Paul McGrath (footballer)

For the Gaelic player born 1966, see Paul McGrath (Gaelic footballer).

Paul McGrath

McGrath in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Paul McGrath [1]
Date of birth	(1959-12-04) 4 December 1959 (age 64) [1]
Place of birth	Greenford, England
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) [2]
Position(s)	Centre back [1]
Youth career
	Fatima Rangers
	Dalkey United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1981–1982	St Patrick's Athletic	26	(4)
1982–1989	Manchester United	163	(12)
1989–1996	Aston Villa	253	(9)
1996–1997	Derby County	24	(0)
1997	→ Sheffield United (loan)	7	(0)
1997–1998	Sheffield United	5	(0)
Total		478	(25)
International career
1985–1997	Republic of Ireland	83	(8)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Paul McGrath (born 4 December 1959) is an Irish former professional footballer, who played as a defender. McGrath is widely considered to be one of the greatest defenders of all time and was known by the nickname 'God' at Aston Villa. Mainly a centre back, he also played as defensive midfielder. He spent the majority of his career at Villa and Manchester United (seven seasons apiece). He is one of only six defenders to have won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award. He also played for St Patrick's Athletic, Derby County and Sheffield United.

Also a long-time member of the Republic of Ireland national team, he appeared at the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups, as well as UEFA Euro 1988, the team's first-ever international tournament.

Early life

McGrath was born in Greenford, Middlesex, ^[1] to a Nigerian father who met his Irish mother during his medical studies in Dublin. ^[3] 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. She was strongly advised to give her son up for adoption at the Mother and Baby home in Acton, where she refused to do so numerous times. Upon her arrival back in her hometown Paul was forcibly taken away from her, placed with a foster family and later transferred to the Smyly Trust Home. This was arranged and carried out by the Catholic Crusade members in Dublin. ^[4] It was assumed that Betty McGrath gave him up for fostering in Ireland when he was four weeks old. ^[5]

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. ^[6]

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 with her, but growing up, this caused confusion within Paul who also wanted to live with her. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

McGrath remained in various forms of foster care around Dublin until he turned 18. In his later teenage years, he was able to reconcile with his mother, as well as his maternal grandfather. ^{[7] [8]}

By c. 1979, McGrath had begun to excel in sports, playing for the youth football club Dalkey United. However, it was at this time that McGrath suffered a "catastrophic mental breakdown" that would ultimately last for an entire year. McGrath was placed in the psychiatric hospital St. John of God in Stillorgan; there McGrath remained in a "trance-like state, unspeaking, incontinent and covered in bedsores" while Doctors feared that McGrath may never walk again. ^[8] McGrath was eventually able to recover from his episode and resume his sporting career.

Club career

St Patrick's Athletic

Street art dedicated to McGrath outside Richmond Park, home ground of his first club St Patrick's Athletic.

McGrath made his debut for St Patrick's Athletic in a League of Ireland Cup clash with Shamrock Rovers on 30 August 1981 at Richmond Park. He scored the winner in his next game in a Leinster Senior Cup clash. ^[10] Manager Charlie Walker stated in his notes in the match programme 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 a time and a little encouragement I feel that by the end of the season they will have done the club proud." ^[11] 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. ^[12]

Manchester United

In 1982, McGrath moved to Manchester United, then managed by Ron Atkinson. He missed out on a place in the FA Cup victory over Brighton & Hove Albion the following year but soon ousted Gordon McQueen to become the regular partner to Kevin Moran in the centre of defence. ^[13]

In 1985–86, it appeared that McGrath was on course to pick up a league title medal after United won their first 10 league games of the season, but injuries to key players including Bryan Robson soon took their toll on the side and they eventually finished fourth in the table, 12 points behind champions Liverpool. ^[14] A dismal start to the 1986–87 season saw Ron Atkinson sacked as manager and replaced by Alex Ferguson in November 1986, but McGrath initially remained a regular member of the first team. United finished second behind Liverpool in the league a year later. ^[15]

By the 1988–89 season, McGrath was struggling with knee injuries and was becoming a less regular member of the first team, facing competition from new signings Steve Bruce and Mal Donaghy. His relationship with manager Ferguson was becoming strained. ^[16]

Aston Villa

During the late 1980s, McGrath was offered terms at S.S.C. Napoli, but the deal did not come to fruition. ^[17] McGrath signed for Aston Villa in August 1989. While at Villa, McGrath played some of the best football of his career, despite recurrent problems in his knees. Villa came close to winning the title in McGrath's first season, finishing second to Liverpool. The next season saw the club fighting relegation for much of the campaign after boss Graham Taylor left to take control of England. Despite the managerial upheaval, McGrath's performances continued to impress. Under Jozef Vengloš, the first top-flight manager to hail from the European mainland, McGrath became a consistent mainstay of the Villa lineup. After Vengloš' solitary season (1990–91) at Villa, Ron Atkinson took over, building a decent squad in the early Premier League era. In the inaugural season of the Premier League (1992–93), Aston Villa again finished as runners-up, behind Manchester United. As a sign of the regard he was now held in by his fellow professionals, McGrath won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award at the end of the season. ^[18]

