Paul McGrath (footballer)

Paul McGrath (born 4 December 1959) is an Irish former professional footballer, who played as a defender. Mainly a centre back, he also played as defensive midfielder. McGrath is widely considered to be one of the greatest defenders of all time and was known by the nickname 'God' at Aston Villa F.C.. He spent the majority of his career at Villa and Manchester United (seven seasons apiece). He is one of only six defenders to have won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award. He also played for St Patrick's Athletic, Derby County and Sheffield United.

Also a long-time member of the Republic of Ireland national team, he appeared at the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups, as well as UEFA Euro 1988, the team's first-ever international tournament.

Early life
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. His mother, Betty McGrath, was terrified that her father would find out she had become pregnant outside marriage and in an interracial relationship. She travelled in secret to London to have her child, who was considered illegitimate. She was strongly advised to give her son up for adoption at the Mother and Baby home in Acton, where she refused to do so numerous times. Upon her arrival back in her hometown Paul was forcibly taken away from her, placed with a foster family and later transferred to the Smyly Trust Home. This was arranged and carried out by the Catholic Crusade members in Dublin. It was assumed that Betty McGrath gave him up for fostering in Ireland when he was four weeks old.

When he was five years old, one of the daughters of the family he had been fostered by came to Betty to say they could not control him. At that stage, his mother had him back for a number of days before having to put him into an orphanage. Despite being Paul McGrath on his birth certificate, the admission form required the name of the father, hence he was known as Paul Nwobilo for a time.

Betty would later have a second black child, a daughter named Okune, and both Betty and Okune would visit Paul while he was in care. Regretting giving Paul into care, Betty kept Okune with her, but growing up, this caused confusion within Paul who also wanted to live with her.

McGrath remained in various forms of foster care around Dublin until he turned 18. In his later teenage years, he was able to reconcile with his mother, as well as his maternal grandfather.

By c. 1979, McGrath had begun to excel in sports, playing for the youth football club Dalkey United. However, it was at this time that McGrath suffered a "catastrophic mental breakdown" that would ultimately last for an entire year. McGrath was placed in the psychiatric hospital St. John of God in Stillorgan; there McGrath remained in a "trance-like state, unspeaking, incontinent and covered in bedsores" while Doctors feared that McGrath may never walk again. McGrath was eventually able to recover from his episode and resume his sporting career.

St Patrick's Athletic
McGrath made his debut for St Patrick's Athletic in a League of Ireland Cup clash with Shamrock Rovers on 30 August 1981 at Richmond Park. He scored the winner in his next game in a Leinster Senior Cup clash. Manager Charlie Walker stated in his notes in the match programme that "Since the end of last season I have been acquiring new players: three are local lads from junior clubs- Billy Reid (Fatima Rangers), 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 ultimately excelled 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
In 1982, McGrath moved to Manchester United, then managed by Ron Atkinson. He missed out on a place in the FA Cup victory over Brighton & Hove Albion the following year, but soon ousted Gordon McQueen to become the regular partner to Kevin Moran in the centre of defence.

In 1985–86, it appeared that McGrath was on course to pick up a league title medal after 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
During the late 1980s McGrath was offered terms at S.S.C. Napoli, but the deal did not come to fruition. McGrath signed for Aston Villa in August 1989. While at Villa, McGrath played some of the best football of his career, despite recurrent problems in his knees. Villa came close to winning the title in McGrath's first season, finishing second to Liverpool. The next season saw the club fighting relegation for much of the campaign, after boss Graham Taylor left to take control of England. Despite the managerial upheaval, McGrath's performances continued to impress. Under Jozef Vengloš, the first top flight manager to hail from the European mainland, McGrath became a consistent mainstay of the Villa line up. After Vengloš' solitary season (1990–91) at Villa, Ron Atkinson took over, building one of the finest sides of the early Premier League era. In the inaugural season of the Premier League (1992–93), Aston Villa again finished as runners-up, behind Manchester United. As a sign of the regard he was now held in by his fellow professionals, McGrath won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award at the end of the season.

Later career
He played his final game as a professional for Sheffield United against Ipswich Town on 9 November 1997, just before his 38th birthday. He officially retired at the end of the season.

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 favourites 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 in spite of excruciating knee problems, including blocking a shot from Roberto Baggio with his face.

Post-professional football life
McGrath suffers from alcoholism, and missed occasional matches as a result. In an interview with FourFourTwo, he admitted to playing football while still under the influence of alcohol; additionally, his recurrent knee problems resulted in him undergoing a total of eight operations during his career. McGrath's autobiography, Back from the Brink, co-written with journalist Vincent Hogan, was the inaugural winner of the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year (2006).

Upon retiring, he settled in Monageer, County Wexford. In 2004, one year after being taken to court, charged with a breach of the peace, McGrath returned to the football world after five years, moving to Waterford United in Ireland as director of football.

In 2011, McGrath recorded a cover version of the Gerry Goffin and Carole King song "Goin' Back". He followed that single up with an 11 track album released in 2011 with profits going to his two designated charities the Acquired Brain Injury Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Ireland.

On 29 June 2013, McGrath was arrested over an alleged public order offence at a hotel in County Offaly. He was bailed and appeared at Tullamore district court on 17 July.

Personal life
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 4 September 2020, aged 83.

As a result of the trauma of his early life and the subsequent alcoholism, McGrath has openly discussed through his autobiography and through interviews that he suffered through at least four major suicide attempts in his life. One attempt came in November 1989 after Manchester United sold him to Aston Villa. McGrath would return 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 precariousness of McGrath's long-term mental health impacted his family life; McGrath has been divorced twice. In 2019, McGrath claimed to have been roughly functional since 2014, although admitted to still occasionally consuming alcohol.

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

Honours
Manchester United
 * FA Cup: 1984–85

Aston Villa
 * Football League Cup: 1993–94, 1995–96

Individual
 * PFAI Players' Player of the Year: 1982
 * PFA Team of the Year: 1985–86 First Division, 1992–93 Premier League
 * FAI Senior International Player of the Year: 1990, 1991
 * PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1993
 * Football League 100 Legends: 1998 (inducted)
 * English Football Hall of Fame: 2015 (inducted)
 * FAI Hall of Fame: 2020 (inducted)
 * Aston Villa Player of the Season: 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93