Number 23 is Liam “Chippy” Brady’s first appearance on our prestigious list.
The word curmudgeonly has been used to describe Brady’s brilliant, insightful and yet, at times, grumpy analysis from the RTE sofa.
This couldn’t be further from the style he played on the pitch, the insight and brilliance were still there most definitely, but as a player he was far from dour.
He was skilful, perceptive, mobile and full of flair, quite like the opponents Ireland were playing in Lansdowne Road in May 25 years ago, Brazil.
It wasn’t the greatest Brazilian team of all-time, but wearing that famous yellow jersey means you are no mug either. The side also featured a young Romario making his debut.
It was Brady who stole the show. The midfielder then plying his trade for West Ham befuddled the Brazilian defence to fire home a shot at the near post past their keeper Carlos. It was a fantastic goal.
That gave Ireland their one and only win over the lords of world football. The result incensed Dunga so much that the future World Cup-winning captain wouldn’t swap jerseys with an Irish player after the match.
It’s Brady’s brilliance that means this got into the list ahead of Graham Kavanagh’s Keane-esque tackle on Gilberto Silva in 2004’s Nil-Nil draw in the same venue.
Today marks 23 days to go until the start of Euro 2012, so stick with us every day as we present another memorable Irish soccer moment.
