Irish football speaker and former player Ronnie Whelan is probably best known for his long and successful career at Liverpool Football Club during the team’s highly impressive and dominant run through the 1980’s era. Following his playing career, Whelan has also acted as a manager and pundit alongside his extensive work as a football speaker.
After beginning his career at Home Farm in 1977, Whelan was signed by Liverpool FC just before his 18th birthday making his first team debut some six months later after playing in the reserves team for the first few months of his time with the club. The following season, Whelan won his place on the left side of the Liverpool midfield. It was an excellent season for Whelan, as he settled into first team football and helped Liverpool to another League championship and also retained the League Cup with victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley in which Whelan scored twice.
Going on to Play for Liverpool in between 1979 until 1994, Ronnie Whelan continues to be one of the clubs most well respected players. Whelan was voted in the top thirty players named in a poll of 110,000 Liverpool fans titled “the 100 players that shook the Kop”, signifying his popularity amongst fans and the tremendous impact he made whilst with the club. Whelan’s career at Liverpool saw him be and integral part of the team that garnered a staggering six Football League First Division Cups, three FA Cups and three League Cup titles to go along with the remarkable 1983/84 European Cup win. In his capacity as football speaker Ronnie looks back on his time at Liverpool with great fondness and pride and reflects upon the fundamentals to the consistent peak performance he and the club produced during that period.
Internationally, by the age of 20 Whelan had represented the Republic of Ireland national football team at schoolboy, youth, amateur, U21 and senior level. Whelan went on to become a regular fixture within the Republic of Ireland team and was a part of the Irish side which qualified for the 1988 UEFA European Football Championship in West Germany. Whelan was in the team which memorably beat England 1–0 and he also then when on to score a spectacular goal in a draw with the USSR. In total, Ronnie Whelan represented the Republic of Ireland on 53 occasions scoring three goals for his country.
Following his playing career, Whelan worked with clubs in Greece such as Panionios and Apollon Limassol but most notably with Olympiakos Nicosia in Cyprus in a management capacity. His greatest success as a manager came with Panionios in 1999, when his team reached the quarter finals of a European competition, the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the first time. During his performances as a football speaker, Whelan discusses his experiences from management and what the main differences and challenges were in between playing and management along with how best to motivate and inspire his players to achieve success.
Ronnie Whelan now makes regular appearances on both British and Irish television where he is a regular pundit, contributor and sports speaker for Irish broadcaster RTE Sport. In more recent years Ronnie has also cultivated an enviable career as a guest and after dinner speaker at both corporate and sporting events. Whelan discusses his role as team Captain following an injury to Alan Hansen in the 1988-1989 season and eloquently entwines his proficiency as a football speaker with his love and passion for the game providing a truly a unique and hugely entertaining insight.
A prolific football speaker who has enjoyed a truly illustrious and decorated career as a player, Ronnie Whelan has a host of tales and anecdotes from a thoroughly distinguished footballing career. Touring England and Ireland to share his experiences and entertaining football enthusiasts with his memories of both national and international football, Ronnie Whelan is available to hire for any event or function as a football speaker and is certain to be a fantastic addition.
