The day McGrath has always dreaded

Paul McGrath

1959 - Born London on December 4th before being taken to Dublin as a baby and placed in an orphanage.

1980 - Joined St Patrick's Athletic from Dalkey United and was named as the PFAI's Young Player of the Year 12 months later.

1982 - Signed for Manchester United for a fee of £30,000

1985 - Played in the Manchester United team which beat Everton in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

1988 - Played in the European Championship finals in West Germany for Republic of Ireland.

1989 - Signed for Aston Villa for a fee of £750,000.

1990 - Named in a best World X1 after some outstanding performances in the World Cup finals in Italy.

1992 - Selected as the PFA's Player of the Year in England.

1994 - Acclaimed for another brilliant performance in the World Cup finals, this time against Italy in the Giants Stadium in New Jersey

1997 - Won his 83rd cap for the Republic of Ireland, a record, in the game against Wales at Cardiff.

1998 - Announces retirement April 17th.

Paul McGrath, widely regarded as the finest player to represent the Republic of Ireland, conceded yesterday that his record breaking career is over.

McGrath, in Dublin to promote his testimonial game at Lansdowne Road on May 17th, said he now accepted that the latest in a long line of knee injuries, would not permit him to play again.

"It would be lovely to make one last appearance in an Ireland shirt in my testimonial game but while I may start it, I wouldn't give much for my chances of still being on the pitch at the end," he said.

"I haven't played for Sheffield United since November but at the back of my mind, I had this idea of going to the FA Cup final at Wembley with them and then calling it a day.

"As such, I began to push myself a bit harder in training to get fit for the semi-final against Newcastle United. Unfortunately, my knee couldn't take the pressure and when the club advised me that I could do myself long-term damage if I persisted in pushing it, I knew that time had run out on me.

"It's the day I've always dreaded, the day when I could no longer play football. The very thought is a bit scarey for football has been my life. I'm planning to run a series of coaching courses with Frank Stapleton in the summer but as of now, that's the only definite plan I have."

Jack Charlton who learned of McGrath's decision on holiday in Spain, said: "Ireland produced some players over the last 10 or 15 years and of these, Paul McGrath was the greatest. In his time, he was among the best centre backs in the world".

Bryan Robson, the Middlesbrough manager who played with McGrath at Manchester United paid tribute to his athleticism. "There were many who felt that Paul's career would end early. The fact that he played at the top level for so long without the benefit of normal training, was a tribute to his enormous natural talent."

In all, McGrath made a record number of 83 appearances for Ireland and at the height of his career, he was probably the most popular sporting personality in the country. Part of his appeal was a perceived vulnerability which took him into the headlines on a couple of notorious occasions.

On signing for St Patrick's Athletic from Dalkey United he quickly established himself as one of the best players in the League of Ireland, an achievement duly recognised by his fellow professionals when he was nominated as the PFAI's Young Player of the Year in 1981.

He was signed for Manchester United by Ron Atkinson for a fee of £30,000 in 1982 and made his competitive debut in the first team in a League Cup game against Bradford City in November that year. Three days later he replaced the injured Kevin Moran for his first championship game against Tottenham.

He was in United's team which beat Everton in extra time in the 1985 FA Cup final but with Atkinson's departure, his stay at the club became increasingly more tenuous. Inevitably, after a couple of well documented rifts with Alex Ferguson, he was sold to Aston Villa for just £750,000 in 1989.

Reunited with Atkinson at Villa Park, he would experience the best years of his career there, sharing in two League Cup triumphs before moving to Derby County and finally Sheffield United. His remarkable career was given an added dimension by the fact that after undergoing seven operations on his knees in his first three seasons at Old Trafford, he was never required to do the conventional training at the club.

The first step in a hugely successful international career, was taken at Dalymount Park on February 5th, 1985 when he replaced Mark Lawrenson after only nine minutes of the friendly game against Italy. Within another year, Jack Charlton had replaced Eoin Hand as manager and he quickly identified McGrath as one of his biggest assets.

Deploying him in the anchor role in midfield after injury had forced Lawrenson to retire prematurely, Charlton came to acknowledge the multi-faceted nature of McGrath's skills.

After imposing himself still more firmly on the international stage during the European championship finals in Germany in 1988, he grew to something approaching cult status. Even those successes paled, however, in comparison with his contribution in the 1990 World Cup finals where he played well enough to warrant selection in a best World X1, named immediately after the championship.

If his knees had not deteriorated rapidly over the last 18 months, he might well have aspired to his great ambition of playing until he was 40.

Frequently brilliant in defence, brave and influential in midfield and skilful enough to put his name on eight international goals, here, indeed, was the man who epitomised the golden years of Irish football.