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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Gavin Quinn

Conor McGregor hails Tom Brady's 'Irish spirit' as he makes shock retirement U-turn

Conor McGregor is no stranger to making retirement U-turns, and he's one of the first to praise Tom Brady after the American football legend made one of his own,

Legendary quarterback Brady called time on his career earlier this year, but the 44-year-old made the shock announcement last night that he'll return for 23rd season in the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

McGregor announced retirements of his own in recent years, but none lasted all that long as he ultimately returned to the cage, and the Dubliner couldn't contain his excitement as news broke that Brady is back in the game.

Sharing a snap of Brady on the cover of Irish America back in January 2006, McGregor had a message to him on Instagram.

He said: "Champions come back stronger and better! Love the sport and it shows! Tom Brady - thank you for the Irish spirit and the big news".

Brady declared his love for Ireland in a video that surfaced on social media this weekend.

The NFL hero was at Old Trafford for Manchester United 's 3-2 win over Spurs and posed for photos with hat-trick hero Cristiano Ronaldo after the game.

Cavan man Niall O'Riordan was also in attendance - sitting close to the famous ex-Tampa Bay and New England star - and took the opportunity to invite him to Ireland.

Niall can be heard asking: "Tom, are you going to come to County Cavan in Ireland some day?"

To which the 44-year-old replies: "I love Ireland."

Seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady traces his ancestral roots back to Cavan and Cork - and has visited the country before.

After he was quizzed about his Irish roots in the past, Brady said: “My father is 100 per cent Irish.

“We took a trip over there together and visited some of the places where my family came from.

“That was a great experience for me and obviously, I am very proud of my Irish roots.”

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