The Ireland national team plays its first matches of 2025, this week against Bulgaria. There is much to be excited about with some exciting new players joining up, like Rocco Vata and James Abankwah. This is alongside some returning players in red-hot form with their clubs like Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins, and Troy Parrott.
While we are still a ways away from building a squad that can compete at an international competition, it looks like we are headed in the right direction with a depth of talented players at nearly every position. All of this comes at a good time with the USA, Canada & Mexico World Cup qualifiers right around the corner.
Speaking of a deep competitive Ireland squad, over the weekend, Ireland’s Iconic Italia ’90 squad reunited for their 35th anniversary. Vegastars.com got the chance to speak to legendary forward John Aldridge about what he describes as “the ten best years of my life” in the green jersey.
During the interview, John touched on the 1990 World Cup, USA ’94, his relationship with a young Roy Keane, frustrations during his Ireland career, and his thoughts on the current Irish team.
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When you think of Italia ’90, what do you think about?
It was the ten best years of my life with Ireland under Jack Charlton. The lads got on fabulously, we fought for each other on the pitch and off the pitch.
It was just a delight to be involved. The passion of the country, the passion of our fans is something I will never ever forget.
Even now when I go to Ireland, the respect that we get – it just gobsmacks. Still young people love it. Women loved it as well and it’s been passed down. We’re not going to see that again, are we? It was just unbelievable.
The next World Cup is being staged in North America. What was the US like as a host country for the 1994 competition and how do you reflect on that experience?
I actually look back on it with a bit of disappointment. After beating Italy in the first game and with probably a better all-round squad than we had in 1990…we were youthful but the conditions done us.
The intensity we played with usually – we couldn’t bring that out. The gegenpressing – Jack was the first one to bring that out, not Jurgen Klopp.
The pressing we had to collectively under that heat and humidity was impossible. That’s why we got caught out against Mexico, we didn’t really play well against Norway and against the Dutch we couldn’t test them like we could do under normal conditions.
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John’s comments around the USA world cup are extremely interesting, because those are the same conditions we could be facing, if we are able to qualify for the world cup in 2026. Therefore, we must spend a lengthy amount of time training in the extreme heat and humidity that we will face in North America if we want to compete at a high level.
Next John went on to speak about his memories of a young Roy Keane, our chances to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, some of the Ireland players in the squad currently, and some of his experiences as a top-class player for both club and country.
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What’s your memory of a young Roy Keane at that tournament? Were you impressed by him early on in his career?
Oh yeah. I had to take him under my wing a few times. He was a little bit raw, especially away from the football!
I got on really well with Roy. I knew it when I saw him the first time. He was a greyhound; he could run all day. He had so much going for him, the tenacity, the skill, the will to win. I can’t speak highly enough of Roy Keane. The best thing I could say is that after Paul McGrath, he’s probably the best Irish player I’ve seen.
Would you fancy the current Irish team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
No. I really hope the lads prove me wrong but I think it’s going to be very difficult. You’ve got to get some positive notes and start scoring goals. We’ve struggled in that area. We haven’t got a Robbie Keane, unfortunately. Things change, things happen, let’s hope that things fall for us.
Would you have high hopes for Evan Ferguson to grow into that player?
It’s like Troy Parrott when he was young, we were all just desperately hoping for him to get us goals.
We were saying “Troy, come on lad, you can be the one!”. Now with Ferguson obviously, yeah I do like him but now he’s gone missing. He’s still very young, though. He’s got to get the right people behind him and the right coaches at club and international level.
He’s a good player, I like what I see because he’s mobile for his size and he knows where the goal is. Evan’s lost a lot of confidence not playing regularly so hopefully he can come good again.
Does it take time to adapt to international football? It took you a few caps before you started scoring regularly for Ireland.
Yeah but what I’ll say in my defence is that I didn’t play as a striker. I played as a runner. I had to run into the corners and lay them back.
When the ball went into the box, I was outside it. I wasn’t a striker like at Liverpool, it was a totally different position under Jack.
Having said that, I should have done it because it got to me. It got to me big time.
I had to wait a long time for my first goal but when it came, I scored one in every two games which is my norm. It just plagued me and got me down.
It was an alien position I played under Jack and had to close people down.
Subsequently, Jack Charlton would take me off after seventy minutes and I scored a lot of goals in my club career in the last twenty minutes.
For me it wasn’t down to lack of experience – it could be for the young lads now! Of course it could, yeah.
Were you ever frustrated having to play in that role for Ireland?
Yeah, yeah I was. Jack said I was doing a job, nobody was beating us and I was told I was pivotal to the way we play.
Then the press were asking Jack why he was playing me and he said “John will always play under me because he has a pivotal role”.
We were winning, we were successful and he kept picking me.
Troy Parrott is having a good season in the Netherlands. As somebody who played in Spain for a while, would you encourage more Irish lads to make moves into Europe?
You’ve got to play at the highest level you can. There’s less likelihood of Irish lads succeeding in England than ever before because it’s swamped with South Americans, Europeans, players from all over the world; whereas years ago we had loads of Irish players playing for various Premier League teams.
The standard is seeing Irish players overlooked.
I hope the League of Ireland can get better and better and better obviously, but if they need to move to Europe they absolutely should.
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As an ex-Liverpool and Ireland player yourself, how do you rate Caoimhin Kelleher as a goalkeeper?
He’s a top notch ‘keeper. In the two League Cup finals he played he was arguably Man of the Match.
Whenever he has pulled on the shirt for Liverpool he has been immaculate. He has been brilliant.
He’s so unfortunate, as he knows that Liverpool has the best goalkeeper in the world and that’s really hard to take.
As much as I would love him to stay at Liverpool for the rest of his career, I think I can probably see him having to go to play regular football because it’s what he deserves.
As much as he loves Liverpool, he should be playing week in, week out.
What level of club do you think Kelleher could sign for, were he to leave?
As a Liverpool fan, I’d love to see him go abroad. I think it would be great for him.
I’m looking at the top teams here and there’s some teams like Tottenham that need a better goalkeeper…Manchester United need a better keeper! But he’s not going there!
He could play for any team in the Premier League but personally you know I’d say it’s one of the top teams in Europe that he deserves. Italy, Spain, Germany or whatever.
I think that would be perfect for him, I really do.
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These comments from the legendary John Aldridge, who was the first ever non-Basque player to play for Real Sociedad when he signed for Txuri-Urdin in 1989 from Liverpool. Help tell a story of the success the Irish national team has had in the past, while also telling a story that inspires hope for a successful future.