Middlesbrough FC have had their fair share of players from the Emerald Isle throughout the years. As an Irish person in Teesside and it being Saint Patricks Day, what better time to list a few of Boro’s Boys In Green to look at the connection between Boro and Ireland.
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Bernie Slaven
How could you do a list about Irish players at Boro without including one of the best to ever grace Teesside in Bernie Slaven?
Although Slaven was born in Paisley, Scotland he qualified for Ireland thanks to an Irish grandfather and would make seven appearances scoring one goal in that time.
His record at Middlesbrough is a better representation of what Slaven was like as a player with 146 goals in 381 appearances between 1985-1993 for Boro.
He is the 6th highest goal scorer in club history and a legend for the club and still a fan of Boro to this day.
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Chris Morris
The next player on the list is right-back Chris Morris who played over 80 games for Boro between 1992-1997.
During his time at Middlesbrough, Morris would win the First Division( Championship) in the 1994-95 season and was a runner-up for the FA Cup and League Cup in the 1996-97 season.
Morris’s time with Ireland would have some memorable moments such as qualifying for Euro 88 which was Ireland’s first ever major tournament and he would play every game in the 1990 World Cup run from The Boys In Green.
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Andy Townsend
Next on the list is central midfielder Andy Townsend who made over 80 appearances for Boro over two years between 1997-1999.
Already an experienced midfielder, Townsend made the move to Teesside in 1997 at the age of 35 and would win promotion back to the Premier League with the club in the 1997-98 season.
Townsend’s Irish career was also an experienced one making 70 appearances over eight years for Ireland between 1989 and 1997. He would be a part of Jack Charlton’s 1990 World Cup squad that would go down in Irish sporting history and In 2015 was nominated into the FAI Hall of Fame.
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Darren Randolph
A more recent example of an Irish player at Middlesbrough is goalkeeper Darren Randolph who made over 100 appearances in his three years on Teesside between 2017-2020.
Randolph would be a big hit with the Boro faithful winning Middlesbrough’s Player of the Year in 2019 as well as being included in the 2018-19 Championship team of the year.
Internationally, Randolph would be an important player for Ireland in the mid 2010s with being the main keeper for Ireland’s 2016 Euro’s run where he played every game in the group stage and Round of 16.
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Finn Azaz
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The last player I’ve chosen is one who is currently in the Middlesbrough squad and been a fantastic player for Boro since signing in January 2024. He is Finn Azaz and he has been a important player for Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough.
Azaz has been immense since joining Middlesbrough last season with 30 goal contributions in 58 games for Boro.
Azaz has been a recent addition to the Irish setup with him only making his debut on the 26th of March 2024 against Switzerland but he is one Irish fans are excited for his future with the Boys In Green.
Honourable Mention:
Jack Charlton
Although he never played for Middlesbrough It would be rude to not include Jack Charlton who managed both Middlesbrough from 1973-1977 and Ireland from 1986-1996.
Charlton is one of the biggest Irish sporting hero’s for what he was able to do with the squad in qualifying for Ireland’s first major tournament in Euros 88 and the World Cup in 1990 where The Boys In Green made it to the Quarter-finals.
