Big-hearted Shay Given has forgiven French soccer star Thierry Henry for robbing him of his World Cup dream.
The Lifford man said he doesn’t hold a grudge after Henry handled the ball and sent Ireland crashing out of the World Cup qualifiers two years ago.
Shay said “I don’t hold a grudge. It’s all water under the bridge now.
“I think some really harsh stuff has been written about him but I don’t follow that line of thought.”
The Aston Villa man lines up against Henry against Arsenal tomorrow but admits that players do handle the ball.
“He handballed it and sometimes players do that. His was quite a blatant one and he probably thought himself that the referee would pick it up. But I don’t blame him.
“In a sense, it wasn’t even Thierry Henry’s fault, it was the officials who never saw it,” he said.
Given said he was determined to make sure he enjoyed every minute of this summer’s European Championships in Poland and The Ukraine.
“It has been a long time coming but I am determined to enjoy every minute of it,” he said.
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