Lifestyle & Sports
20 Jan 26

James McClean returns to Derry City

Jame McClean Credit: Derry City

The football player will return to the Ryan McBride Brandywell stadium almost 15 years after he left to join Sunderland.

James McClean has left EFL Championship club Wrexham to return "home" to Derry City on a multi-year deal.

"It is no secret what this club means to me. It was always the plan to come home," said McClean.

"It's a bit surreal that it's here and it's happened, but I can't wait to get started. Wrexham and how they have dealt with this, absolute touch of class, they made it as easy as possible to come home. I spoke to the manager (...) and told him, the place I want to go is home.

"This is the last club of my career, this is where I am ending my career. If I was to win a league title here and go out in that way, I couldn't write the script any better."

McClean joined Derry City in 2008 from the Institute and remained there for three years, making 79 appearances.

The winger then left in 2011 for a fee of £350,000 to Sunderland, making his debut later that season under Martin O'Neill.

The 36-year-old went on to represent Wigan twice, West Brom and Stoke City before moving to Wrexham in August 2023.

McClean made over 100 appearances after joining Wrexham, helping the Welsh club win back-to-back promotions from League Two and League One.

He kicked off his international career in 2012, earning 103 caps.

In 2014, he scored his first international goal in a friendly against Portugal, and in 2023, after a game with New Zealand, he announced his retirement from the Irish National team.

The same year the Derryman began his international career, he was involved in a controversy, as he refused to wear a poppy during a match against Everton.

The game was part of the Premier League's Remembrance Sunday commemoration.

"I got a lot of flak from everybody, but I'll say it again; it doesn't bother me," said McClean in an interview with Hot Press. "Every year I'm not going to wear it."

In October of last year, in an interview with Virgin Media, the player explained the reasoning behind his refusal.

"Six or seven people from the Creggan estate died on Bloody Sunday that day," said McClean.

"So for me to wear a poppy in support of the people who carried out those atrocities... it frustrates me how people don't, can't see that... how there is even a debate of why I should wear a poppy."

In 2014, he was interviewed by Hot Press, appearing on the cover of issue 40-10. Nine years later, when the player retired from international football, the interview was revisited and republished.

You can read the full interview here.