The Irish sporting scene is no stranger to controversy, however, no two individuals' success has proved more contentious than that of Declan Rice and Jack Grealish.
While they're two of the biggest names in English football today, as you know, the pair spent their fair share of time donning the green jersey in South Dublin.
Both stars played their underage football on these shores, amassing 36 underage Irish caps between them. While Jack Grealish would make the change while he was still playing U21s football, Rice made 3 senior Irish appearances before his infamous move.
Despite the pair having few supporters here, former English footballer turned pundit Martin Keown, who himself has Irish heritage, mounted a rare defence of the pair's decision to make the international swap.
7 September 2024; Jack Grealish, left, and Declan Rice of England celebrate after the UEFA Nations League B Group 2 match between Republic of Ireland and England at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
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Martin Keown defends Rice and Grealish's international swap
In a wide-ranging interview with Paul Rowan of the Sunday Times discussing his new book On The Edge, Martin Keown revealed how growing up of Irish heritage in the UK was often not as easy as it seemed.
Keown grew up to Irish parents in a small Irish community in Oxford during the 1970's. There his parents operated a small shop which became the victim of vandalisation and boycotts during the Troubles.
Speaking about the tribulations of trying to discover your identity, Keown revealed how it was difficult to fit in, in either place.
The second generation we don’t speak with an Irish accent, but if you cut us we are as much Irish as you are. When we went to Ireland we were like Plastic Paddies and then over here we were the Irish so and so’s. So it was difficult to find your identity.
It's for that reason, that Martin Keown was insistent that Irish people should take some pride from Rice and Grealish's decision to carry their Irish heritage with them.
Let’s cut them some slack because when you are dual nationality you don’t know quite where you belong, both have probably seen it from a career point of view and then gone back to England, but I don’t think we should destroy them. The Irish should be proud that they are carrying their DNA.
Reminiscing on his time playing football in England, Keown also revealed that things as trivial as the pronunciation of his name even brought up issues, with BBC presenter John Motson raising the issue on his professional debut.
Motson had trouble with my name, so he persuaded me that it should be pronounced KEY-own, with the emphasis on the first syllable, though — as Dad often reminded me — it really was Ke-OWN. Dad wasn’t best pleased by this name change....Now that I am doing commentary I understand it.
In what is a rare but interesting insight into Keown's heritage and the difficulties of fitting in, in the world of professional football, Keown raises some interesting questions about what the swap was like for Rice and Grealish.
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