“My phone always buzzed with news, but I was so tired, I went in directly – I hadn't noticed that I had put the plate up!”
For Linfield, captain Jamie Mulgrew, was like everyone else on Tuesday evening. The 38-year-old midfielder spent the evening to coach the club's U18. Once at home, he watched football after which went to bed. For Mulgrew and Linfield, nevertheless, this was a record compression evening.
The television game was between Linfield's two closest rivals: Glentoran Drew against Larne and confirmed Linfield for the 57th time as a world record as a master. This success confirmed Mulgrew's medal of the eleventh League winner – and set a national record and joins an exclusive global club. It was a unprecedented performance under essentially the most common circumstances.
“In a way, it was an anti-climin,” admits Mulgrew. “You would always prefer to win it on the field.” The title was confirmed with six remaining match days.
Only 4 energetic skilled footballer Arijan Ademi by Dinamo Zagreb, Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich, James Forrest from Celtic and the previous TNS foreign defender Chris Marriott (all 12) has won more league titles than Mulgrews in a European association. However, there’s a vital difference: Linfield was significantly less dominant in Germany than any of those clubs. Larne joined two consecutive champions this season and since 2013 Crusaders had won three league titles and Cliftonville Two.
Mulgrew, who turns 39 in July, insists that these titled campaigns make his success more nice and highlight the five -year gap between the titles from 2012 to 2017.
“You never know if it will be her last, and that makes her sweeter,” he offers. “The hunger for more never disappears.”
Mulgrew celebrates the win of last season together with his children (published with the permission of Jamie Mulgrew)
Mulgrew began his profession at Glentoran, Linfield's primary Belfast rival.
He made two appearances of the primary team, including during their success within the 2004-05 league. Linfield turned to Mulgrew this summer, whereby the 19-year-old's contract was issued, and he decided to hitch the club that he had supported in his youth. This season of 2005/06 Linfield was a clean sweep from all 4 domestic trophies, but a recurring media knee injury limited Mulgrews season.
For the successive seasons, the midfielder was involved within the title, but missed the minimum threshold threshold to assert the medal of a winner.
Mulgrew, who has 26 trophies and counts in Linfield, believes that his ascent to the captain was born from recognition in a changing room of series winners. “This squad that I joined was full of guides and great personality,” he explains. “You had to adapt to these standards. At that time it was only 14 player matchday teams, so that they were constantly pressure to play hard and work hard.”
His longevity becomes more remarkable in view of his sort of play. Mulgrew is a combative midfielder who conveniently transports the ball, shuffle past the opponents and pulls free kicks as a consequence of his low center of gravity. Although no statistical measurement is on the market, it is usually considered essentially the most foul -made player within the Irish league.
Nevertheless, he has other properties which are more essential: to continuously instruct the teammates in positioning what is happening, while you push up the sector and when a game needs to be slowed down. He attributed his leadership to his early years within the club.
“I was characterized by this pressure to win and execute, to know how to train to put an example on and off the field in order to remain the right combination between self -confidence and modest … and this hunger,” he says. “Use criticism as a fuel. I try to convey that my teammates and young people I train.”
Mulgrew exchanges Pennants with Scott Brown from Celtic before a qualifying game by the Champions League in 2017 (Craig Williamson – SNS Groupns Group via Getty Images)
One of the best tasks of the midfielder is to integrate latest players right into a winning culture.
“The pressure at Linfield is unique – the extraction of trophies is everything,” says Mulgrew. “I got into the club so young that the environment I have ever known. But others take the time to adapt. It is our job to make it comfortable, but our responsibility for you is more than that – we have to win for you. If you join a winning team, this pressure is on.”
Mulgrew will almost actually not surpass the remarkable record of 1,013 Linfield appearances by his former team-mate Noel Bailie, but he takes the landmark of 800 games. So far there was interest from elsewhere. In 2011, one 12 months after his two international appearances for Northern Ireland, Mulgrew's Linfield contract expired and he aroused the interest of Colombus Crew and Portland Timbers within the Major League Soccer. The midfielder traveled to the USA for separate process periods, but decided against a step.
Linfield went full -time in 2021; An upgrade out of your previous half -professional status. This was not without risk, with a number of the long -term teammates of Mulgrew selected the premise of non-public circumstances to maneuver elsewhere elsewhere. For Mulgrew, the chance to grow to be full -time on the age of 34 was too good to reject.
His work outside of football was centered within the afternoon, with the brand new model spending its evenings together with his wife and three young children. “This decision has undoubtedly extended my career.”
Mulgrew fires a shot during a play-off from UEFA Conference League in 2022 (Liam McBurney/PA picture via Getty Images)
For Mulgrew and its teammates, the trophy lift shall be expanded this season.
In June 2024, the club's physiotherapist, Paul Butler, died suddenly on the age of 37. Six months later, Michael Newberry – the defender who spent three and a half seasons in Linfield before he got here to Cliftonville last summer – died on his twenty seventh birthday.
“What happened last year is difficult to see,” says Mulgrew, whose brother -in -law died in 2023. “We can forget how someone, irrespective of how famous or successful they’re, are only humans and all of us undergo the identical feelings.
“For us it is an important support network to be in a team environment and to train together every day. Everyone here helped each other. We have a really strong changing room, they can maintain the normality with the joke and support. We really enjoy spending time together.
“This squad also has an incredible character and resistance that is provided with our results this season, but in addition gets through every thing we’ve together.”
Mulgrew has already committed to Linfield for the subsequent season, which can bring him as much as his fortieth birthday. “I won’t exceed my welcome,” he says. “I’ll know when it's time to go aside.”
He believes that he has to listen to his body more and admit to playing muscular pain earlier in the campaign. This is an indication of his relentless desire to be involved, but nowadays he has to compromise.
Mulgrew begins his UEFA Pro coaching license next week and while the current Linfield manager David Healy said beforehand he keeps the seat warm and often advises his captain because he knows the club inside.
Mulgrew adds: “I would really like to have my twelfth title.”
image credit : www.nytimes.com