The Denis Irwin Complex

This generation has brought unprecedented 24-hour coverage of worldwide sport. However, it has riddled the world of sporting analysis with a syndrome that is yet to be eradicated. The term underrated is widely ascribed in the sporting world; rarely is it attributed correctly. This malaise in sporting jargon is perhaps epitomised by what The Journal would term the ‘Denis Irwin Complex’. The Irish full-back who played in a number of trophy winning sides for Manchester United in the 1990s, became synonymous with the word underrated, almost to the same degree as England and the term ‘penalty heartbreak’. The truth is, when at least 40 per cent of the sporting public describe you as 'underrated' as they did with Irwin, the case must be made that you are at least ‘rated’ or perhaps even ‘justly recognised’.

This complex didn’t disappear when the Irishman did; the case of a certain winger also coincidentally plying his trade at Old Trafford comes to mind. Park Ji-Sung has taken on the Irwin mantle, almost effortlessly. Each time a camera is pointed at the Korean international warming up, it seems the commentator is contractually obliged to say something along the lines of - “although not the flashiest of players, the underrated Park is an integral part of this United side”. It’s as if there’s an element of having to prove their worth for the nation’s media, be it television pundits or national journalists, footballing experts fall over themselves to describe Park as criminally underappreciated. The irony appears to be lost that the column inches he accumulates each season detailing his thankless tasks only serve to unravel the notion that he is underrated.

The complex is not confined however just to the footballing sphere; Rugby and Cricket have both fell foul of the dreaded syndrome. Conrad Smith, the New Zealand centre, if the rugby media is to be believed, has lived a life constantly overlooked when Joe Public reels off his list of outstanding All Blacks. Except, speak to any avid rugby follower and the comparisons between Smith and world cup winning Kiwi Joe Stanley are endless. Its true Smith may not court headlines the way a certain Sonny Bill Williams does, but he’s certainly not the unacknowledged shrinking violet that pundits would have you believe. Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid perhaps exemplifies the curse more than any other. Supposedly living in the shadow of the little master - Sachin Tendulkar – Dravid, it was proclaimed, never heralded the kind of attention he so rightly deserved. One look around the Oval in the final test this summer would confound those who believed he really was undervalued; a large banner hung, which simply read ‘England vs The Wall’.

One player springs to mind who broke through the complex, cured the condition so to speak. Claude Makelele spent an entire career receiving the ball in midfield for Real Madrid to the murmurings of Clive Tyldsley’s dulcet tones “Makelele the anti-galactico”. Here was a player, it was asserted; so heinously underrated by the ignorant footballing public that it appeared necessary to ram down our throats his worth to the galacticos at every given opportunity. Makelele moved to England and finally towards the twilight years of his career, he shed the underrated tag. It became passé to describe his abilities as unsung; indeed this was so much so that his position - otherwise known as a holding midfielder – became termed the Makelele role. The diminutive Frenchman took the Irwin complex and turned it on its head, creating a new piece of footballing jargon to offset the overuse of another.

So next time you hear a so-called ‘expert’ describe a sportsman as underrated, The Journal suggests you remember little Denis and ask just how valued they really are.