Few would be surprised at the popularity of football in Ireland, and yet at the same time you don’t always hear about the best talent in Irish football on the international stage. Nonetheless, Ireland at the moment is producing some incredible talent and there are some really fantastic up and coming players in the field of Irish football. Today, we’re going to look at some of the biggest rising stars in Irish football, so let’s get started.
1. Andrew Moran
Andrew Moran has been one of the biggest Irish players to watch in recent years, even as young as he is now. He is currently an attacking midfielder for Blackburn Rovers, on loan from Brighton. And going by the betting odds, you’d have to side with the bookmakers like Topbettingsites.ie that say he’s like to make the move for a large sum. He was raised in Knocklyon, which was where he made his start in the local club. He moved up through the ranks to the League of Ireland where he played for Bray Wanderers, and played his first game as a first-team player in 2019 for a victory over Drogheda—the youngest player to ever play for Bray.
He is plainly one of the biggest rising stars of Ireland, and given his enormous success so early in his career he will doubtless continue to amaze for many years to come in international football from his humble beginnings.
2. Thomas Cannon
Currently playing for Leicester City, Tom Cannon is another of Ireland’s biggest rising football stars and will certainly be one to watch in the coming years. He was originally born in England, and first signed with Everton at the age of 10. He is a youth international player for the Republic of Ireland, and signed his first professional contract early in 2021. He would make his first-team debut in a game against Bournemouth in November of 2022.
He has scored eight goals during his appearances on loan for Preston North End, making him a very successful player this early in his career that you should definitely watch.
3. Kevin Zefi
Zefi is another product of Dublin, and grew up in Clonsilla. Of Albanian descent, Zefi is an international player with heritage from all over the place. Descended, as mentioned, from Albanian relatives, he is from Ireland, and currently plays for Inter Milan. He began his footballing career with the Shamrock Rovers, and in 2020 both Inter Milan and the Dutch side PSV were interested in acquiring him.
Her has also played for the under 15s, under 17s, and under 19s for the Republic of Ireland international team, and has spoken highly positively about his move to the Italian Serie A.
4. Evan Ferguson
Another Brighton player who also makes appearances for the Republic of Ireland team, Evan Ferguson is another of the rising stars in Irish football. He is a native of County Meath, having grown up in Bettystown, and is the son of Barry Ferguson of Coventry and Colchester fame. He made his senior debut in 2019 for a 1-1 draw with Chelsea for the Bohemians. He moved to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021, and has since made 30 appearances for the side, scoring 11 goals.
Ferguson is a talented, rising young player to watch in the future.
5. Festy Ebsosele
Finally, we have Festy Ebsosele. He was born in County Wexford to Nigerian parents, and began playing football in 2010 for the Moyne rangers. He joined Bray Wanderers at age 14 and in 2018 he would sign for Derby County of the English Championship. Since then, he, like Zefi, has moved to the Serie A and plays as a right-back for Udinese. His career shows enormous promise and he is already in great demand with many teams interested in signing him.
He has also scored for the Republic of Ireland international team as an under 17.
These players have incredibly promising careers ahead of them, then, and no doubt we can expect to see some amazing things from them in the near future. As we watch these players grow and develop, it’s impossible to say what the future might hold for them—but what is certainly plain to see is that the best of Irish talent can compete with the best talent from anywhere in the world without a doubt.
