Sean Connery Offered Support to Jack Charlton Ahead of Ireland‘s 1994 World Cup Match Against Italy
New York – Days before the Republic of Ireland’s historic World Cup clash with Italy in 1994, Jack Charlton received a memorable phone call from screen icon Sean Connery, offering encouragement and playfully suggesting a star-studded entrance for the match. The anecdote, recounted by Charlton and confirmed by his long-time friend Frank gillespie, reveals a lighthearted moment of support during a pivotal time for Irish football.
Charlton, then manager of the Irish national team, was preparing to lead his squad against a formidable Italian side in Giants Stadium, New Jersey. According to Charlton,he shared with a reporter,”When I walk into that stadium with a Kennedy on one arm and James Bond on the other,nothing or nobody is going to stop me. I liked that.”
The call came after Charlton had already spoken with Senator Ted Kennedy,who wished the team luck. Gillespie recalled Charlton excitedly telling him,”Frank,you missed it,I just had a call from 007 – Sean Connery. I wonder if I walk out in Giants stadium with Ted Kennedy on my left and 007 on my right would I frighten the shite out of them Italians!”
Connery, a native of Scotland, had a brief stint as a footballer himself, trialing with East Fife and receiving an invitation to sign with Manchester United from Matt Busby after a practise game involving actors. He later achieved global fame as an actor, winning an Oscar, two Baftas, and three Golden Globes before his death in the Bahamas in 2020.
The story highlights a unique intersection of sports and entertainment, and a moment of camaraderie between two celebrated figures ahead of a defining moment in Irish sporting history.
