Liam Brady is one of the greatest footballers Ireland ever produced.
One of the top players in Europe during his prime, there was few things that the midfielder couldn't do on the ball. He was a class act, one that immediately improved any team he was part of.
Having worked on his craft as a teenager in Dublin, he would make the move Arsenal as a 16-year old in 1971. It was not long before he was a key member of the side, becoming an FA Cup winner, PFA Player of the Year, and three-time PFA Team of the Year member during his spell at Highbury.
By 1980, it was clear his time at the club was coming towards an end. Despite being one of the best players in the division, Arsenal were hesitant to make Brady one of the team's top earners. Having seen their contract offer and essentially telling them to 'shove it', it became apparent that a move to continent would be his next step.
That was a big decision to make at the time. Players from Ireland or the UK rarely went beyond the English channel to make a living in the game, but Brady showed little hesitation to move to Juventus.
While his time in Turin wasn't always easy, it ultimately proved to be quite the success. The Irishman won two Serie A titles in two seasons, going on to have spells at Sampdoria, Inter Milan, and Ascoli in Italian football.
Viewers absolutely loved Liam Brady: The Irishman Abroad
Plenty of time has passed since Liam Brady played in Italy, with his last appearance in Serie A coming in 1987. As a result, many of us are either too young or have simply forgotten much of what that spell entailed.
We were handed a reminder tonight with the airing of Liam Brady: The Irishman Abroad, on RTÉ 1. The documentary charted his journey in Italian football, one which featured plenty of lows to go along with the highs.
The 66-year old recalled some of those ups and downs, including his Ireland career, early struggles at Juventus, battles with some of the biggest stars in world football, and the relationships he developed along the way.
Liam Brady catches up with former Juventus team-mate Marco Tardelli, who was sent off for fouling him the first time they played against each other | Watch Liam Brady: The Irishman Abroad, Monday 9.35pm on @RTEOne pic.twitter.com/m2DirhORCb
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) February 11, 2023
The likes of Paul Pogba, Marco Tardelli,Wojciech Szczęsny, and Max Allegri all embraced Brady over the course of the documentary, pointing to the regard he is held in in Italian footballing circles.
He also opened up on his relationship with Jack Charlton, saying he held no ill will towards the former Ireland boss despite the way his international career ended.
It was a fantastic watch, with viewers hugely impressed with Liam Brady and the documentary as whole.
That was a gorgeous documentary on #LiamBrady on RTE1. One of my first ever heroes, the reason I support #Arsenal. Never knew about that letter from Big Jack, lovely respect between two greats. Belissimo Liam.
— Kevin Kennedy (@DublinKev) February 13, 2023
Aww man, that #LiamBrady documentary on RTE was magic. Full of lovely moments & footballing class on and off the pitch. What a player. pic.twitter.com/vnjlUvC8Qt
— Declan Kelly (@Decokelly) February 13, 2023
My God Liam Brady was unbelievable. Adored everywhere he went. The goals he scored were just unbelievable with the magic left peg #chippy 🇮🇪
— David Kerwick ☘🇮🇪 (@dker78) February 13, 2023
The Liam Brady documentary could have been 5 hours long and it still wouldn’t have done the man justice. What a player he was. Left foot just magical.
— 🅃🄴🄰🄲🄷🄴🅁🄼🅁🅃 (@MrTeach33) February 13, 2023
The Liam Brady doc on RTE is class, just like the man himself. pic.twitter.com/QjaWovZvQP
— Joe Donnelly (@kildarejoe) February 13, 2023
Great documentary about the brilliant #LiamBrady. Our greatest footballer ever! He was loved at @juventusfc and of course was an @Arsenal legend! 🇮🇪
— Paul Hennessy (@paulhennessy07) February 13, 2023
Liam Brady is probably the best and most talented player we ever produced, what would he be worth in today’s game, £150M?
