Michael Murphy (Gaelic footballer), Date of Birth, Place of Birth
TweetMichael Murphy (Gaelic footballer)
Irish Gaelic footballer, born 1989
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Letterkenny, Ireland
About Michael Murphy (Gaelic footballer)
- Michael Murphy (born 4 August 1989) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays as a full forward for Glenswilly and the Donegal county team, which he captains.
- He is often considered the best player in his sport and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.Born and raised in north-west Ireland, Murphy's hip was out of place from birth and required surgery at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.
- After a fast progression through Glenswilly's youth academy, Murphy made his full competitive debut in 2005, having just turned 16, and helped his club reach the Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship Final that year.
- He was a member of the team that won his club's first Donegal Senior Football Championship in 2011, and followed this up with two others in 2013 and 2016.
- Glenswilly also reached the final of the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship in 2013. A Donegal man, Murphy is his county's all-time leading scorer.
- At youth level he won an Ulster Minor Football Championship, an Ulster Under-21 Football Championship and contested an All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship final.
- His style of play, his skill, intensity and dominance over other players earned him comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
- Murphy made his competitive debut for his county aged 17 in July 2007 and won the All Stars Young Footballer of the Year in 2009.
- At 21 years old, Murphy received the Donegal captaincy from newly appointed manager Jim McGuinness, who had worked with Murphy the previous season at under-21 level.
- In doing so he became one of the youngest captains in the team's history.
- Four successful seasons followed, with Murphy winning two All Stars, three Ulster Senior Football Championships (including two consecutively) and the Sam Maguire Cup, only the second player in the county's history to raise that trophy as team captain.
- He received the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final man of the match award and his catch from a Karl Lacey pass, turn leaving his marker Kevin Keane clutching at air and rocket strike past David Clarke into the roof of the Mayo net in the opening minutes of that game to set the score at 1-00 to 0-00 earned him the Championship Matters Goal of the Championship.
- A team decline under the management of McGuinness's deputy and successor Rory Gallagher was followed by two further Ulster Senior Football Championships under Declan Bonner, all of which Murphy had achieved by the age of 30.
- This brought Donegal's total provincial championships to ten, with the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th of these all coming under Murphy's captaincy. Though targeted by Australian rules football clubs since 2007, Murphy declined all offers to move abroad, preferring instead to pursue further honours in Gaelic football.
- He has, however, played for the Ireland international rules football team and captained the 2013 and 2014 teams.
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