A Family Man..

Phil O’Donnell played with distinction for many years, but his greatest source of pride was his wife and children

PHIL O’DONNELL’S sudden and tragic death at the age of just 35 stunned everyone connected with football. It robbed the game of a superb professional who had been showing some of the best form of his career this season as he helped Motherwell climb to third in the Scottish Premier League.

More important than any of that, however, his death has robbed a wife of her husband and left four young children without their loving and devoted father.

His wife, Eileen, in a moving statement said: “Although Phil achieved so much in football, the most important thing for him was him his family. He would like to be remembered as a family man.”

It is the people who were closest to him who can best speak of his character and they will have their own memories to cherish of Phil, memories they will have to draw on for strength in the difficult times ahead.

Football fans, meanwhile, will remember seeing him play, with those who supported the clubs he was at, in particular Motherwell and Celtic, being able to recall with fondness the successes he was part of throughout his career.

Phil O’Donnell, who was born on March 25, 1972, in Bellshill, joined Motherwell as a 17-year-old and, just two years later, scored in a Scottish Cup final as he helped the Fir Park side win their first major trophy in 39 years with a 4-3 victory over Dundee United at Hampden.

Alongside him that day were Tom Boyd, who captained the side, and Davie Cooper, the former Rangers whose own life was to end just as tragically and suddenly.

That Motherwell team became, for a support starved of trophy success before or since, revered figures and O’Donnell who left the club in 1994 for Celtic, was assured of the warmest and most affectionate of welcomes when he returned to Fir Park in 2004.

Prior to joining the team he supported, O’Donnell was twice named SPFA Young Player of the Year – in 1992 and 1994 – while in 1994 he earned what would prove to be his only Scotland cap when he played against Switzerland.

His growing reputation, however, had provoked the interest of a number of clubs, and in signing for Celtic, he fulfilled a cherished ambition to pull on the green and white hoops.

Tommy Burns had identified the player as one who would be of great benefit to Celtic, and the club paid £1.75million for his services, which remains the biggest transfer fee Motherwell have ever received for a player.

Phil & Larsson

Again, the Scottish Cup proved to be a good tournament for O’Donnell as he helped Celtic end a six-year barren spell with a 1-0 victory over Airdrie at Hampden.

However, injuries were to prove a regular blight on his time at Celtic, curtailing what could and should have been a more illustrious period in his club career but also ensuring he never gained any further international honours.

In total, he played 114 times for Celtic, scoring 20 goals, which included a double against Partick Thistle on his Hoops debut on September 10, 1994.

His finest achievement for his beloved Celtic undoubtedly came in season 1997/98 when he was part of the squad that stopped the 10 and, as much as a supporter as a player, O’Donnell celebrated the title triumph after the 2-0 victory over St Johnstone on the final day of the season at Celtic Park.

While Celtic did not enjoy the same success the following season, the midfielder was in the side which beat Rangers 5-1 in November 1998, a game remembered for Lubo Moravcik’s two stunning derby debut strikes.

In 1999 O’Donnell left Celtic, along with team-mate and close friend Simon Donnelly for Sheffield Wednesday, though injuries were once again to prove a difficult opponent for him and he made just 25 appearances for the club over the next five years.

That was when then Motherwell manager Terry Butcher brought him back to the club where it had all began. Initially, it had just been an invitation to train but very quickly Butcher realised that O’Donnell still had much to offer football and Motherwell.

Last season he suffered another serious injury yet, as ever, his spirits remained high and he got himself fit for the new campaign after a summer of intensive training.

Now under the management of former Celt, Mark McGhee, Motherwell started the season in impressive style, blending youth and experience, most notably in the shape of their captain, Phil O’Donnell, and their current third place spot in the SPL is totally merited.

Sadly, what should have been a game to remember for all the right reasons on Saturday, December 29, 2007, when Motherwell produced a superb display of football orchestrated by O’Donnell to defeat Dundee United 5-3 at Fir Park, will instead be remembered as the day the world lost a good footballer and a true gentleman.

But the loss that football feels is only a fraction of that which is felt by those who knew Phil O’Donnell best.

Our memories will recall some special moments on the football field but our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Eileen, their four children, Meghan, Christopher, Olivia and Luc, his parents, brothers, sisters, family and many friends at this desperately sad time.