And that’s what he did”.“Hagi took their first. He began his career in the late 1970s with his local youth side, Bonner went on to play 642 times for Celtic, with 483 league appearances.With 642 appearances, Bonner is the most prolific goalkeeper in Celtic's history and their fifth-most prolific player of all time.Bonner played in seven of Ireland's eight games in the qualifying round of Bonner played in all of Ireland's games at Euro 88, including the 1–0 victory over It was the first time the Republic of Ireland had qualified for the World Cup, and Bonner would make his mark on the world stage with two memorable moments that live long in Irish sporting folklore.Bonner's penalty save has been remembered by FIFA as one of the great moments of that World Cup. Penalty shoot-out again. Thousands upon thousands of people turned up to see us arrive home, but all I wanted to do was get back to the family”.“Those memories will live on forever. Why would I want to remember that?”“The eight games without a win? We love to relive it. Dave was up for it. He stood at an acute angle to the ball, away to the left. If you missed one, you’d owe him a fiver. He stood exactly where I wanted him to stand. That day kinda summed up our season. What I know is that we lost some important players that season and we couldn’t replace them”.“I remember the cup final against Aberdeen.
My big moment – gone!’“Throughout the World Cup, Dave and Niall Quinn had this bet going. I couldn’t read anything. The way it all worked out was a bit pitiful”.“I shouldn’t say it, but knowing that the World Cup was coming up would have eased my pain about the way Celtic had played that season. I just had a sense. In an article entitled "Bonner's Moment in Time", Bonner states, "It really wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that that one save changed my life forever, certainly in terms of recognition." Packie Bonner’s memorable save from Daniel Timofte in the penalty shoot-out and David O’Leary’s winning penalty sent Ireland into the World Cup quarter-final at Italia 90. “We finished fifth. After every training session, Niall would take my gloves and go into goal and if you scored three penalties out of three he’d owe you a fiver. Football can be that important, I genuinely believe that”.“My daughter had been born in April, so she was only about four weeks old when I left for Italy. There were rollovers, doubles, or quits, all sorts. Packie Bonner’s penalty save at Italia ‘90 was voted as our favourite Irish moment in a survey on Ireland’s Irishness. Packie Bonner made the penalty save against Romania that put Republic of Ireland through to the quarter-finals at Italia 90, but then suffered a blunder in the next round Stepped up the Irish goalkeeper Packie Bonner, who stopped Romania’s Daniel Timofte from scoring and it proved to be decisive. ‘What are you eejits doing? Playing in the Round of 16 of a World Cup was like a dream for them and n the match against Gheorghe Hagi’s Romania, things were not that easier.After 120 minutes of goalless display, the match went to extra-time, where a lot depends on the goalkeepers. The style of RB Leipzig is like Italy's Atalanta. I was desperate to see her. The save by towering Donegal goalie Packie Bonner, followed by the sweetest of spot kicks from David O’Leary was a triumphant double that conferred legendary status on the two. Over 27 years later, it was recently voted Ireland’s Greatest Sporting Moment. The Republic of Ireland featured in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history. We lost 9-8 on penalties. Fifty yards and all the Irish fans facing him behind my goal. Ireland were through to the quarterfinals.
I went the right way. It doesn’t feel like 30 years, probably because it all comes up again quite often.