Later career

He played his final game as a professional for Sheffield United against Ipswich Town on 9 November 1997, just before his 38th birthday. He officially retired at the end of the season. ^[19]

International career

In 1990, the Republic of Ireland qualified for its first FIFA World Cup, in 1990 in Italy, eventually reaching the quarter-finals, where they lost to the hosts (1–0 in Rome), with McGrath ever present in the lineups (five matches, 480 minutes played). He captained the team four times in 1992 after the retirement of Mick McCarthy. ^[20]

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 – in a perfect example of his commitment to the game, McGrath put up an astonishing defensive performance despite excruciating knee problems, including blocking a shot from Roberto Baggio with his face. ^[12]

Post-professional football life

McGrath suffers from alcoholism and missed occasional matches as a result. ^[21] In an interview with FourFourTwo, he admitted to playing football while still under the influence of alcohol; additionally, his recurrent knee problems resulted in him undergoing a total of eight operations during his career. McGrath's autobiography, Back from the Brink, co-written with journalist Vincent Hogan, was the inaugural winner of the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year (2006). ^[22]

Upon retiring, he settled in Monageer, County Wexford. In 2004, one year after being taken to court, charged with a breach of the peace, ^[23] McGrath returned to the football world after five years, moving to Waterford United in Ireland as director of football. ^[24]

In 2011, McGrath recorded a cover version of the Gerry Goffin and Carole King song "Goin' Back". ^[25] He followed that single up with an 11 track album released in 2011 with profits going to his two designated charities the Acquired Brain Injury Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Ireland. ^[26]

On 29 June 2013, McGrath was arrested over an alleged public order offence at a hotel in County Offaly. He was bailed and appeared at Tullamore district court on 17 July. ^[27]

Personal life

Paul's half-sister Okune McGrath died in March 1994 due to complications stemming from a lifelong rare blood disorder. ^[28] Their mother Betty McGrath-Lowth died 4 September 2020, aged 83. ^[28]

As a result of the trauma of his early life and the subsequent alcoholism, McGrath has openly discussed through his autobiography and through interviews that he suffered through at least four major suicide attempts in his life. One attempt came in November 1989 after Manchester United sold him to Aston Villa. ^[5] McGrath would return to play for Aston Villa on 5 November 1989, in a 6–2 victory over Everton, but during the game had to hide wounds to his wrists using wristbands. ^[29]

Until he got his drinking under control in the 2010s, ^[30] the precariousness of McGrath's long-term mental health impacted his family life; McGrath has been divorced twice. ^[5] In 2019, McGrath claimed to have been roughly functional since 2014, although admitted to still occasionally consuming alcohol. ^[31]

McGrath is the father of five sons and a daughter, and, as of 2019, has five grandchildren. ^[31]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ^[32]

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
St Patrick's Athletic [33]	1981–82	League of Ireland	26	4	3	0	3	1	32	5
Manchester United	1982–83	First Division	14	3	1	0	1	0	16	3
	1983–84	First Division	9	1	0	0	3	0	12	1
	1984–85	First Division	23	0	7	2	2	0	32	2
	1985–86	First Division	40	3	4	0	9	1	53	4
	1986–87	First Division	35	2	1	0	4	0	40	2
	1987–88	First Division	22	2	0	0	2	1	24	3
	1988–89	First Division	20	1	5	0	1	0	26	1
	Total		163	12	18	2	22	2	203	16
Aston Villa	1989–90	First Division	35	1	5	0	7	0	47	1
	1990–91	First Division	35	0	2	0	7	0	44	0
	1991–92	First Division	41	1	5	0	2	0	48	1
	1992–93	Premier League	42	4	4	0	4	1	50	5
	1993–94	Premier League	30	1	2	0	12	0	44	1
	1994–95	Premier League	40	0	2	0	7	0	49	0
	1995–96	Premier League	30	2	4	0	6	0	40	2
	1996–97	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
	Total		253	9	24	0	46	1	323	10
Derby County	1996–97	Premier League	24	0	2	0	0	0	26	0
Sheffield United	1997–98	First Division	12	0	0	0	2	0	14	0
Career total			478	25	47	2	73	4	598	31

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year ^[33]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Republic of Ireland	1985	7	0
	1986	6	1
	1987	7	2
	1988	6	0
	1989	7	1
	1990	9	0
	1991	7	1
	1992	8	1
	1993	6	1
	1994	8	0
	1995	9	1
	1996	2	0
	1997	1	0
Total		83	8

Honours

Manchester United

• FA Cup: 1984–85

Aston Villa

• Football League Cup: 1993–94, ^[34] 1995–96 ^[35]