— 2NillDown3-2Up (@dcraigster) February 13, 2023
#LiamBrady is a much more rounded and interesting person than we see in his role as an analyst .He is a kind of football Renaissance man …loving this show
— Urlofcork (@urlofcork) February 13, 2023
That Liam Brady is one of a kind. A tremendous soccer talent but he comes across as such a warm person too. He’s given us all great memories too!#LiamBrady #oneofakind
— Kevin Doyle (@kevidoyle) February 13, 2023
You’d nearly forget how good Brady was. Unbelievable that he was the first foreigner to go to Italy when they opened it up and to Juve where he was top scorer and won the league. Not a bad soundtrack either #LiamBrady
— DecoB (@DeclanB4063) February 13, 2023
Really enjoying this Liam Brady documentary. What a footballer he was and what a career he had. A legend of Irish soccer. 🇮🇪
— Billy Hedigan (@billy_hedigan) February 13, 2023
Brady hasn't lost a word of the Italian!..#LiamBrady
— Brian E. (@BrianEn36909089) February 13, 2023
You can see why #LiamBrady did well in Italy. Really embraced the culture
— Marc O'Reachtaire (@o_reachtaire) February 13, 2023
Liam Brady is undoubtedly the best technical footballer Ireland ever produced! Evident from some of those clips shown #BradyDocumentary
— Ryan McGinley 🇺🇦 (@DonMaginli) February 13, 2023
Beginning to understand the big deal about Liam Brady now, what a baller he was! #IrishmanAbroad
— Stephen Coughlan (@SteCo610) February 13, 2023
If you’re not watching the RTE doc on Liam Brady right now, get it on. Absolutely world class and brilliant footage! https://t.co/KVk8c9Kv31
— Johnny Cooper (@JohnnyCooper91) February 13, 2023
The fact that Liam is a big music fan makes him even cooler#LiamBrady #theirishmanabroad
— Marc O'Reachtaire (@o_reachtaire) February 13, 2023
#LiamBrady what a player. Such a nice down to earth guy .
— Patrick Rahilly (@Pat_OChocolate) February 13, 2023
I have no idea why I’m getting emotional watching #LiamBrady scoring a penalty 40 years ago, but anything could trigger me, to be honest. 🤣
— Philip Nolan (@philipnolan1) February 13, 2023
Liam Brady stepping up to take the penalty that would win Juventus the Scudetto, knowing that it was the last time he’d kick a ball for the club, because they’d already decided to replace him with Platini.
A true class act.— Conor Wilson (@ConorWilson) February 13, 2023
Super programme. A sporting legend. #LiamBrady #rtesport
— Seamus Duke (@SeamusDuke) February 13, 2023
The Liam Brady Documentary on RTE tonight was absolutely brilliant. Such a wonderful insight into his career and in particular his Italian journey.
— Cahir May (@CM_11) February 13, 2023
My old lad always talks about Chippy Brady being the best player ever to come out of Ireland. Great documentary this. #LiamBrady
— Niall Murphy (@niall_t_murphy) February 13, 2023
That was brilliant what a player, we don't half appreciate Irish football legends #LiamBrady
— Ali Arma 🔰 (@AlisterAA) February 13, 2023
A very classy response from #LiamBrady re the relationship with Big Jack. I certainly would feel aggrieved and bitter. He's a better man than me😂😂😂#TheIrishmanAbroad
— Adrian Heneghan (@Adrianheneghan) February 13, 2023
Jesus the letter from Jack Charlton to Liam Brady would get ya 😢
— Johnny Cooper (@JohnnyCooper91) February 13, 2023
Only thing wrong with that Liam Brady documentary was should have been three times the length, felt like only touched the surface #LiamBrady
— Kilconnor flock (@KilconnorFlock) February 13, 2023
https://twitter.com/StephenMcBrien/status/1625261971024084992?s=20&t=y2JcO5hxyOFF-SUHaiU8vQ
https://twitter.com/Bryantown1924/status/1625261930049941505?s=20&t=y2JcO5hxyOFF-SUHaiU8vQ
https://twitter.com/o_reachtaire/status/1625261860814569472?s=20&t=y2JcO5hxyOFF-SUHaiU8vQ
https://twitter.com/colmoregan/status/1625260775362252800?s=20&t=y2JcO5hxyOFF-SUHaiU8vQ
A top class footballer and bloke.
He's certainly one of the greats from this part of the world.
SEE ALSO: When Liam Brady Was Expelled From A Dublin School For Choosing Soccer Over GAA
