James McClean has paid tribute to "close-knit" and "hard headed" people of Creggan where he grew up for giving him the "resilience" to succeed as an international footballer.
The former Derry City winger, who went on to play in the Premier League and score 11 goals in 100 appearances while representing the Republic of Ireland, earned his 100th cap against Gibraltar on Monday.
President of Ireland Michael D Higgins made a special presentation to the Derry man before the match - an occasion McClean said he "couldn't really get the words" to describe.
