Fiteen years ago no-one's star shined brighter in the Premier League than Stephen Ireland.
He was the best young player at Manchester City in the couple of years prior to their 2008 takeover, and many expected Ireland to be one of the key players in the UAE project.
However, that didn't happen with Ireland leaving City in 2010 before bouncing around a host of other clubs before eventually retiring from football in 2018.
Ireland has long been regarded as one of the great lost Irish talents of his generation. Between 'granny-gate' and his playing career grinding to a halt, many wonder just how good he may have become had he fulfilled his potential.
With all that in mind, let's take a quick look back at his career and see what he's up to now.
How did his career pan out?
A career that started with a bang ended with a whimper. Ireland burst onto the scene and quickly became one of the hottest young prospects in English football. Unfortunately, a string of controversies off the pitch impacted his performances on the pitch.
At club level, Ireland caused outrage when he celebrated scoring a goal for city by taking off his shorts to reveal a pair of Superman underpants. Somehow, Ireland escaped punishment from the FA and was let off with just a warning.
And then of course there was 'The Granny-Gate' incident, an event which has attracted so much media and fan attention that it rightly has a placed reserved in the pantheon of Irish sporting controversies.
'Granny-Gate' took place in September 2007, when Ireland was granted release from Republic of Ireland duty by then manager Steve Staunton on compassionate grounds days before a crunch qualifier with Czech Republic. The reason for said departure was that his grandmother had died.
Controversy ensured when it was discovered that both of Ireland's grandmother's were still alive and well. During the media storm that followed, Ireland stated that he left camp because his girlfriend had suffered a miscarriage.
Ireland never played for the national team again and one of the most talented footballers this country has produced in the last 20 years wound up winning a paltry six international caps.
In truth, Ireland's career never truly recovered. He left Manchester City in 2010 with the club on the cusp of its golden age. Spells at Aston Villa, Newcastle and Stoke followed before hanging up his boots in 2018.
What is he up to today?
During an interview with Buzz.ie in 2020, Ireland spoke about having received offers from clubs to return as a player, albeit these clubs tended to be League Two or Conference League standard.
He said: “The offers I’m getting and the clubs that want me, I’m just not interested. It’s not the level I’d want to play at.
“You’d be going through the motions. For the commitment and the sacrifices, it wouldn’t be worth going back. So, I guess I find myself out of the game.”
“A lot of boxes have to be ticked off for me to make that commitment and they’re not,” he said.
“Mentally it was very hard to take at the time. I know I can play and I still should be playing, but I’m not going to get back in now.
“I probably knew for a couple of years that I wasn’t going to get back to the level I should be at, but it’s only the last five or six months that I’ve started to sleep easy with it.
“There are still some bad days where I feel really down about not playing. I’m stressing myself out and struggling with it.
Ireland keeps himself fit and takes part in a weekly five-a-side with a group of ex-footballer mates that includes Darren Fletcher and Nedhum Onuoha, and still reckons he could 'comfortably play in a Championship team.'
While no longer a footballer, Ireland is still heavily involved in the sport as a mentor to some of the brightest young talents in Irish football. Ireland now mentors over 20 young footballers and is helping them to make the right decisions in their own careers.
“I started coaching and mentoring some young talents,” Ireland explained.
“My son [Joshua] is at Stoke. I put on some extra sessions for some of his teammates, gave them an insight into football, into the dos and don’ts.
“I went through nutrition, sleep and recovery, the mental side of the game, their mental health and decision-making.
“Are they on their phone too close to a game? Is that distracting their performance? Are they going to bed too late? Every little detail.
“It has evolved into me having two or three of the best young talents, I feel, in each club in the Manchester area - United, City, Liverpool, Everton, Burnley, Stoke, Bolton and Oldham."
One such starlet is Cathal Heffernan. Ireland has been instrumental in Heffernan's career, with the young defender recently completing a move to Italian Giants and reigning Serie A champions AC Milan.
So while Ireland's career may not have panned out as expected, maybe some of his young proteges may be able to fulfil their potential under his tutelage.
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