The curious list of sports related Irish confirmation names has a new entry, with Dundalk's Michael Duffy revealing that he took "Thierry" as his confirmation name, in honour of Thierry Henry.
In the mid-noughties, Duffy was such a big fan of Arsenal that he decided he wanted to give the Frenchman the ultimate honour. Speaking from the Emirates Stadium, ahead of tonight's Europa League clash with his beloved Gunners, Duffy explained how the big decision came about:
"Thierry Henry is the man. He was my idol when I was growing up. I asked for Thierry as my confirmation name. They said no at the start but the teacher came back two weeks later and said 'He was a saint, so you can have it.'”
It was presumably a first encounter with Saint Thierry for his parish priest in Derry: "It took him a couple of goes to say it."
💬 “Thierry Henry was my idol when I was growing up. I asked for Thierry as my confirmation name. They said no at the start but the teacher came back two weeks later and said he was a saint and that I could have it!”
😂 Michael ‘Thierry’ Duffy.#CmonTheTown #UEL pic.twitter.com/jWnj2LFuxD— Dundalk FC (@DundalkFC) October 28, 2020
Duffy isn't the only Irish football to have a football inspired confirmation name, with Wes Hoolahan taking 'Cantona' as his. There have been a number of great stories tweeted in reply to Dundalk's interview with Duffy as well.
One person said they took 'Dennis' in honour of Dennis Bergkamp, another has a nephew whose confirmation name is "Alonso," - because of Xabi Alonso - while another remarked that wanted to take "Manus" — such was their love of Donegal footballer, Manus Boyle.
Is there anybody else out there with a sports inspired confirmation name? Let us know on social media.
See Also: Umbro Reveal Four New Ireland Football Kits
