John O'Shea

John Francis O\'Shea (born 30 April 1981) is an Irish professional footballer, who currently plays as a defender for Premier League team Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland national football team. His strength is his versatility in playing several positions on both the right and left side of the pitch as well as the centre. O\'Shea made his Republic of Ireland debut in 2001 against Croatia and has since gone on to make over 70 appearances for his country, scoring one goal in 2003 against Australia. He was part of the team that controversially lost to France in a play-off for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and went on to play in UEFA Euro 2012. Born in Waterford, O\'Shea joined Manchester United when he was 17. He spent loan spells at Bournemouth and Royal Antwerp before establishing himself in the Manchester United first team, going on to make almost 400 appearances in all competitions over 10 years. O\'Shea won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three Football League Cups, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup while at Manchester United. He joined Sunderland in July 2011.