How legend Linden is showing he’s still a huge star aged 55
Almost 27 years ago to the day, Down footballer Mickey Linden took a hand-pass from James McCartan, made as if to go past Meath’s David Beggy on the outside before shimmying inside and floating a kick over the bar to put Down 0-11 to 0-5 up in the 1991 All-Ireland final.
Last weekend, he was introduced as a late sub for Mayobridge thirds team in a league final against Burren. He took possession of the ball, and sold his marker that he was going to go down the line before checking back, dummying his way past retreating Burren forward Kevin Ryan and slotting the ball over the bar from distance.
A warm roar greeted the point. Burren people joined in the applause. Even Kevin Ryan made a generous comment; “You had to score Mickey, didn’t you?” as he trotted back into position for the kick-out.
At 55, it’s unlikely we have ever seen a player like it, with the desire to play for as long as he has at a high level.
His manager last weekend was Thomas O’Hare Jnr. To give a flavour of how long Linden has been playing, O’Hare’s father, Thomas senior, was his manager 38 years ago when he won a Minor Championship for Mayobridge when the seniors were utter minnows, stranded in Division Four.
Such is Linden’s reverence among Down football circles, that O’Hare reveals: “He came on in the quarter-final against Teconnaught and he scored a point that day.
“As soon as the game was over, the Teconnaught boys came over and asked Mickey would he stand in for a photograph with them. It was the first time I have ever seen that happening!”
If you want to know the secret sauce of how a 55-year-old can still compete against men in their prime, it is a mixture of light training, sensible diet and the good fortune to have avoided serious injury.
The 1994 Footballer of the Year states, “I just do my own thing. I run a bit of a boot camp this past number of years. And that sort of keeps me in shape.
“I do it from a quarter past six on a Tuesday and Thursday morning from September through to June. We do circuits for 45 minutes, or Boxercise or something like that, that keeps me in shape and I go running occasionally.”
Coming into the summer, the boot camps end but he is out on the pitch managing the club minor team, joining in with the practice games.
His sister is a yoga instructor. If it’s good enough for the all-con- quering Dublin team, it’s good enough for Mickey.
“I would be reasonably sensible. I would occasionally take the odd pint but only when I was at an event or something like that. A glass of wine in the house. Apart from that, I wouldn’t be drinking too much,” says the driving instructor.
“I have been very, very lucky. I have never had knee injuries, ankle injuries, nothing like that.
“Obviously, soft tissue injuries like hamstrings and groins, but never had any major injuries throughout my career and I suppose in that way, I have been very lucky I have been able to keep training this long. A lot of it is down to luck.”
That good luck has allowed him to pursue a sideline in athletics.
Five years ago, with the help of his former Down team-mate Mickey Walsh who is a renowned strength and conditioning expert, he trained for the 50-55 age group of Masters Athletics. At the national indoors, he ran 60m in 7.86 seconds. He ranked 14th in the world — not bad for someone who merely took up athletics a couple of years before that.
“I haven’t competed this last couple of years. I am actually thinking now of going back, now that I am 55, I am the youngest in the age group, in the way the Masters works,” he reveals.
“When I turned 50 I broke the Irish record. I haven’t looked to see what the 55 one is, but I might go back and try that.”
Thankfully, his score last Saturday was captured on film. It provoked some reaction, especially on social media. Sambo McNaughton tweeted, ‘I’m 54 today and Mickey Linden just ruined my birthday. Absolute class’. Johnny McGurk, the tight marking Derry defender of the ’90s, wrote; ‘Most difficult player I ever marked? Mickey Linden! And he is still proving it at 55! What a legend, truly brilliant for a man of his age.’
The modest Linden gets embarrassed by the fuss.
“Sometimes I wonder is there not a lot on at this time of the year!
“I was just amazed at the reaction I got from people. All I did was come on in the last 10 minutes and score a point. The game was practically over at that stage. The other lads had played very well on the day and were well in front.”
Ask him why he still plays, why he played county football until he was 40 — only Christy Ring of Cork has had a longer county career — and he speaks of his deep love of the game.
“I just love playing football. I love playing the game. Nothing beats the feel of the ball,” he says.
“Even when I am training the minors, just to get out and play a wee game with them, nothing ever beats that. Taking teams is enjoyable, but it will never beat the fact you are able to play.
“If you are still able to do it, to play at a smaller scale, like there’s not the same intensity at reserve level, it is just a wee bit of craic.
“But at the same time, they are a bunch of fellas who are committed to winning. It has been great craic over the last four or five years.”
When success came in his career, it came late enough for him to truly appreciate, but also spurred him on to continue.
He was 28 before he got his hands on an Ulster medal with Down (left) and 31 when he won Footballer of the Year. A first Championship with Mayobridge didn’t arrive until he was 36.
At his home, he has a cabinet stuffed full of medals, including his eventual haul of seven Down Championships.
It’s likely however, that we will never see another player put together a forty-year career like it again.
“I can’t see me playing much after this, this is probably it for me,” he finishes up.
But you wouldn’t bet on it.