JOE Men of the Year Awards: Footballer of the Year

It’s been a good year.

It would be hard to make that claim about 2016 in general, but it’s definitely been a good 12 months as far as Irish football is concerned. Euro 2016 marked Ireland’s most respectable performance at a major tournament in 14 years and Martin O’Neill’s men have gone from strength to strength since, claiming 10 points from a possible 12 in qualifying for the World Cup in Russia in 2018. Domestically, Dundalk not only claimed their third league title on the trot but became the first Irish team to claim points in the group stages of a European competition. Cork City’s FAI Cup triumph and title challenge, however, suggests that such dominance might not be easily repeated next year. Plenty of individual performers stood out, but we could only limit it to the five nominations below; cast your vote at the bottom of the page.

Wes Hoolahan

If Eamon Dunphy had his way, Wes would be the undisputed winner of this award and the outspoken RTÉ pundit wouldn’t be the only one supporting his claims. He might be 34-years-old but, simply put, things happen when Wes is on the pitch for Ireland as he showed when scoring our opening goal at the Euros against Sweden and with his inch-perfect pass for James McClean’s winner against Austria.

Seamus Coleman

Captaining one’s country can prove a burden to some players, but the Everton man has gone up a level since being handed the armband on a permanent basis by Martin O’Neill. Our most inspirational leader and still one of our most potent attacking threats on the right-hand side, Coleman finally opened his international account with a hugely important, if somewhat messy, goal against Georgia at the Aviva Stadium.

Robbie Brady

Ireland had a number of outstanding performers at the Euros, but Brady rose to the occasion more than any other. He provided one of the all-time great sporting moments with a late winner against Italy and backed that up with a penalty against France in the last 16; 2016 was the year in which Brady established himself as one of the most important members of Martin O’Neill’s XI, whether in midfield or at left-back.

Daryl Horgan

The 24-year old terrorised defences across the land and in Europe this season, scoring a famous goal against Zenit St. Petersburg and performing so impressively and consistently that his eventual call-up to the Ireland squad for the Austria clash was inevitable. Much like Richie Towell last year, Dundalk will do well to hold onto a man who is being tracked by a number of suitors across the water, all of whom have sat up and taken notice of the man with searing pace, tricky feet and an eye for a goal.

James McClean

If this award was based solely on Ireland’s amazing start to the World Cup qualifying campaign, the West Brom man would stake a huge claim after his match-winning displays against Moldova and Austria. McClean’s talent has never been in doubt, but he appears to be a more mature, more rounded and more clinical player than in his early days; his strong relationship with Martin O’Neill is clearly paying off for both parties as far as the national team is concerned.