Manchester City have had some memorable Irish talents over the years, including one in particular who became the club’s player of the year on four occasions.
March 17 is a special day in the Irish calendar, so let’s take a look at five of the finest Irish players to represent Manchester City.
Terry Phelan played for Man City in the early Premier League days
Despite being born in Manchester, Terry Phelan played for the Republic of Ireland national team between 1991 and 2000.
The left-back began his career at Leeds United and had spells with Swansea City and Wimbledon, before joining Man City on a joint-club record transfer fee of £2.5m.
Phelan made 122 appearances for the club in total and the highlight of his time there was when he scored in the FA Cup against Tottenham Hotspur, after running the length of the pitch.
Shay Given was part of Man City’s new era
While Shay Given is mostly remembered as a Newcastle United legend, he joined Manchester City a few months after the Sheikh Mansour takeover.
The goalkeeper picked up a man of the match award on his debut and he became a regular starter at the club.
However, Joe Hart’s career began to take off, causing Given to depart Man City two-and-a-half years after his arrival in exchange for a move to Villa Park.
Stephen Ireland started his career at Man City
Manchester City identified Stephen Ireland as a 15-year-old when he played for Cobh Ramblers, from his home county of Cork.
The midfielder was superb in the ‘00s, and he was named as the club’s player of the season in 2008/09.
Ireland scored 16 goals in 109 Premier League starts, but he struggled under Roberto Mancini, leading to his 2010 exit. Like Given, he signed for Aston Villa.
Niall Quinn was a Manchester City goal machine
Although Niall Quinn spent seven years at Arsenal, he only made 94 appearances during his time in North London.
Joining Man City was certainly the right call for his career, as he bagged 77 goals in 244 matches and was voted player of the year at the club in 1991.
Quinn has since been inducted into the national and Man City halls of fame and he was awarded an MBE after donating the proceeds of his testimonial match to charity.
Richard Dunne became a cult hero at Man City
The ‘00s were a tricky decade for Manchester City, but Richard Dunne was a shining light in the darkness.
Dunne made 352 appearances for City and won their player of the year award four times, a record which has only been matched by Kevin De Bruyne.
Man Man City fans will have fond memories of the ex-captain’s nine-year spell, as he continued to be a key player before leaving in 2009, also to join Aston Villa.
