Unsurprisingly to true Irish football fans, iconic centre-back Richard Dunne has been named among other legends by AI in the greatest-ever Ireland starting XI.
AI has revolutionised the world in recent times, with people turning to it – particularly ChatGPT – for almost anything and everything. It is so advanced, it has started to outline some of the best football XIs of all time.
So, we thought we would put it to the test, as we wanted to know what ChatGPT thought was the greatest-ever starting XI in Irish international football history.
It has hardly put a foot wrong with its selections! Dunne, whose best spell of football was spent at Manchester City, has been named at centre-back among other greats of Irish football.
Here is the greatest-ever Irish starting XI, according to AI.
What is ChatGPT? – revolutionising the world
ChatGPT is artificial intelligence’s latest marvel. It is a natural language processing tool which enables you to have human-like conversations with your own device.
ChatGPT is well-equipped to provide assistance with easy or complex questions based on all sorts of topics. All you have to do is pop the question, and the AI does its magic.
You can get more specific if you want information. As an example, though, we asked ChatGPT this simple question: ‘What is the best dream all-Ireland football starting XI?’.
Here is what it came up with, opting for a 4-3-3 formation.
Packie Bonner – goalkeeper
A close call surely with Donegal native Shay Given. However, Bonner is immortalised for his penalty save against Romania in the 1990 World Cup. He made 80 appearances for Ireland, along with 483 appearances for Celtic.
Seamus Coleman – right-back
Seamus Coleman is undoubtedly an Irish legend. He has consistently been Ireland’s top-performing Premier League player for years. The Everton captain will also go down a Toffees legend.
Paul McGrath – centre-back
McGrath was a maverick footballer who played for Manchester United and Aston Villa. He was a top centre-back who also played at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.
Richard Dunne – centre-back
Dunne made an incredible 431 Premier League appearances, 253 for Manchester City. He was an imposing centre-back and remained at the heart of the Irish defence for years.
Denis Irwin – left-back
Denis Irwin is highly esteemed by Manchester United fans, thanks to his 12 years there as a top left-back for Alex Ferguson. He was part of the Irish team that reached the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup.
Roy Keane – centre midfield
Arguably the greatest Premier League captain of all time. Keane is often regarded as the best player to have played for Ireland and was later assistant manager of the national team alongside Martin O’Neill.
Liam Brady – centre midfield
Liam Brady is another who can claim to be the best Irish player of all time. Brady is an Arsenal great who also won two Serie A titles with Juventus. He played 72 times for Ireland, scoring eight goals.
Ronnie Whelan – centre midfield
The third midfielder picked by AI amongst the greatest starting XI for Ireland is Ronnie Whelan. The Dublin native formed an essential part of the dominant Liverpool teams of the 80s. He also played in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups with Ireland.
Damien Duff – left wing
Damien Duff was an exciting winger who could change the game on his own. Duff played for Ireland at the 2002 World Cup and starred in the Premier League for Chelsea, Newcastle, and Fulham.
Johnny Giles – right wing
Giles played as a fantastic midfielder for Leeds United between 1963 and 1975, amassing 383 appearances with 88 goals. He gained 59 caps for Ireland and was also player-manager of the team.
Robbie Keane – striker
Who else in this role but Ireland’s top goalscorer? ‘Keano’, at club level, played for the likes of Leeds, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Spurs, and Celtic. For Ireland, he scored 68 goals in 146 games.
The starting line-up – AI’s picks for the Irish greats
- Packie Bonner
- Seamus Coleman
- Paul McGrath
- Richard Dunne
- Denis Irwin
- Roy Keane
- Liam Brady
- Ronnie Whelan
- Damien Duff
- Jonny Giles
- Robbie Keane
Would you make any changes to AI’s selection?
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