Individual

• PFAI Players' Player of the Year: 1982
• PFA Team of the Year: 1985–86 First Division, ^[36] 1992–93 Premier League ^[37]
• FAI Senior International Player of the Year: 1990, 1991
• PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1993
• Football League 100 Legends: 1998 (inducted)
• English Football Hall of Fame: 2015 (inducted)
• FAI Hall of Fame: 2020 (inducted) ^[38]
• Aston Villa Player of the Season: 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93 ^[39]

See also

• List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland
• List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland

References

Specific

1. "Paul McGrath". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
2. "Paul McGrath Defender, Profile & Stats | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
3. "Mixed Race Irish Families and Adoption". The Mixed Museum. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
4. "Mixed Race Irish Families and Adoption". The Mixed Museum. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
5. McRae, Donald (24 October 2006). "I remember the blood pouring and the nanny screaming". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
6. Gibbons, Margaret (1927). "Margaret Aylward (1810-1889.) (Foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Faith)". The Irish Monthly. 55 (647): 247–259. ISSN   2009-2113. JSTOR   20518114.
7. Kelleher, Lynne (27 September 2020). "'I spent half my life battling to be Irish' - soccer star Paul McGrath". The Irish Independent . Retrieved 15 May 2023.
8. "The real Macca". Magill . 25 October 2006. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
9. Duggan, Keith (18 November 2006). "Perilous times of the Black Pearl". The Irish Times . Retrieved 15 May 2023.
10. https://archive.irishnewsarchive.com/olive/APA/INA.Edu/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=IPR%2F1981%2F09%2F03&id=Ar01408&sk=92A212A3&viewMode=image
11. ""The Saints" (Sunday 30th August 1981) St. Patricks Athletic F.C versus Shamrock Rovers F.C". 28 April 2010.
12. Philip, Robert (20 October 2006). "McGrath loved by all but himself". The Daily Telegraph . London. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
13. "Auction: Gordon McQueen signed jersey". 23 November 2014.
14. "Football: Scott Murray on the absorbing 1985-86 season". TheGuardian.com . 27 November 2008.
15. "Man Utd News | Team news, injury updates, transfers, new signings".
16. Austin, Simon (4 November 2006). "Ferguson's human side revealed". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
17. "Paul McGrath: One-on-One". FourFourTwo. January 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2016. I got an enquiry from Napoli when Maradona played for them and they were Italy's best team in the late '80s. I was holidaying near Naples on the coast in Sorrento when a delegation of Napoli officials came to see me at my hotel. I was amazed that they knew I was there. We had a big chat, but nothing came of it.
18. "Only here for the peers". BBC Sport. 20 April 2001. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
19. "Games played by Paul McGrath in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
20. Byrne, Peter (1996). Football Association of Ireland: 75 years. Dublin: Sportsworld. p. 229. ISBN   1-900110-06-7.
21. Austin, Simon (27 October 2006). "McGrath back from the brink". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
22. Staff writer (6 November 2008). "Sports stars longlisted for Irish award". The Bookseller . Retrieved 27 November 2012.
23. "Ex-football star in court". BBC News. 12 November 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
24. "McGrath gets Waterford post". BBC Sport. 13 February 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
25. "Ex-Manchester United and Aston Villa star Paul McGrath begins music career". The Metro. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
26. "Now Paul tackles the music business with debut album".
27. "Paul McGrath arrested over alleged public order offences". The Guardian . London. Press Association. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
28. Hogan, Vincent (5 September 2020). "'My heart is breaking': McGrath tribute to mum". The Irish Independent . Retrieved 15 May 2023.
29. Storey, Daniel (9 December 2015). "Portrait of an icon: Paul McGrath" . Retrieved 15 May 2023.
30. O'Toole, Jack (17 March 2017). "Healthy looking Paul McGrath opens up about alcohol addiction on The Late Late Show". The Irish Independent . Retrieved 15 May 2023.
31. Hogan, Vincent (25 May 2019). "'I'm still drinking a little bit. But not to half the extent I used to' - Vincent Hogan meets Paul McGrath". The Irish Independent . Retrieved 15 May 2023.
32. Paul McGrath at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
33. "Paul McGrath". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
34. Lovejoy, Joe (27 March 1994). "Football / Coca-Cola Cup Final: Saunders destroys United's dream: Aston Villa's master plan puts paid to Ferguson's malfunctioning Big Red Machine as Kanchelskis is dismissed". The Independent. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
35. "Milosevic gives; Villa a touch of magic". The Independent. 25 March 1996. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
36. Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 146.
37. Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 149.
38. "Paul McGrath and Anne O'Brien inducted into FAI Hall of Fame". Irish Mirror. August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
39. "Villa's Fab 50 top player countdown: 4 Paul McGrath". Aston Villa FC. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2024.

General

• McGrath, Paul; Hogan, Vincent (2006), Back From the Brink, Arrow, ISBN   978-0-09-949955-8