Liam Brady has set the record straight about his reported rift with Jack Charlton insisting he didn’t have a problem with the former Ireland manager.
The ex-Juventus and Arsenal legend revealed Big Jack wrote to him after he quit the Ireland squad and said: “I never intended to hurt you, believe that.”
Brady became known as the greatest Irish player never to play a major tournament after he missed out on the 1988 Euros and the Italia ‘90 World Cup.
Charlton took him off the pitch 30 minutes into a game against West Germany and Brady decided there and then to walk away from international football.
Brady reveals in a RTE documentary: “This film gives me an opportunity to tell everybody that I didn’t have a problem with Jack.
“I think I had a way I thought football should be played, and he had his way, and we differed in that. But it was a shame the way it ended up.” Describing his long walk off the pitch at Lansdowne Road as a turning point he added: “I kind of knew as I was walking off that this was the end, it was all over.
“Jack and I had words at half time, a bit of a shouting match, so I decided there and then that was it, I retired.
“I was out of his mind, out of his plans and out of his hair.
“Then I got this letter in the post from Jack.”
Becoming emotional he read from the note: “Dear Liam, I’m sorry the way things turned out after the Germany game. I wish to thank you for what you did for me during my time with the Republic.
“I never intended to hurt you, believe that. What we talked of after the game still stands, you would be very welcome to come to Italy should we get there.
“And in your testimonial I will do all I can to help.
“I hope next time we meet you will still have a little time for me, and we might find time to repair some of the damage. This is just a quick note I felt I had to send you. All the best Liam, I hope things work out for you. Jack.”
Brady also reveals he was assaulted on the London Underground just after the Birmingham bombings.
He said: “Lads were being a bit forward with the girl I was with.
“I just told them leave it out and they recognised my Irish accent.
“They happened to be from Birmingham, I became the object of their temper over what had happened in Birmingham, and nobody helped me.
“But I managed to get out unscathed, I think I played on Saturday, it wasn’t too bad a beating.”
The former midfielder, known affectionately as Chippy, lists Zico, Platini and Maradona as the three greatest players he ever went up against.
He added: “I played against Argentina when he [Maradona] was just a boy, he was only 17 or 18 and he didn’t even have number 10, he had number 17.
“And I got his shirt after the match. It must’ve made me a good scout, I thought ‘he’s good’.”
- Liam Brady: An Irishman Abroad is on RTE One at 9.35pm on Monday
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