David Meyler returns to where his career started on tomorrow night at Turner's Cross for a Virgin Media gaming event which will see himself and Stephanie Roche take on the country's top FIFA players Ciaran Walsh and Tyrone Ryan live on Twitch.
Meyler, who was at one point amongst the world's top one hundred players is relishing the opportunity.
"My earliest memories of Turner's Cross are going as a kid to watch Cork City, then with my schoolboy club College Corinthians playing in cup finals and then later in my career coming back with Ireland before the Euros playing against Belarus.
"I'm now going to Turner’s Cross to play FIFA.
"It's something I'm excited about and I'm really looking forward to it."
Meyler, "an avid gamer", who spends fourteen a hours a week playing FIFA is optimistic he can perform.
"I've played against Tyrone before a few years ago so they know that I can play.
"I'm not as good as them but I'll certainly give them one hell of a match.
"If I'm one of the lads then it's game over, if it's the two of them against me and Stephanie I think they'll wipe the floor with us."
David Meyler on opening World Cup games
The former Sunderland and Hull City midfielder has tipped Argentina to win the World Cup and is looking forward to seeing how the tournament develops.
"I think it's very hard to see what's what in the opening two group games," he says.
"If you think about it a lot of these players played domestically before they met up and never got a warmup friendly with their national team.
"It'll be interesting to see how things go as the competition unfolds.
"I think the level of quality will only get better as we get to the knockout stages.
"Once we get through the groups then we'll kind of see the real football."
With so much football taking place in Qatar it would be easy to forget Ireland's two friendlies in recent weeks against Norway and Malta. While Meyler feels it was important for Ireland to finish the year on a winning note, he believes the big challenge for Stephen Kenny lies ahead as he faces into Euro 2024 qualification in March.
"The big test is coming in March, those are the games that really matter.
"You look at the group, people are looking at that and of course it's extremely tough, but this is what it's all about as a footballer.
"You want to test yourself against the best," he adds.
"There's no doubt that Stephen will slightly tweak his way of playing for those games (France and the Netherlands) because they're two superior nations to us.
"I'm looking forward to those games because it's an opportunity and it's challenging.
"As long as the players see it that way then they can do it.
"You look back on us in 2015 when we were trying to qualify for the Euros in France, we beat Germany at home and then we drew with them away.
"We took four points off the world champions which nobody would have seen coming."
Virgin Media, the official sponsor of Usain Bolt’s esports organisation and Ireland’s premier esports team WYLDE, will host Ireland’s most unique football battle, which will see Irish football legends David Meyler and Stephanie Roche take on Ireland’s top FIFA players Ciaran Walsh and Tyrone Ryan. In a League of Ireland first, the game, powered by Virgin Media broadband, will take place in Cork City FC’s Turner’s Cross Stadium on Tuesday 29 th November and will be live on Twitch at 5pm.
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