Among the pigeons and Instagrammers of the bustling Piazza del Duomo, Cathal Heffernan has just been accosted by his first selfie seeker since moving to Milan.
A young tourist from Limerick named Dylan is delighted with his picture and wishes Cathal good luck before walking away.
“It’s the first time this has happened here,” Corkonian, 17, says bewildered.
It is unlikely to be the last. Heffernan is one of the most promising young prospects in Irish football. After captaining Ireland at under-17 level, he signed last year with one of the most iconic names in world football, AC Milan.
He has since captained the club’s Primavera (Under-19) side and trained with the first team – alongside superstars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud.
“It’s brilliant,” he told Sky News. “I’ve been here for a year and I’ve learned so much from day one.
“The city, the people, the club have been so good to me. I love it.”
And all because of Brexit. Or, at least, in large part.
Cathal was the subject of strong interest from British clubs including Manchester United, Leicester City and Celtic, but it all fell apart once the new post-Brexit rules were brought in.
How Brexit changed the game
FIFA’s Article 19 rule had established a general ban on international transfers of minors, but granted an exemption for players over the age of 16 moving within the EU.
But when the UK left the bloc, British clubs suddenly found themselves unable to sign top overseas teenage players before they turned 18.
So the historic and traditional route of the best underage Irish players to England (think Robbie Keane at Wolves, Damien Duff at Blackburn Rovers, and most recently Caoimhin Kelleher at Liverpool) has been cut short – perhaps for good.
“If Brexit hadn’t happened, I could be in England now,” says Cathal. “I’m not saying for sure that I would be in England, but I would probably be there a long way.
“Because of Brexit, I had to look for another route. I had done some testing in Italy here – and then luckily I landed this one in Milan, so it completely changed my life.
“So I’m pretty happy that [Brexit] somehow happened.
“My time in Milan was amazing, and I’m so lucky to have had this opportunity to come here.”
Heffernan signed for Milan last year
“Grazie went Brexit”
Cathal is not alone. Increasingly, top-rated Irish teenagers are signed by continental European clubs, while their English competitors have to wait another two years.
James Abankwah was signed by fellow Serie A club Udinese from St Patrick’s Athletic just before his 18th birthday, while fellow St Pat player Glory Nzingo joined French side Stade de Reims in 2021 at the age of 17.
When Cathal’s friend and rival Kevin Zefi signed for Inter Milan from Shamrock Rovers at the age of 16, famed Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport were no doubt who deserves the credit. . The talent had arrived, read the headline, “grazie alla Brexit” – thanks to Brexit.
“Clubs in Europe are realizing there is a market in Ireland,” says Ger O’Brien, manager of Nzingo’s academy and Abankwah’s former side St Patrick’s Athletic.
Dublin’s most famous son, Paul McGrath, rose to legendary status at English clubs such as Man United and Aston Villa, but O’Brien can now see his best players making a name for themselves in Europe.
“Those clubs that would have accepted that it was okay for Irish boys to go to the UK – same language, same culture, same food – now see a huge gap in the market.”
La Gazetta dello Sport thanks Brexit for signing young Irish player Kevin Zefi to Inter Milan
“It’s a new window”
One player who O’Brien says would undoubtedly be in England were it not for Brexit is Adam Murphy. He became St Pat’s youngest first-team player in the modern era when he made his debut on his 17th birthday last year.
The new rules may have cut off his route to England until he turns 18, but Adam isn’t bitter. As the 2023 League of Ireland season kicked off this weekend, gaining valuable first-team experience at home and completing high school in Ireland are positives to bank on.
“It’s a new window that has opened since Brexit was put in place,” Murphy said.
“It’s great that European clubs are now coming and watching young Irish players.”
But he concedes the appeal of English football is still strong.
“I guess as a young boy the dream is to cross water and play in the UK. But now you’re being shown that European option is there, whereas a few years ago, that would have been really unusual.”
Adam Murphy, St Pat’s Athletic FC player
English clubs ‘will pay the price’
In Milan, Cathal Heffernan believes that post-Brexit rules put English clubs at a distinct disadvantage.
“They’re going to have to find a way in the future to try to counter it,” he says.
“If they don’t, they will end up paying the price.
“European clubs will start to take over. They will sign the best players from all over Europe.”
The Football Association declined to comment on the impact of the rule change on the English game.
The Professional Footballers’ Association was reluctant to comment on the transfer market, as it prides itself on being a body representing all footballers in English football, regardless of nationality.
However, a spokesperson acknowledged that “any change in the regulations for those coming to the UK has, of course, a potential impact on players coming to England from abroad, both at professional and academy level. club”.
It is understood that several Premier League clubs, including some from the ‘Big Six’, are unhappy with the situation and are pushing for a relaxation of the rules.
Heffernan in training, where he rubbed shoulders with some big stars
For young Irish players like Cathal Heffernan, with the new opportunities brought about by Brexit come new challenges.
“You want to come to Europe, but actually do it and live life here for a few months…you get depressed sometimes, because you’re away from home, you’re not just across the country. ‘water,’ he said.
“You are in a different country, you don’t speak the language at first, but that gives you more motivation.
“When I moved here I learned the language as fast as I could, it helps so much.”
One aspect of Milanese life that’s altogether more enjoyable is the food, which Cathal describes as “incredible.”
And, as he gazes through the Prada window in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade, the defender admits he is meddling in the fashion scene too. Is he putting together a wardrobe he can proudly show off at his home in Cork?
“Oh my God, no, I can’t,” he said. “I bought some purple Palm Angel pants a few days ago, and my mom hurt me a little bit.
“She says, ‘look, you’d do fine in Milan, but coming back to Cork, I’d say you better leave the purple pants!’ Some of the things you have to leave in Milan, but of course you have to accept them, right?
It’s la dolce vita – grazie alla Brexit.
