Retirement suits Richard Dunne. He looks relaxed and is enjoying his brief dalliances with punditry.
Last night, he was on TV3 for their coverage of the Champions League semi-final between Man City and Real Madrid. Before going on air, Dunne spoke to Balls.ie about his life post-retirement.
The former Ireland captain and his family are currently living in France.
We moved over last May and it’s just been an extended holiday. We put the kids in school and they loved it so we decided to stay.
I always thought when I retired that I would go away and stay away for a bit. So far we’ve really enjoyed and there are no immediate plans to return.
Life in France he might love - he still plays the odd game of five-a-side over there - but Ligue 1 is a competition to which he cannot warm.
We watch Match Of The Day every week and we’ve got all the games live over there so it’s grand. My son loves football. He loves Man City and the Premier League as it’s something he has grown up on.
I’ve watched some of the French league and it’s boring so it’s nice to get out and watch some proper football.
We went to watch Monaco play Bordeaux a couple of weeks ago but it was so boring.
Someone was saying that in England all the fans know the players' names but over there all the players know the fans' names as there is so few of them!
The atmosphere isn’t the same and the football is a lot slower. It doesn’t help when Paris have the league wrapped up by 30 points a long time out.
Working for TV3 has given Dunne a taste for punditry. This summer, for Euro 2016, he will be on ITV for their coverage of Ireland's games.
I was hoping to maybe go to a couple of matches but I think I’m going to do some work for ITV and do the Ireland matches.
It’ll be nice that I’ll be there and around the crowd and that so I’d imagine it will be a good atmosphere.
A move into the media was not something which the 36-year-old had planned once his playing career was over. It's more a case that he has fallen into it.
I think most players who have gone into it have ended up in it and thought all along that it’s not something that you would do.
It just happens. I’ve been asked a few times and I’ve been sat at home for the last ten or 11 months so it was the right time to come out and try do something.
The last time I did it here I really enjoyed it. It’s nice to see people again and speak about football. I’d be watching the match at home anyway so I might as well come out and watch it.
I’m surprised I’ve gone into it and whether I do it long term or not I don’t know but for now it’s good.
Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
