Not all heroes wear Capes

WHAT a brilliant week for Irish football — we're going to the World Cup!

- Pat Dolan

Take a bow, Mr Extraordinary, the great League of Ireland legend Roberto ‘Pico Lopes.

In a week when our hopes of qualifying for the World Cup drifted into miracle territory, the League of Ireland will be rocking with World Cup fever.

Heimir Hallgrimsson says the answer to Ireland's problems are all psychological, and we need a psychologist to fix our problems, but I'm not sure it’s that simple.

At the heart of great teams are great people, and great players at international level should never give up, they should fight like it's going out of fashion, just like Shamrock Rovers’ own Mr Extraordinary.

When others see problems, winners see opportunities. A decade ago, as a 23 year old, he was working in a bank and as a part-time football professional.

How ironic that when our men's international team, despite their wealth and privilege, so often look frightened to pull on our famous green jersey, Pico turns into a giant when he puts on an international jersey.

He played for Ireland at Under-19 level, and won everything at professional level in his home country, but was ignored by the FAI and Ireland when it came to senior internationals.

Why? Because he was an Irishman, finally playing professional football in Ireland when he joined Shamrock Rovers.