LOUISE QUINN HAS been hailed as “a superb footballer and a brilliant person” by Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw ahead of her 100th senior cap today.
Defensive stalwart Quinn will lead out the Girls In Green in their international friendly against Morocco [KO 5pm Irish time, live on RTÉ Player and News Channel] and become the latest Irish women’s player to be welcomed into the Centurion Club.
Quinn, who made her debut as a late substitute in a friendly win over Poland in February 2008 and has scored 15 goals in 99 appearances to date, joins Emma Byrne (134), Ciara Grant (105) and current team-mates Áine O’Gorman (112) and Niamh Fahey (105) in the 100 club.
The 32-year-old Wicklow native was presented with a gold cap at a special team meeting on Saturday evening in Marbella, with Pauw noting:
“Louise is a superb footballer and a brilliant person. She is someone who gives absolutely everything to her career, to her team-mates and for her country. The fighting spirit that she has is exactly what this Ireland team is all about so it is not a surprise she is a key part of it.
“Any young player wanting to forge a successful career in international football should look to how Louise always makes herself available for every training session and every game, how she is always focused in team meetings with intelligent questions, how she leads on the pitch, how she responds to challenges and set-backs, how she treats every player, staff member and supporter with equal respect and how she appreciates every opportunity that she gets to represent her country.
“The history books will show that Louise is one of the few players, so far, to reach 100 caps and anyone who knows her can attest to the commitment that she has shown to reach that milestone. We are so happy for Louise to achieve this feat and we are even happier that she continues to be part of our team.”
Captain Katie McCabe, who hands over the armband for this special occasion, echoed her manager’s words when speaking about Birmingham City skipper Quinn last week.
“Honestly, Louise has been such a rock for us for as long as I have been in the team and as long as I have been going to Tallaght to see the senior team play, such a massive figure within the team, on and off the field,” she beamed.
“She’s not just a fantastic player but an unbelievable person, having my time with her at Arsenal — we used to kill each other playing for Raheny against Peamount, but at Arsenal I saw another side to Louise, how she’d do anything for you, put her body on the line for whoever she’s representing, if that’s Ireland or Arsenal or Birmingham now.
“To say she’s going to be making 100 appearances, she fully deserves it, she’s been phenomenal, for me off the pitch too. When I got the captain’s armband, at the time I was quite young and I really looked up to Louise to support me in that role, I still do to this day, and I will always be grateful for that, to see her make 100 appearances on Monday, all going well, will be a proud day and I know all her family will be proud of her too.”
In a typically-colourful interview with the Irish media on Saturday morning, Quinn took a trip down memory lane ahead of the milestone.
“It’s very rare and a very special occasion,” she smiled.
“Even when I was talking to Niamh about it, [we said] you don’t really think about it when you’re going through your career, but when you start approaching the 90, you’d be like, ‘Okay this could be something that I’d like to achieve’ — that you’ve been able to play for your country for 100 caps and hopefully more.
“It feels really special — for my family as well, it’s something they’re very proud of. They’re making their way out to Spain today.”
Quinn has represented Ireland under five different managers and each of her 15 goals have been scored with her head. She has played her club football in Ireland, Sweden (Eskilstuna United), England (Notts County, Arsenal, and now Birmingham) and Italy (Fiorentina).
GGMU