David O'Leary

David O'Leary is my kind of footballer: a defender whose greatness is measured in patience rather than highlights. His 722 appearances for Arsenal still stand as a club record, and that number tells you everything about trust earned over two decades. He was steady at the back when Ireland reached the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals, the sort of calm presence a team leans on without realizing it. I admire how he later moved into management, finding a second life in the game from the touchline. In an era that worships goalscorers, I have a soft spot for the men who quietly hold the line behind them.

David Anthony O'Leary (born 2 May 1958) is a football manager and former player. The majority of his 20-year playing career was spent as a central defender at Arsenal, where his tally of 722 appearances stands as a club record. He played 68 times for the Republic of Ireland from 1976 to 1993, and was part of the squad that reached the quarter-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Name (English)

David O'Leary

Name (Japanese)

デヴィッド・オレアリー

Reading

でゔぃっど・おれありー

Born

May 2, 1958 (age 68)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Taurus / Dog

Origin

London Borough of Hackney, United Kingdom

Blood type

Private

Height

2 cm

Agency

Private

Occupation

association football player / association football coach

Elementary school

Private

Junior high

Private

High school

Private

University

St Kevin's College

Spouse

Private

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%87%E3%83%B4%E3%82%A3%E3%83%83%E3%83%89%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AA%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC

Tags

• association football player
• association football coach

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.