Anne will be remembered as one of the country’s greatest-ever female footballers

By Maurice Garvey

TRIBUTES have been paid to one of Ireland’s most successful football players of all time – Inchicore native Anne O’Brien, who passed away in Rome on Monday after a short battle with illness.

O’Brien (60) played for the Republic of Ireland women’s national football team and was the first Irish female to play professional football outside Ireland in a career spanning seven clubs and 18 years.

At 17, she began her professional career in France in 1973 with Stade de Reims, winning three league titles, before settling in Italy, collecting six Scudetti and two Italian Women’s Cups.

An elegant midfield playmaker adept at reading the game in the trequartista role behind the strikers, O’Brien won league titles with Lazio (1979/80), Trani (1984), Reggiana (1990/91) and Milan Alvarani (1992) – before moving into coaching roles and raising a family in Rome.

Despite her glittering career, O’Brien only won four caps for Ireland. She told Newstalk in 2014 that she was never invited to play while based in Europe.

A statement by the FAI said O’Brien will “be remembered as one of the country’s greatest-ever female footballers.”

It said her international career was limited to the four caps over an 18-year spell as it coincided at a time when the Women’s Football Association of Ireland was a separate organisation to the FAI and had restricted resources.

“Anne O’Brien was a real legend in women’s football and her death is a terrible loss,” said FAI CEO John Delaney.

“Her loss will also be felt amongst those pioneers of the women’s game in Ireland who were inspired by her achievement. She blazed a trail for those Irish female internationals now forging careers in football.”

The FAI will pay tribute to Anne’s memory at the Georgia international in October.

The FAI extended its sympathies to Anne’s son Andrea, siblings Paul, Robert, John, Tony, Rosaleen, Collette and Pat.