The international Irish League: Stars from around the world reflect on how they ended up playing in Northern Ireland

Making up around 3% of the United Kingdom’s population and about 10 times smaller than the state of New York, Northern Ireland isn’t exactly a powerhouse of world football, so just how have so many players from around the world ended up playing here?

We spoke to three different stars that enjoyed spells in the Irish League to find out how they first heard about it, what their first impressions were and their memories from time spent in the country.

Hrvoje Plum

It was former Croatian international goalkeeper Tomislav Butina – a friend of then-Glentoran manager Mick McDermott – that first floated the idea of potentially playing in Northern Ireland to Hrvoje Plum.

A talented midfielder that had spent time on the books of Dinamo Zagreb, Plum had of course heard of the country, but that’s about as far as his knowledge extended.

Plum decided to take Butina up on his offer and leapt into the unknown, signing for the Glens in July 2019 alongside countryman Marijan Antolovic mere hours after Ali Pour’s successful takeover of the East Belfast outfit was confirmed.

There’s perhaps no better way to win over the Glens faithful than scoring twice in your first Boxing Day fixture against bitter rivals Linfield – Plum’s brace setting up a 3-0 victory at The Oval – and it was clear the affection all associated with the club had for him when his departure was announced in 2023, ultimately making 124 appearances across competitions.

"I didn’t know about football there – I knew about the country but nothing about the football,” he reflects. “When I came I was impressed that the boys were playing football and also working other jobs.

"I’ll always remember scoring those two goals against Linfield, the fans made it so special. It was really different but so good to experience football and life outside of my country. I liked everything and I got used to everything there – apart from the weather!”

Plum returned to his homeland after leaving Northern Ireland, currently playing for HNK Mitnica Vukovar, a club based about three hours from Zagreb, but time spent in the Irish League will always hold a special place in his heart, for both personal and professional reasons.

“My first child, my son, was born in Belfast and the Glentoran community made everything easier there,” he added. “Everybody was so helpful and fans were pushing me to go for more. I really love them.

"I would really recommend to anyone who is interested to go to the Irish League because they will only enjoy it. Except for some injuries, I have no bad memories. I still have so many good friends there who I’m in contact with and I still track every game.”

Benjamin Moller Nielsen

Danish midfielder Benjamin Moller Nielsen knew all about the League of Ireland from hours spent playing FIFA – he could rhyme off clubs like Shamrock Rovers with ease – but when it came to the Irish League, just like Plum, his knowledge was virtually non-existent.

That didn’t stop him jumping at the chance to trial at Linfield in 2018 when his father Tommy, who was a first-team coach at Rangers before working as a senior scout for Manchester United, heard about David Healy’s search for a player in Benjamin’s position.

He hopped on a plane and after a successful week ended by impressing in a pre-season friendly, Moller Nielsen signed a one-year contract with the Blues, ultimately making three senior appearances alongside winning the reserve league with Linfield Swifts.

"It was an easy decision with the club’s history and who the manager was,” reflected Moller Nielsen. “I didn't know a thing before I came about football in Northern Ireland.

"My game time was limited because they kept winning the season I was there so it was tough to get into the team. I played most of my games for Linfield Swifts and we won our league too, so I played a lot of games there and enjoyed my time.

"I loved working with David. I had a good relationship with him even though I didn't play that much and I enjoyed training under him. I'd a lot of respect for him with his career and he taught me a lot."

It didn’t take Moller Nielsen long to work out just how fierce the rivalry was between his new club and Glentoran with the 22-year-old sharing a house alongside Matthew Clarke a stone’s throw from The Oval.

"My girlfriend came over too and stayed for four months,” he added. “She got an internship with Danske Bank and we enjoyed it.

"We lived very close to Glentoran's stadium so I was flicked off a few times when people saw me in my Linfield tracksuit!”

After one season at Windsor Park, Moller Nielsen dropped down to the Championship, joining Newry City, and it was under Darren Mullen’s watchful eye that the midfield maestro enjoyed one of his favourite spells in football.

"Football wise, it was a better experience for me because I got to play more games and I was playing well,” he said. “I had a very good relationship with Darren Mullen and that was the probably one of the times I enjoyed playing football the most under him.

"He gave me a lot of confidence and although it was a step down from Linfield in terms of league, I loved it. Newry was a calm city to live in and I'd a little apartment up a hill next to a B&B and I loved my time there."

Kris Bright

Kris Bright had already led somewhat of a nomadic career before signing for Linfield, arriving in Belfast from South African outfit Bidvest Wits and prior to that was on the books of clubs in his native New Zealand, the Netherlands, Greece, England, Hungary, Malta, Norway, Finland and India.

At the same time as agent Lee Mudd was speaking to Bright about the Blues’ opening for a striker, the news of them playing a pre-season fixture against Scottish giants Rangers flashed across his screen on Sky Sports and the New Zealand international felt this was the right fit.

"My wife and I really wanted to return to the UK and I liked the look of the stadium, wanted to work with David Healy and really wanted to win the league, which was the first thing I heard when I spoke with David,” said Bright, who now works for Auckland City. "As soon as I turned up they took me to the stadium, showed me the history of the club and it was really impressive.”

However, sometimes in football transfers don’t work out and Bright’s one season in the Premiership was badly hampered by injuries, ultimately ending the campaign with only six league appearances and no goals to his name.

"The sad thing is that it just didn't work out the way I or anyone thought, which happens in football,” he added. “I could see the stature of the club was big, my first match against Rangers was in front of a big crowd and it was set up for a striker to come in to do well and score goals.

"Ultimately it just didn't work out for me. That's not on anybody else other than me. I had a couple of injuries. I put so much in to trying to be fit for every game but I didn't perform to the level.

"To this day I still feel bad that David put trust in me, signed me and I couldn't give back what I wanted to. I only played a handful of games when he was probably hoping I'd come in to help win games.

"We won a lot that year but I wish I'd been fit enough for longer periods to help more and learn from him.”