Stephen Kenny had a short career playing local football in Dublin before he made the decision to concentrate on coaching.

In his first managerial role, he helped St Patrick’s Athletic win the under 21 league before moving to Longford Town and then to Bohemians where he won the Premier Division title in 2002/03.

He had two successful stints overseeing Derry City where he won the first division, FAI Cup and four league cups either side of managing Dunfermline Athletic.

A switch to Shamrock Rovers soon followed but it didn’t work out as he parted company with the club before his first season concluded.

But he wasn’t out of work for long as the Dubliner headed to Dundalk where he would guide the club to four Premier Division titles, two FAI Cups and three league cups in his last five seasons helping him become one of the most successful Irish managers of all time.

He also led the Lilywhites on a historic run in 2016 to the UEFA Europa League group stages and was named PFAI Manager of the Year on four occasions.

Overall, Kenny lifted 18 senior titles in Irish football before getting the chance to manage the Republic of Ireland under 21s on his way to becoming the senior boss in 2020.

He has also extended his contract recently to remain at the helm until 2024 when he will be hoping to lead his country to the Euros in Germany.