Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team is the national team of the Irish Football Association, it belongs with the other three British selections of the oldest teams in the world; to the Irish division of the early 1920s, the choice was an all-Ireland.
The game, the selection is typically British, most of the national players are traditionally in the Scottish and English professional leagues under contract.
History
The Irish Football Association (IFA) was founded in 1880 and joined FIFA in 1911. By 1921, the association was responsible as part of the United Kingdom, which covers the whole of Ireland, the selection came as Irish national team to international matches. Only since the partition of Ireland 1920/21 is the IFA, the Association of Northern Ireland. The national team took between 1921 /23 and 1950, although de facto also only Northern Ireland; according to its statutes, she kept - similar to the Association of the Irish Free State in charge of overall Ireland, so that by the 1950s footballers from all over Ireland played in two Irish representative teams. It was not until the mid-1950s stopped the FIFA this practice.
For a football championship to Northern Ireland could, in contrast to a World Cup, so far not qualify. In qualifying for the 1984 European Football Northern Ireland finished after two victories over the Federal Republic of Germany tied for second place. Only goal difference of Germany had failed Northern Ireland. In qualifying for the Euro 2016 Northern Ireland hits Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland and the Faroe Islands.
Northern Ireland's participation at the World Cup
- World Cup 1958 in Sweden Northern Ireland has been drawn in Group 1 and met defending champions Germany, the strong Argentine and Czechoslovakia. After a 1-0 victory over the Czechs and a 1:3 defeat against Argentina, the team played in a thrilling game 2-2 against Germany. About a playoff against Czechoslovakia took the team to a 2-1 success after extra time in the quarter finals. There they lost to the later Third France with 0:4.
- Spain 1982 After 24 years of absence on the international stage Northern Ireland in 1982 came back furious. In the preliminary round, the team against Yugoslavia and Honduras prevailed and moved to a 1-0 surprise win over hosts Spain in the second final round. There was, after a 2-2 draw against Austria, France too strong for the Northern Irishman. The team led by Michel Platini beat Northern Ireland 4-1 and later became fourth.
- 1986 World Cup in Mexico 1986 Mexico took Northern Ireland to the date the last time at the World Cup in part, but did not have the preliminaries out. First they played a 1-1 draw against Algeria, but lost to Spain 1:2 and 0:3 against Brazil even with.
Squad
(Updated: June 2, 2012)
Record players and goal scorers
Most games
Scorer
Known player
- Danny Blanchflower - War as a midfielder in the 1950s, the central figure in the national team and at Tottenham Hotspur.
- Billy Bingham - Right Wing of the World Cup team in 1958 and coach ( 1967-1971 and 1980-1994 )
- Harry Gregg - Goalkeeper of Manchester United and goalkeeper at the 1958 World Cup
- George Best - one of the European superstars of the 1960s Manchester United
- Pat Jennings - legendary goalkeeper who played for Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur.
- Martin O'Neill - World Cup qualifiers in 1982
- Norman Whiteside - Participated in the age of 17 and until then the youngest player ever to the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
- Sammy McIlroy - World Cup qualifiers in 1982 and 1986
- Mal Donaghy - World Cup qualifiers in 1982 and 1986
- Jimmy Nicholl - World Cup qualifiers in 1982 and 1986
- Nigel Worthington - World Cup qualifiers in 1986 and later coach of Northern Ireland
- Alan McDonald - FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 1986 and later captain