Paul McGrath: Ealing’s Legendary Defender Journey from Triumphs to Trials

Brought to you by:

Sam Habeeb

"Shadow MP Campaigner of Ealing North"

Paul McGrath: Ealing’s Legendary Defender Journey from Triumphs to Trials
Credit: Buzz.ie

Paul McGrath (born 4 December 1959) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a defender. McGrath is generally regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, both in the 1980s and 1990s, and was known at Aston Villa as ‘God.’. Mainly a center-back, he also played defensive midfielder. McGrath spent the greater part of his career at Villa and Manchester United for seven seasons apiece. He is only the sixth defender to take away the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award. He had also spent time with St. Patrick’s Athletic, Derby County, and Sheffield United.

Where is Paul McGrath from?

McGrath was born in Greenford, Middlesex, to a Nigerian father who met his Irish mother during his medical studies in Dublin. His father disappeared soon after his conception. He happened to be the child of Betty McGrath, who was afraid that his grandfather would discover that she had been pregnant with him outside of marriage and interracially. She traveled secretly to London for the birth of her illegitimate child.

She was counseled to give up her son for adoption at the Mother and Baby home in Acton, which occasion she refused many times. After returning to her hometown, Paul was taken from her by force, put into foster care, and later sent to the Smyly Trust Home. The Catholic Crusade members in Dublin organized and carried out this action. Betty McGrath assumed that she placed him up for fostering in Ireland when he was four weeks old

St Patrick’s Athletic

Street art dedicated to McGrath outside Richmond Park, the home ground of the first club St Patrick’s Athletic. McGrath made his League of Ireland debut for St Patrick’s Athletic against Shamrock Rovers in a League of Ireland Cup match at Richmond Park on 30 August 1981. He scored the winner in his next game in a Leinster Senior Cup clash.

Paul McGrath (Dalkey United) and John Cleary (Ballyfermot United). Given a time and a little encouragement, I feel that by the end of the season, they will have done the club proud.” He ended up being one of the greats at The Saints, earning the nickname “The Black Pearl of Inchicore” and winning the PFAI Players’ Player of the Year award for 1982.

Manchester United

He joined Manchester United, where he was in the care of Ron Atkinson, in 1982. In the subsequent year, McGrath was left out of the FA Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion but took Gordon McQueen’s place just in time to dislodge him and directly become a first-choice center-half alongside Kevin Moran.

In 1985–86, it seemed that McGrath was going to collect a league title medal as United won their first 10 league games of the season, but injuries to key players, including Bryan Robson, soon took their toll on the side, and they eventually finished fourth in the table, 12 points behind champions Liverpool. 

A dismal start to the 1986–87 season saw Ron Atkinson sacked as manager and replaced by Alex Ferguson in November 1986, but McGrath initially remained a regular member of the first team. United finished second behind Liverpool in the league a year later.

By the 1988–89 season, McGrath was struggling with knee injuries and was becoming a less regular member of the first team, facing competition from new signings Steve Bruce and Mal Donaghy. His relationship with manager Ferguson was becoming strained.

Aston Villa

In the late 1980s, McGrath received terms from S.S.C. Napoli, but this did not work out. McGrath joined Aston Villa in August 1989. During his time at Villa, McGrath played some of the best football in his career, even though he often had problems in his knees. Villa narrowly lost the title in McGrath’s first season, being defeated by Liverpool to take second place.

This was under new manager Jozef Vengloš, who was the first top-flight manager to come from the European continent. After Vengloš’s only season (1990–91) alone at Villa, Ron Atkinson arrived, strengthening a reasonable set of players well in the opening Premier League season. Aston Villa once more made runners-up, this time to Manchester United, during their inaugural season for the Premier League in 1992–93.

International Career

In 1990, the Republic of Ireland qualified for its first FIFA World Cup, in 1990 in Italy, eventually reaching the quarter-finals, where they lost to the hosts (1–0 in Rome), with McGrath ever present in the lineups (five matches, 480 minutes played). He captained the team four times in 1992 after the retirement of Mick McCarthy.

In the Republic of Ireland’s opening game of the 1994 World Cup—a 1–0 win against favorites Italy, thanks to Ray Houghton’s early goal—in a perfect example of his commitment to the game, McGrath put up an astonishing defensive performance despite excruciating knee problems, including blocking a shot from Roberto Baggio with his face

When Did Paul McGrath Die?

Paul’s half-sister Okune McGrath died in March 1994 due to complications stemming from a lifelong rare blood disorder. Their mother, Betty McGrath-Lowth, died on 4 September 2020, aged 83.

Alcohol Addiction

Due to the trauma of his early life and the subsequent alcoholism, McGrath has, in interviews and through his autobiography, discussed the fact that he lived through at least four major suicide attempts in his life. One of the first chances came in November 1989 after Manchester United sold him to Aston Villa. McGrath returned to play for Aston Villa on 5 November 1989 in a 6–2 victory over Everton, but during the game had to hide wounds to his wrists using wristbands.

Until he got his drinking under control in the 2010s, the fragility of McGrath’s long-term mental health affected his family life; McGrath has been divorced twice. In 2019, McGrath said he was roughly functional since 2014, although he admitted to still occasionally drinking.

How many children does Paul McGrath have?

McGrath is the father of five sons and a daughter, and as of 2019, five grandchildren.

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Brought to you by:

Sam Habeeb

"Shadow MP Campaigner of Ealing North"

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