The list of the best Northern Irish players of all time is a mix of old and new – and it's stacked with talent
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Some of the best Northern Irish players of all time have gone onto become some of the biggest names in the sport.
For such a small country, they've had their golden periods, too: the 1980s were particularly fruitful for the Northern Irish, with World Cup qualification and British Home Championships won during this time.
And even modern-day stars make our list of the best 10 Northern Irishmen ever in the game…
The 10 best Northern Irish players of all time: 10. Gareth McCauley
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McCauley was an instrumental figure in the Michael O’Neill era of Northern Ireland’s history, in which they qualified for Euro 2016 and made it to the Round of 16. He had the distinction of scoring Northern Ireland’s first goal at a major international for 30 years, when he headed home against Ukraine.
McCauley earned 80 caps over the course of his 13-year international career, scoring nine goals. No defender has scored more goals for NI than McCauley. A general late bloomer, he made his debut in the Premier League at the age of 31 with West Brom.
9. Aaron Hughes
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The Cookstown-native is the country’s third-most capped player, on 112 appearances. Hughes was captain for some of NI’s greatest nights, including wins over Spain, England and Sweden during qualifying for Germany 2006 and Euro 2008. Hughes was captain of the team from 2003 to 2011.
8. Martin O’Neill
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The former Leicester and Celtic manager won 64 caps for his country between the 1970s and early 1980s, and captained the side to the second round group stage at Spain ’82, in which they finished last in a group containing France and Austria. O’Neill also won the British Home Championship in 1980 and 1984.
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Went on to manager the Republic of Ireland, but has never done the same with the country he served as a player.
7. Jonny Evans
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Evans made his debut for Northern Ireland in the famous 3-2 Euro 2008 qualifier against Spain in September 2006 and would go on to win a further 93 caps. One of the most naturally gifted centre backs Northern Ireland has ever produced, Evans won a spate of honours at Manchester United before joining Leicester in 2018, where he still plays today.
Evans played all four games for Northern Ireland at Euro 2016, as they qualified for their first major tournament since 1986.
6. Norman Whiteside
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Whiteside packed so much into a career that was cut short at the age of 26 that most believed he played longer. One of Northern Ireland’s brightest talents of the 1980s, Whiteside broke Pele’s record as the youngest player ever to appear at a World Cup, when he played at Spain ’82 at the tender age of 17 years and 41 days. He’d played just two competitive games at club level before Billy Bingham decided to throw him at the deep end. He also appeared at Mexico ’86.
Whiteside surely would’ve earned more than his tally of 38 caps had he not been forced to retire in 1992 at the age of 26. His last game for his country came in 1989.
5. David Healy
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Healy is remembered for a far more productive career at international level than club. The former Manchester United, Leeds and Fulham striker is Northern Ireland’s record goal scorer, with 36 goals. 13 of them came in the qualifying for Euro 2008, when he scored a memorable hat trick against Spain at Windsor Park. He also scored twice against Sweden in another iconic victory.
Nobody has scored more goals in a single qualifying campaign.
His 95th and last game for Northern Ireland against Israel in a 2014 World Cup qualifier in March 2013 at the age of 33, but his legacy long since secure. Healy’s also remembered for his lobbed winner against England in September 2005.
4. Danny Blanchflower
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The Spurs legend also achieved the status for his country. Blanchflower captained Northern Ireland to the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup, and he was also the first player in Northern Ireland history to reach over 50 caps. He was the country’s sporting poster boy before George Best came along.
3. Pat Jennings
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Held the record for the highest amount of games for Northern Ireland until surpassed by No.2 on this list. Jennings played in both of Northern Ireland’s World Cup campaigns of the 1980s, and at the time was the oldest player to appear in one, at the age of 41 at Mexico ’86.
Jennings was inducted into the English Hall of Fame in 2003 and is considered Northern Ireland’s greatest ever goalkeeper.
2. Steven Davis
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Current captain of Northern Ireland, Davis holds the record for most international caps with 134, having made his debut in 2005. His busiest year came in 2016, when he featured in 13 games across the year as Northern Ireland reached the Round of 16 at Euro 2016.
1. George Best
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It really couldn’t have been anyone else, could it? “Maradona good, Pele better, George Best,” as the locals tend to say about the footballing icon.
Whether he was better than Diego Maradona and Pele remains to be seen, but there was no doubting that Best possessed the ability of both. Criminally, Best was only capped 37 times for Northern Ireland, scoring nine times, and is considered one of the best players never to feature at a World Cup.
But he was always going to top this list, which despite just how few caps he earned, demonstrates just what a talent he was.
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Emmet Gates is a freelance football journalist with work published across a multitude of websites and magazines. Writing for FFT since 2016, Emmet is a disciple of the Gazzetta Football Italia years and remains a Serie A advocate. He also worships at the altar of Diego Maradona and collects '90s Serie A shirts, now a very expensive hobby.
