Liam Brady to bring curtain down on 25-year RTÉ career

Liam Brady, one of the Republic of Ireland's greatest ever players and a long-standing television analyst, will be stepping down from his punditry duties with RTÉ Sport after tonight’s match with Gibraltar.

Brady has been an integral part of the RTÉ panel for 25 years and his partnership with Eamon Dunphy and John Giles under the stewardship of the late Bill O'Herlihy has been hailed as a golden age of football punditry both in Ireland and internationally.

The Dubliner worked on his first World Cup as a television pundit in 1998 alongside those colleagues all the way up to tonight's Euro 2024 qualifier, where he will be joined by Didi Hamann.

Brady’s knowledge, stemming from playing at the highest level in club football in England and in Italy, and his 16-year Ireland career, marked him out as one of the greatest associated with the sport in this country.

He said: "In 1990 I retired as a player at the age of 34. In 2016 I retired from my position in the Arsenal Academy and now I'm announcing my retirement from television punditry with RTÉ Sport.

"I have had the most amazing time working on RTÉ’s football coverage over the last 25 years and it is now fitting that I draw it to a close. I started with the World Cup in 1998 with my great friends Eamon, John and Bill.

"We had great fun together in between the arguments."

Brady’s analysis of Irish football resonates to this day, with his comments after last Friday's match with Greece dominating debates in the aftermath of Athens.

Recalling his best times in the RTÉ studio, he said: "There are many highlights, Zidane and France in 1998, Manchester United in 1999 and Liverpool’s miracle in 2005. At half-time my tip AC Milan looked comfortable but that is the beauty of sporting