Ronnie O'Brien
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronnie O'Brien | ||
| Date of birth | 5 January 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1999 | Middlesbrough | 0 | (0) |
| 1999–2002 | Juventus | 0 | (0) |
| 1999 | → AC Lugano (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | → Crotone (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | → Lecco (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2002 | → Dundee United (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2002–2006 | FC Dallas | 108 | (12) |
| 2007 | Toronto FC | 13 | (0) |
| 2008 | San Jose Earthquakes | 28 | (4) |
| Total | 175 | (16) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 August 2010. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 April 2006 |
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Ronnie O'Brien (born 5 January 1979 in Bray, Ireland) is a retired Irish footballer. Although he was released by his first club, Middlesbrough, early in his career, he was subsequently signed by Juventus in 1999. During three years with the Italian club, he played only occasionally for the first team and was loaned out to Lugano in Switzerland, lower division Italian clubs Crotone and Lecco, and Dundee United in Scotland. After leaving Juventus in 2002, O'Brien spent the rest of his career playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) for FC Dallas, Toronto FC and San Jose Earthquakes before retiring in 2008. He was named in the MLS Best XI in both 2004 and 2005, and was selected for the MLS All-Star Game for four years running. O'Brien represented the Republic of Ireland under-16 team and was part of the squad that won the 1998 European Championship.
O'Brien's footballing career began very promisingly, when at the age of 18 he signed a contract with Middlesbrough of the FA Premier League. Although he played little at Middlesbrough, he had great success with Irish national team youth sides, winning the European U-16 championship alongside players like Damien Duff and Robbie Keane. After two years with Middlesbrough, O'Brien was released on a free transfer. Incredibly, Italian giants Juventus offered 20-year-old O'Brien a five-year contract; however, he had trouble getting playing time on such a talented side and was loaned out to Lugano of Switzerland, Dundee United of Scotland, and lower league Italian side Lecco. After several years of disappointment and three Inter-Toto Cup appearances, O'Brien was released from his contract with Juventus in 2002.
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