One of Northern Ireland’s greatest-ever servants has called time on his career and leaves a void that will take a long, long time to fill.
At the age of 39 and after a glittering career both at club and international level, midfielder Steven Davis has called time on his playing career.
The Cullybackey icon’s 140 caps make him the United Kingdom’s most-capped men’s player of all time, scoring 13 goals in that span while starring for Aston Villa, Fulham, Rangers and Southampton.
Having debuted for Northern Ireland in February 2005, his commitment to the cause and indelible contribution to some of the most iconic moments in the nation’s recent sporting history will stand the test of time.
Full-blooded from minute one of that 1-0 defeat to Canada at Windsor Park to minute 90 of a 3-1 Nations League loss to Greece in September 2022 – he still marked what would be his final cap with an assist in Athens – ‘Davo’ left the Green and White Army with more happy memories than could possibly be counted.
It was in May 2006 that he first donned the captain’s armband, leading the team out for a clash with Uruguay as a mere 21-year-old. He would skipper the side on no fewer than 82 occasions, already having marked the previous year with his first goal against Wales, but there were two results in particular that stood tall during Davis’ early days.
Against a star-studded England on September 7, 2005, Northern Ireland took their neighbours across the water down for the first time in 43 years.
A Three Lions selection steered by Sven-Goran Eriksson and which comprised talent putting the ‘Premier’ in Premier League with Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen – plus Real Madrid’s David Beckham – in the starting line-up were undone by a lofted Davis set-up and a David Healy finish. 73 minutes deep, a pass of pure class teed up the striker to rifle home the winner.
What appeared a mountainous task was made to look so purely simple courtesy of a marksman from Killyleagh and a wand of a right boot from one Co Antrim technician.
A year to the day later, Healy – Northern Ireland’s would-be all-time men’s record goalscorer – stole the limelight against Spain. It was his hat-trick that sent the Windsor faithful into pandemonium, but still Davis was Lawrie Sanchez’s ace in the pack in midfield.
Another full 90 in a big day out and another show of faith in a player who, for his tender years, more than merited it.
You’re sensing a theme here, aren’t you?
Davis was there for the good and the bad. Heady days under Sanchez were followed by the lower ebbs of Nigel Worthington’s reign before Michael O’Neill, in time, would again inspire the Green and White Army to dare to dream.
Entering his 30s, the maestro was ageing like a fine wine. By now with Southampton, whom he linked up with upon their promotion to the Premier League in 2012 following four and a half trophy-laden years with Rangers, the night of October 8, 2015 was another to live long in the archives of Northern Ireland football history.
That was the day qualification to the Euro 2016 Finals in France was secured. A generation without an international tournament – not since the 1986 World Cup – finally ended… and wouldn’t you know, Davis scored twice in a rapturous 3-1 win against Greece to rubber-stamp it.
Captain Fantastic. His goals either side of half-time in south Belfast meant daring to dream became daring to do.
In the competition proper, Northern Ireland qualified for the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams and were inspired to the knock-outs by a 2-0 victory over Ukraine at Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
Gareth McAuley and Niall McGinn may have fired in the goals that got them there, but the ‘Kings of Lyon’ extended to every man.
Davis may well be the most royal of the lot.
Those days of enthusiasm and belief in a dogged overachiever spurred on by a raucous crowd, singing so loud that the opposition were sometimes compelled to join in.
It was no fluke, either. What followed in late 2017 was the heartbreak of failing to qualify for the World Cup in Russia, a controversial penalty decision against Corry Evans in the play-off tie against Switzerland leading to the only goal of the tie that ensured NI would be staying at home the next summer.
So close, yet so far and, even following O’Neill’s departure in 2020 and a few mediocre years under Ian Baraclough, ‘You are my Davis…’ was a chant that rang every time.
It was at the tail end of O’Neill’s first reign that Davo broke Beckham’s 116-cap record for the most-capped UK outfielder. The early portion of Leicestershire boss Baraclough’s tenure saw him exceed Pat Jennings’ Northern Ireland record (119), and although injury denied him the chance to play under O’Neill again when he was reappointed in December 2022, 140 was his final total and will be a hard tally for any UK player to beat in future.
The enforced absence hampered Davis, who returned to Rangers in 2019 and was an invincible Scottish Premiership champion in 2021.
The following year, he was drafted in from the bench during the Europa League Final in Seville as the Gers lost agonisingly on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt, and as recently as 2023, Davis even stepped in as interim boss in the interluding period between Michael Beale’s sacking and Philippe Clement’s hire as he nursed injury.
Whether coaching is now his long-term future remains to be seen, but what is certain is Davis will be missed as a player.
And it’s somewhat poignant that his injury ultimately denied him the send-off he deserved.
He will be missed for his leadership, for his authority, for his ability to take moments by the scruff of the neck, for simply putting so many smiles on so many faces.
Quite where he ranks among the NI men’s national team’s all-time greats is your personal view, but he is right in the thick of the conversation. Healy, Jennings and Danny Blanchflower each also stake a claim.
But Davis retires a legend. An icon. A king. Modest, unassuming, but what he gave stands to the man he is.
Featured image from Reuters.
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