Paul McGrath

St Patrick's Athletic

McGrath signed his first professional contract at St Patrick's Athletic aged 21. He made his debut on 30 August 1981 in a League of Ireland Cup clash against Shamrock Rovers at Richmond Park. In the game's match programme, manager Charlie Walker stated in his notes that "Since the end of last season I have been acquiring new players: three are local lads from junior clubs — Billy Reid (Fatima Rangers), Paul McGrath (Dalkey United) and John Cleary (Ballyfermot United). Given time and a little encouragement I feel that by the end of the season they will have done the club proud." Although his League Cup debut ended in a 2–3 defeat, McGrath scored the winner in his next game, a Leinster Senior Cup match against Shelbourne.

He ultimately excelled at The Saints, earning the nickname "The Black Pearl of Inchicore" and winning the PFAI Players' Player of the Year award for 1982. His performances attracted the attention of Billy Behan and Manchester United, who brought McGrath over for a trial in April 1982.

Manchester United

On 27 April 1982, after completing his trial, a deal was agreed with St. Pat's and McGrath signed for Manchester United. The club's manager at the time was Ron Atkinson, who McGrath later described as one of his "favourite men in football". McGrath joined a cohort of Irish players at United and credited Kevin Moran, Frank Stapleton, Ashley Grimes and Anthony Whelan with helping him to settle in. After an operation on his…

McGrath made his debut for the Republic of Ireland in a friendly against Italy on 5 February 1985. In November 1989, McGrath was part of the Republic of Ireland team that qualified for the country's first FIFA World Cup. The tournament, hosted by Italy, was held in 1990. The Republic of Ireland reached the quarter-finals, where they lost 1–0 to the hosts in Rome, with McGrath ever present in the lineups (five matches, 480 minutes played). He received the Irish International Player of the Year award in both 1990 and 1991 in recognition of his contributions to the side and captained the team four times in 1992 after the retirement of Mick McCarthy. McGrath started in the Republic of Ireland's Euro 92 qualifier against England at Wembley in 1991. In the Republic of Ireland's opening game of the 1994 World Cup – a 1–0 win against favourites Italy, thanks to Ray Houghton's early goal – McGrath put up an astonishing defensive performance despite suffering through a shoulder injury, including blocking a shot from Roberto Baggio with his face. When McGrath announced his retirement on 17 April 1998, he did so as Ireland's most-capped player and having served as his country's first black captain.

Praised frequently for his physicality, tackling, determination and reading of the game, McGrath has been described as one of the greatest centre-backs of the modern era, one of the best defenders in Premier League history and one of Ireland's greatest ever players. He was given the nickname "the Black Pearl of Inchicore" while at St Patrick's Athletic, and Manchester United fans dubbed McGrath "the Black Pearl" during his time at the club. Aston Villa fans referred to McGrath by the nickname "God"; at Aston Villa games, fans often still chant "Paul McGrath, My Lord", a song for McGrath to the tune of Kumbaya in reference to this nickname.

In popular culture

British author Lee Child is a fan of Aston Villa; in his second book in the Jack Reacher series, Die Trying (1998), the naming of the fictional characters, FBI agents Paul "Mack" McGrath and Milosevic are hidden references to players McGrath and Savo Milošević.

Paul McGrath was born on 4 December 1959 in Greenford, Middlesex, to a Nigerian father who met his Irish mother during his medical studies in Dublin. His father disappeared soon after his conception. His mother, Betty McGrath, was terrified that her father would find out she had become pregnant outside marriage and in an interracial relationship. She travelled in secret to London to have her child, who was considered illegitimate. Betty spent the last few weeks of her pregnancy in Acton at a Mother and Baby home, where she was pressured to give up her son for adoption. Although she resisted, Paul was forcibly taken away from her upon her arrival back in Dublin, where he was placed with a foster family and later transferred to the Smyly Trust Home. This was arranged and carried out by members of the Catholic Crusade in Dublin. McGrath was between four and ten weeks old when he entered the foster care system. When he was five years old, one of the daughters of the family he had been fostered by came to Betty to say they could not control him. At that stage, his mother had him back for a number of days before having to put him into an orphanage. Despite being Paul McGrath on his birth certificate, the admission form required the name of the father, hence he was known as Paul Nwobilo for a time. Betty would later have a second black child, a daughter named Okune, and both Betty and Okune would visit Paul while he was in care. Regretting giving Paul into care, Betty kept Okune…