The end of an era.
Hoolahan has made the decision to retire from international football.
The 35-year-old, who won 43 caps for Ireland, informed Martin O’Neill of his decision last week and says he feels the time was right to step aside.
The former Shelbourne midfielder was named as a sub for Ireland’s 0-0 draw with Greece [Don Givens was caretaker manager at the time]. He did not make it onto the pitch and eventually made his Ireland debut in 2008, at the age of 25, against Colombia.
He played a vital role in Ireland’s 2014 World Cup Qualifiers, the road to Euro 2016 and the tournament itself, scoring a cracking goal in the opening game against Sweden.
Hoolahan was often used as a sub in Ireland’s latest World Cup qualifying campaign and his final game in the green jersey was the playoff defeat to Denmark at the Aviva Stadium.
Hoolahan told The Herald:
“It wasn’t an easy decision to make, to retire, but I feel it’s one I had to make and this is the right time to do it,”
“It’s a mixture of things that led me to make this decision but mainly age, I will be 36 soon, I’ll be 38 when the next Euros come around, so it’s time to move aside.
“I had two great campaigns with Ireland and the Euros in France was an amazing experience.”
No big social media posts from Hoolahan, just a few words with a trusted reporter to draw the curtain down on a career that brought so much joy to Ireland supporters. Typical of the man, really.
Hoolahan will continue to play on with his club side, Norwich City.
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