The majority of Ireland’s best footballers have made their way into the English Premier League. Many have also lifted silverware in their time in England, but how many have won the biggest trophy of all?
Here is a list of Irish players who have won the Premier League title.
How many Irish players have won the Premier League title?
By the end of the 2022/23 English season, five Irish players had won the Premier League title. Most of those footballers had won titles with Manchester United who dominated the early EPL years. The one exception won the Premier League on two occasions with Chelsea.
List of all the Irish players who have won the Premier League.
Roy Keane
An inspirational leader for Manchester United in the early years of the Premier League, Roy Keane won the most important pieces of major silverware. He was part of the squad that won the Champions League in 1999, and he also appeared in no fewer than seven Premier League winning sides.
Keane first won the EPL title with United at the end of the 1993/94 season, while his seventh and final winner’s medal came in 2002/03.
Denis Irwin
He may not have been the most glamorous player at Manchester United, but Denis Irwin was vitally important to their most successful periods. A right back who delivered dangerous crosses from the flank, he joined the club from Oldham Athletic in 1990, so he was at Old Trafford when the Premier League began two years later.
Irwin quickly became a regular first choice defender, and he played in 40 out of 42 games as United won the EPL title in its inaugural season. Dennis Irwin also won the Premier League with Manchester United in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001.
John O’Shea
Defender John O’Shea became part of the Manchester United youth set up, before making his first team debut in 1999. He stayed at the club for 12 years at a time when United were the most successful team in England.
O’Shea became a first choice in the United defence at the start of the 2002/03 season. He won the EPL title with his club at the end of that campaign, and would go on to claim a total of five Premier League winner’s medals before joining Sunderland in 2011.
Damien Duff
Winger Damien Duff made his name with Blackburn Rovers, but his most successful years in the Premier League came with Chelsea. He was a part of the club during the Jose Mourinho era, and won the title twice – in 2004/05 and 2005/06.
While he wasn’t always a first choice at Stamford Bridge, Duff played a significant role in both of those campaigns. Across the two winning EPL seasons, he played 58 league games, scoring nine goals.
Darron Gibson
Midfielder Darron Gibson began his career with Manchester United, and he spent seven years at the club. His first team opportunities were limited, but he still lifted some major silverware with the side.
Like his former United teammate John O’Shea, Gibson began in the club’s youth team before making his professional debut in 2005. He spent seven years at Old Trafford, but in that time he only made 31 EPL appearances and 60 in all competitions. Under Premier League rules, the contributions were enough for Darron Gibson to claim at EPL winner’s medal in 2010/11.
The Irish international played in 12 Premier League matches as Manchester United lifted the trophy at the end of the campaign.
Final Thoughts
There have been so many top class Irish players in the Premier League, so it’s quite surprising that this list is relatively small. At the start of the 2023/24 season, only five Republic of Ireland internationals had won the Premier League, and all of those individuals have since retired.
None of the players on this list will be adding to their haul of medals, so who will be next? The Irish national team isn’t as strong as it has been in the past, so there are no obvious contenders. It’s a small list of Irish EPL winners, and the current position means that we may not see a sixth name for some considerable time.
