Pairc Ui Chaoimh prepares to honour Liam Miller in a way he so richly deserves

Liam Miller was a man who made his childhood dreams come through as a result of hard work, commitment, self-belief and a huge amount of skill and intelligence as a footballer.

As a young boy the two teams he supported avidly from a young age were Glasgow Celtic and Manchester United.

Two clubs that have a global fan base and a long standing history which Liam Miller will forever be a part of.

Having signed for Celtic as a youth player in 1997 the Irish midfielder went on to have a distinguished career as a professional footballer reaching the very top level in terms of club football lining out for both clubs in the Champions League and having his impressive performances rewarded internationally on no less than twenty one occasions at senior level.

Let’s not forget he was also part of the talented group of Irish players that won the European Under-16 Championships with Ireland in 1998. The spring of a seasoned international journey culminating with twenty one caps at senior level in the green jersey and giving the Lansdowne Road faithful a memorable moment when he showcased his individual talent and technique before scoring his first goal for Ireland in a friendly against Sweden in 2006.

A nomadic footballer of sorts in terms of the number of clubs that he offered his skills and footballing intelligence to but also truly one of a kind in terms of the number of people he had such a positive effect on in life as a result of being incredibly humble, pure and genuine in every walk of life.

Getting to the level that Liam Miller got to on a football pitch naturally brings its own stresses and pressures in life as you progress to bigger and better things and start to get recognised as Liam did by hugely successful managers like Martin O’Neill and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Higher crowds, higher expectations, an increased level of pressure and every other experience that being a professional footballer brings. All experiences which the Cork man thrived on and used positively to ensure that he progressed to the highest level possible for both club and country and all while having such a positive effect on everyone he came across in terms of his pureness and genuine care for anyone he seemed to meet.

Liam Miller, by all accounts was a model professional and a gentleman in life and in football both on and off the pitch.

Over the last number of months and weeks so many of his former team mates, managers, colleagues and friends have spoken about Liam and all with such a warm and humble tone in their voice when they each talk about their own individual experiences. The common adjectives and words used have been humble, pure, genuine and down to earth to name but a few in terms of the man himself and his personality and skilful, intelligent and a professional of the highest order in terms of the footballing side of Liam Miller.

On Tuesday afternoon in Pairc Ui Chaoimh both of these sides will be honoured and remembered fittingly by his family, friends, former teammates and adoring supporters in a match between a Manchester United Legends XI and a Republic of Ireland/Celtic XI.