Liam Brady will wrap up a distinguished career in punditry on Monday evening when Ireland welcome Gibraltar to the Aviva.
In a statement issued through RTÉ, Brady said:
"In 1990 I retired as a player at the age of 34. In 2016 I retired from my position in the Arsenal Academy and now I’m announcing my retirement from tv punditry with RTÉ Sport.
"I have had the most amazing time working on RTE’s football coverage over the last 25 years and it is now fitting that I draw it to a close.
"I started with the World Cup in 1998 with my great friends Eamon, John and Bill. We had great fun together in between the arguments.
RTÉ's Euro 2012 panel. Bill O'Herlihy (presenter), John Giles, Liam Brady and Eamon Dunphy. Picture credit: RTÉ
"There are many highlights, Zidane and France in 1998, Manchester United in 1999 and Liverpool’s miracle in 2005. At half-time my tip AC Milan looked comfortable but that is the beauty of sporting comebacks.
"I fondly remember the commentary box in Paris with George Hamilton when my beloved Arsenal were one-nil up against Barcelona. Henrik Larson came on and changed the game.
"I also remember fondly the emergence of a brilliant Barcelona led by this new coach Pep Guardiola with some young kids called Messi, Xavi and Iniesta.
"I’m going to miss the guys I played with and then worked with, Ronnie Whelan, Ray Houghton and Jim Beglin. Didi Hamann has become a great friend and the new guys Richard Sadlier, Kevin Doyle, Damien Duff and Shay Given.
"I will also miss all the presenters who asked the questions and the people behind the scenes.
"It was a pleasure to work with them and RTÉ."
News of Brady's imminent retirement from analysis duty had first been reported by Garry Doyle in today's Irish Daily Star.
Brady's final impactful bit of punditry will likely be damning Ireland's current player corps as the 'worst in my lifetime' after the dismal defeat in Athens on Friday.
Sooner or later it comes down to results. We've had two-and-a-half years with Stephen now. Some of our performances have given us encouragement, but when you look at the results they have been damning.
It will be an emotional night at the Aviva with James McClean captaining Ireland for his 100th cap.
Liam Brady's retirement: an end of an era
Liam Brady exits at a nadir for Irish football, but he was ever-present for many great days as well.
He performed punditry on RTÉ while running the Arsenal academy during the height of the Wenger years, and was a measured straight-talker with a razor tongue in an era of bland, empty analysis across the Irish Sea.
It will be the end of an era. Brady was the last of the 'three amigos' still standing, with John Giles retiring after Euro 2016 and Eamon Dunphy exiting after the 2018 World Cup. With Pat Spillane leaving RTÉ last year, Brady's retirement formally ends what we might call the 'Attitude Era' of RTÉ punditry, when the national broadcaster's punditry was defined by controversial opinions and passionate debate.
Amongst many other fine contributions, Brady will probably be best remembered for his role in the intense debate with Eamon Dunphy over Roy Keane in the famous Rod Liddle rant of 2005.
The documentary about him that RTÉ aired earlier in the year truly captured his extraordinary and unique career, and informed a new generation to his genius as a footballer.
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