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Stories
Dave Hannigan tells the story of the Irishman who's been around the world and back
Just four summers have passed since the then Juventus manager Carlo Ancelotti introduced Ronnie O’Brien for the last 13 minutes of an Intertoto Cup semi-final against the Russian representatives Rostelmash. Making his third cameo appearance in the competition, the 20-year-old Irishman slotted in comfortably alongside Edgar Davids, Alessandro Del Piero et al. A matter of months after Bryan Robson had shown him the door at the Riverside Stadium, while very publicly dismissing his chances of ever making it at the highest level, he was pulling that famous zebra-striped jersey over his head and trousering £3,000 a week. Life was good and the unfortunate Liam Brady comparisons were far too plentiful.
Aside from the chevron on their shirts, Filippo Ricci explains that Sampdoria are now unrecognisable from the team that came so close to European glory just a decade ago
On April 21, Sampdoria lost 2-0 at home to Serie B’s bottom club, Crotone, a team from a tiny town in Calabria. The result left the once-mighty club just four points above the relegation zone with six games to go. Ten years ago, Sampdoria lost the last the European Cup final before the start of the Champions League, 1-0 to Barcelona at Wembley. On paper, it’s a long journey, on the pitch, a quick and irreversible plunge.