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The Perennial 8/10 Player - A Tribute To Denis Irwin

Mikey Traynor
By Mikey Traynor
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Mr.Reliable, the perennial 8/10 player, a man who never let anyone down ever.

Denis Irwin is a Manchester United and Ireland legend.

For some reason, Denis Irwin doesn't come up in everyday conversation in the way that some of his team-mates of the past do, and that is just not fair, because anyone who played with him, or even watched him play, knows what a truly brilliant player he was. Perhaps it's his calm demeanour and low-profile attitude, but whatever the reason, Denis Irwin is not celebrated as much as he should be.

We want to put that right, here are a collection of moments, stats, and anecdotes from the career of a truly brilliant player.

He made a name for himself at Oldham Athletic.


Although Irwin started out at Leeds United, it was at Oldham where he really began to shine. After 167 appearances and 4 goals, Irwin signed for Manchester United for a mere £625,000, which would go down as a seriously shrewd piece of business by Alex Ferguson.

His list of major honours is absolutely stunning.

-7 Premier League titles.
-3 FA Cup winner's medals.
-4 Charity Shield winner's medals.
-1 League Cup winner's medal.
-1 Cup Winner's Cup medal.
-1 Champions League winner's medal.
-1 European Super Cup winner's medal.
-1 Intercontinenal Cup winner's medal.
-1 Championship Play-Off Final winner's medal.

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He was voted into the 'Overall Premier League Team Of The Decade' 1991-2001.

Sir Alex Ferguson claims that Irwin is the first name on the team sheet for his all-time XI.

Last year Sir Alex Ferguson was quoted as saying the following regarding Irwin:

"People ask you who is your best Man United team, it is absolutely impossible. But honestly, I would say Denis Irwin would be the one certainty to get in the team. I called him an eight out of 10. At Highbury in one game he had a bad pass back in the last minute and Bergkamp came in and scored. After the game the press said 'you must be disappointed in that pass back. I said, well, one mistake in 10 years isn't bad. He was an unbelievable player.

High praise indeed.

He made his Ireland debut in September 1990

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Just after his move to Manchester United, Irwin made his Ireland debut on September 12, 1990, in a friendly against Morocco in Dalymount park. He would go on to play for Ireland 56 times, scoring 4 goals.

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He was an absolute master of the penalty kick.


He scored 11 out of 12 Premier League penalties for Manchester United and never missed a spot-kick while wearing the green jersey.

And he could bang in a free-kick as well!

He earned the trust of Roy Keane.

Something not many men can claim to have done.

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And they were both crap at golf.

This hilarious video shows that the lads were utterly useless at golf, but loved a good laugh.

Irwin loved to get forward, with devastating effect.

He was as solid as a rock at the back, but often caught teams off-guard with his calculated attacks from full-back.


And he finished off Eric Cantona's favourite moment in football.

Denis Irwin had 'swag' before it was a thing.


And we're sure he despises what it has become today.

Today he works as a pundit for MUTV.

...And spends his spare time playing football with mimes on stilts.

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Denis Irwin, the ultimate unsung hero.

Photo credit: Sportsfile

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