Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy (born 4 August 1989) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays as a full forward for Glenswilly and, formerly, for the Donegal county team, which he captained from December 2010 until his retirement from inter-county football in November 2022.

His predecessors as Donegal players, such as Manus Boyle, Brendan Devenney and Anthony Molloy, regard Murphy as the county's greatest ever footballer.

Outside his county he is often regarded as one of the sport's all-time best players.

With more than 500 points, Murphy is Donegal's all-time record scorer and he is also the county's top goalscorer, with a points-per-game average that is higher even than Martin McHugh.

Born and raised in north-west Ireland, Murphy's hip was out of place from birth and required surgery at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.

Michael Murphy was born on 4 August 1989 in Letterkenny, the only child of Mick Murphy, a member of the Garda Síochána, and his wife Mary, who worked for the local health service.

On his father's side, he has primarily County Mayo ancestry.

Born with his hip out of place Murphy underwent surgery at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin after Donegal's defeat to Meath in the 1990 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final.

Brought back to the capital city for regular check-ups, one day Murphy asked his father if he could go into Croke Park.

A security guard permitted them to enter and the legendary Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh approached them.

Ó Muircheartaigh shook the hand of the young Murphy and asked him did he "know the big man — Anthony Molloy?"

Murphy said, "I do. He's the captain of Donegal."

Murphy, the future captain of Donegal, then walked onto the pitch at Croke Park for the first time, with Ó Muircheartaigh alongside him.

Murphy, Molloy and Maguire later appeared in a photograph together when Murphy was a boy.

It was not the only photo of the boy Murphy with Molloy.

Murphy travelled throughout the country with his parents to attend Donegal games when he was a child.

Murphy attended the 1998 Ulster SFC Final, later recalling: "I remember exactly where I was sitting in the Gerry Arthurs Stand, watching out and seeing Geoffrey McGonagle's infamous on Noel McGinley and all the dreams went".

Murphy's childhood hero was Brendan Devenney, whom he later had the opportunity to play alongside during Murphy's early, and Devenney's later, days in a Donegal jersey.

Murphy played for his secondary school St Eunan's College.

After a fast progression through Glenswilly's youth academy, Murphy made his full competitive debut in 2005, having just turned 16, and helped his club reach the Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship final that year.

Murphy was called up to the Glenswilly senior football team in 2005 when he was just turned 16, and helped them reach the Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship Final.

Murphy made his competitive debut for his county aged 17 in July 2007 and won the All Stars Young Footballer of the Year in 2009.

At 21 years old, Murphy received the Donegal captaincy from newly appointed manager Jim McGuinness, who had worked with Murphy the previous season at under-21 level.

In doing so he became one of the youngest captains in the team's history.

Four successful seasons followed, with Murphy winning two All Stars, three Ulster Senior Football Championship titles (including two consecutively) and the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title, only the second player in the county's history to raise the Sam Maguire Cup as team captain.

Though targeted by Australian rules football clubs since 2007, Murphy declined all offers to move abroad, preferring instead to pursue further honours in Gaelic football.

In 2007, Murphy was a member of the College team that won its fourth McLarnon Cup, and went on to the All-Ireland Colleges Senior Football Championship "B" Final, where they were beaten by a score of 2–12 to 0–14 after extra time by perennial football power St Mary's of Edenderry, Offaly.

In 2008, Murphy was involved as his team opted to participate at "A" level, a successful promotion as they advanced as far as the semi-final of the MacRory Cup.

This brought Donegal's total provincial championships to ten, with the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th of these all coming under Murphy's captaincy.

He was a member of the team that won his club's first Donegal Senior Football Championship title in 2011, and followed this up with two others in 2013 and 2016.

He received the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final man of the match award and his catch from a Karl Lacey pass, turn leaving his marker Kevin Keane clutching at air and rocket strike past David Clarke into the roof of the Mayo net in the opening minutes of that game to set the score at 1–0 to 0–0 earned him the Championship Matters Goal of the Championship.

A team decline under the management of McGuinness's deputy and successor Rory Gallagher was followed by two further Ulster SFC titles under Declan Bonner, all of which Murphy had achieved by the age of 30.

With the DCU football team Murphy won the 2012 Sigerson Cup, defeating NUI Maynooth in the final.

Glenswilly also reached the final of the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship in 2013.

A Donegal man, Murphy is his county's all-time leading scorer.

At youth level he won an Ulster Minor Football Championship title, an Ulster Under-21 Football Championship title and contested an All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship final.

He has, however, played for the Ireland international rules football team and captained the 2013 and 2014 teams.

Murphy graduated from Dublin City University (DCU) in 2013 with a degree in physical education with biology, While studying there, he shared living space with Paul Flynn and Aidan Walsh, fellow All-Ireland winners with Dublin and Cork, respectively.

He was hailed after his performance in the 2013 quarter-final knocked UCD out of the competition.

Murphy is also a graduate of the Phoenix Elite Academy.