He's the man who broke Irish hearts in 2002 when his penalty just eased past Shay Given's outstretched leg.
Gaizka Mendieta was in Dublin ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifying draw to show off his skills at the Street Legends Community Football event on Mountjoy Square alongside Arsenal and France legend Robert Pires.
Afterwards the former Spain international midfielder took time out to chat to me on Team 33 about his career in the game for club and country, including:
- How the Valencia team he was part of developed
- His thoughts about his penalty against Ireland in '02
- How he adapted to life at Middlesbrough and his view on Gareth Southgate
- A young Xavi
- Playing for the Basque national team and how close he came to joining Athletic Bilbao
- His musical tastes
You can listen to the full interview above or listen back on the podcast:
The draw for the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying groups on December 2, 2018 will be attended by delegates from all 55 UEFA member nations and over 350 international media representatives with an estimated TV audience worldwide of 140 million.
Four tournament games will be hosted at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium during UEFA EURO 2020, the largest sporting event to ever be hosted in the country.
• Street Legends Community Football, Saturday, December 1, 3pm to 6pm, Commons Street, Dublin
• National Football Exhibition, Sunday, December 2 to Sunday, December 9, 11am-7pm, The Printworks, Dublin Castle
