Ireland's Eileen Gleeson has heaped praise on Ireland's star player, Katie McCabe, ahead of their second game against Albania on Tuesday.
The Arsenal star is in fine form for her country, having scored a hat-trick for Ireland in the 5-1 win over Albania in Tallaght last week. McCabe has also been nominated for the Ballon D’Or award, which takes place tonight.
However, McCabe has other matters to attend to and, rather than attend the lavish ceremony, she has stayed with Ireland in a northern Albanian hotel in Shkodër.
Gleeson, who is unbeaten as Interim-Ireland boss, has praised the Ireland star for her contribution on and off the pitch.
“She’s in her prime right now, as we can all see. You know, hugely influential for us, scoring, Ballon d’Or award, a top player for her club, so it really is her time to shine right now, and we’re just super happy that she’s with us,” says Gleeson.
“Katie is a huge influence in the dressing room. She’s the player and the level that other players aspire to. She demonstrates that on the pitch.
“She has a great work ethic, she’s able to guide the younger players, she’s able to support, she’s able to challenge.
“She has all the attributes of a really good leader, and she’s demonstrating that with us, and the players look up to her. She’s a really strong leader.”
OH MY LORD THAT IS A MARADONA RUN FROM KATIE MCCABE FOR THE ASSIST pic.twitter.com/LBGQfh4y6G
— Laura Veen Comps Specialist (@veencomps) October 27, 2023
Although McCabe admits she is fully focused on Ireland, she also admits that she may tune into the Ballon D'Or ceremony if the opportunity to do so arises. For now, she is just fully focused on putting Ireland on the map.
“I’ve training on Monday!” McCabe added to the conversation.
“It’s matchday minus one, so we’ve got an evening session. I might stick it on if I’m able to, but my full focus will be on preparing for Albania on Tuesday.
“It’s really nice. For me, I’m really enjoying my football at the minute.
“I want to put Irish football on the map, and I feel we’ve done that. We’ve got girls playing all over the world, which is a fantastic thing. The Irish are able to take part.”
Ireland's game against Albania will kick off at 5:45 pm. It will also be live on RTE2.
