Stoke midfielder Jermaine Pennant has become the latest English footballer to declare an interest in playing for the Republic of Ireland.
The 28-year old has an Irish grandfather and after finally giving up on his dream to play for England, he has revealed that he has been in contact with the FAI about a possible call-up to Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad.
“I’m 28, I’m not getting any younger and I’d like to play international football, whether it’s with England or Ireland,” he told BBC Radio Stoke.
“I’d love to play for England but it’s just never happened.”
“I don’t think it’s going to happen, not because of my ability, but maybe misdemeanours in the past that have put that to a halt.
“They’re looking at younger, up-and-coming talent which is great for England.
“Who’s to say that Ireland can’t get to the next World Cup? If I could be a part of that with Ireland, that would be great.
“If I’ve got a chance to play international football with Ireland, I’m going to take it with both hands.
“They’ve asked previously and I said ‘I want to try and play for England’, but I never closed the door on it.
“I actually looked into it and texted my agent. I think he’s contacted them to say ‘he’s eligible to play and he’s interested’, so we’ll see what happens.
“Now they know that I’m interested, maybe they’ll start watching me in games (He obviously doesn’t know Giovanni Trapattoni, being watched on DVD is the best he can hope for).
“You can’t just click your fingers and say ‘pick me for the team’. You’ve got to be playing well for your club before you play for any country.”
Former Arsenal, Liverpool, Birmingham and Real Zaragoza winger Pennant has something of a chequered past, having worn an electronic tag on the pitch after being convicted for drink-driving, while he has fallen foul of many of his club managers for a bad attitude and lazy approach to training.
Pennant could be described as being the epitome of what is wrong the modern footballer, who clearly has more money than sense. This trait was perfectly illustrated recently when it was revealed that he had forgotten about his ownership of a high performance sports car, which he left parked in a train station in Zaragoza for five months.
Pennant won 24 caps for the England under-21 side, but failed to make the step up to the senior side, despite apparently being considered by Ste McLaren during a productive spell while playing for Liverpool.
Pennant’s crossing ability and set-piece prowess would make him a valuable asset to any team, but it remains to be seen how Irish fans would react to the possibility of such a reprehensible character lining out in a green jersey.
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