sports stars. Makes you proud to be a Dub 💙 pic.twitter.com/pU7IqkHvEG
— Dublin GAA Fans (@DubsGAAFans) May 29, 2023
READ HERE: Paul McGrath Was Afraid To Speak To Kevin Moran After Infamous FA Cup Final Red Card
The second part of the program covered his time at Man United, whom he signed for in 1978 after being scouted while playing for Pegasus.
Initially he juggled playing for both United and Dublin, and came under scrutiny from GAA folk, even after Rule 27 had been lifted.
He then dedicated himself to United, becoming a fan favourite for his immense bravery which saw him constantly needing stitches.
Arguably the highlight of the doc are the scenes showing Moran, Bryan Robson, and Norman Whiteside, laughing and reminiscing over a drink, sharing their memories of Moran's famous red card in the 1985 FA Cup final, and their drinking escapades with Paul McGrath.
Moran also told the story of Alex Ferguson and his rather strange excuse for selling him.
I remember coming to the end of the season. Alex [Ferguson] pulled me into his office and he said 'listen Kevin, I'm going to let you go, I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing but this is what I feel is best for the club'.
I asked him why he was letting me go. He said 'there's two reasons, I like my centre backs to be six-foot'.
There wasn't much I could do about that.
I asked 'what's the other one?'
He said 'you're just the wrong side of 30'. I said 'okay, nothing I can do about that'.
I was out in Spain then. I remember being out there for four or five months and picking up a paper. It said 'Alex Ferguson has just signed Mal Donaghy from Luton Town, he will be playing centre back, he's 5'11" and 31-years old.'
If anything about my career, yes I had two FA Cup winner medals, but it was not winning the league. We got close on a number of occasions, but not getting over the final hurdle has always been my major disappointment.
This Kevin Moran doc is great. Had seen the footage of the 85 red card before (harsh) but didn’t see how raging he was and then distraught
— Mark O'Brien (@markjsobrien) May 29, 2023
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/Sfew1u44ju
— Jason Sherlock (@boomjayo) May 29, 2023
Kevin Moran what an absolute hero. To winning All Irelands on one leg and a smashed head to guiding the biggest football club in England to FA Cups at Wembley.
What a nation of sportspeople we produce. It’s actually incredible. To top it off, they’re all humble as pie too 🇮🇪🙌— Alan Cawley (@alancaw) May 29, 2023
Fantastic doc on the sporting career of Kevin Moran
Great stories - Norman & Robbo excellent
Dublin trio of TH/ Doc & JK entertaining with @RoyCurtis68 @Vincent_Hogan narrative excellent
Well done @sportsdes & team on encapsulating one of 🇮🇪 best ever s/people #codebreaker— Shane Curran (@shanetcurran) May 29, 2023
SEE ALSO: Kevin Moran Recalls How He Got Away With Playing For Dublin Behind Man United's Back
