IT HAS been quite a 12 months for Jake O’Brien.
The 23-year-old reflected on “a proud moment” after making his Ireland debut against Hungary on Tuesday night at the Aviva Stadium.
This time last year, the Cork native had completed a loan season in the relative obscurity of the Belgian second tier with RWD Molenbeek.
It was expected O’Brien would make another loan move after leaving Crystal Palace to join Ligue 1 outfit Lyon last August rather than transition straight into the first team.
However, a disastrous start to the season saw Lyon win only one of their first 14 top-flight matches.
Two managers — France legend Laurent Blanc and former Italy international Fabio Grosso — were dismissed before interim boss Peter Sage took the club from the bottom of the table to seal Europa League qualification come the end of the season.
O’Brien, who became the first Irishman to play in Ligue 1 since Tony Cascarino in 2000, debuted in October and played a key role in the turnaround, making 32 appearances in all competitions.
A memorable club campaign ended for O’Brien with the French Cup final two weeks ago.
Lyon were beaten 2-1 by PSG on the day but the former Cork City defender emerged with credit, heading home his side’s solitary goal.
O’Brien was rewarded with his first Ireland cap on Tuesday, replacing experienced centre-back Shane Duffy at half-time and performing solidly for the remaining 45 minutes of the 2-1 win.
Was he nervous beforehand?
“To be honest, no I wasn’t,” he tells reporters. “I’ve had a rollercoaster season but these are the moments you relish. I love being under pressure because it brings out the best in me.
“It was about adapting to players around me because I wouldn’t have played with many of the squad. It’s about finding consistency from playing with them, how they play, and then gelling with them.”
Some fans and pundits wanted O’Brien to be in the team sooner. The defender didn’t get any minutes after being called up by John O’Shea for the March friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland.
“It’s about being patient and you’ll get your chance. It was important to stick with it at club level to get my chance in this window and I’m sure I’ve taken it.
“There’s a lot of competition [for the centre-back spots] but it’s healthy competition.”
After marking Kylian Mbappe — arguably the best player in the world — in his final game for PSG before joining Real Madrid, ensuing challenges are unlikely to seem as daunting.
Yet the Cork native says even the prospect of facing the great French goalscorer did not leave him starstruck.
“That’s just the way I am. I’m cool and calm, don’t get fazed by much really and don’t get overexcited. I like to take things as they come. Big moments like this, playing under pressure is what I like to do.”
So requesting Mbappe’s shirt afterwards was out of the question.
“I’m not someone who asks for jerseys, especially after losing. I’m not the best person to come up to.
“It was a great game. PSG are a great team and we stayed in the final. On another day, we could have got that win.
“[Mbappe is] one of the best players in the world. I think it’s just about the focus for the full game, little sharp movements. But I studied a lot of him before the game and I think the main thing is to be focused because you take your eye off him for two seconds and he’s in behind.”
O’Brien has yet to master learning to speak French, though he understands the basics and is improving “bit by bit”.
He has made a quicker adaptation on the pitch, thereby establishing himself as a fan favourite.
“It probably suited me more to play in Europe,” he adds. “The style of football suits me better. I’m just suited to different cultures and learning things from top players because many top players are in the team.
“And I just thought, I’m very open-minded, why not try my hand in a different league? It’s one of the top leagues, with very good teams and players. It’s about going out and showing what I can do in these leagues.”
If he can continue his current trajectory, O’Brien will surely be a mainstay in Irish squads for years. The future of the national team’s interim boss John O’Shea looks less assured but the youngster hopes to see the ex-Manchester United defender stick around.
“You can ask any of the lads in there and I don’t think there’s going to be one person who comes out and says they don’t want him to stay. He’s been a great coach to be around, and to learn from. Not even that but he’s just a great guy to come to, to talk about things.
“Yeah, everyone here wants him to get the job and I think he deserves it.”
