Evan Ferguson is the sixth Irishman in Serie A history | OneFootball

Evan Ferguson became the sixth Irishman in history to join Serie A after completing his move to Roma on Wednesday - marking the first time the Giallorossi have ever fielded a player from the Republic of Ireland.

The trail was first blazed back in the 1948/49 season by Paddy Sloan, the former Manchester United, Arsenal, and Sheffield United man, who made 30 appearances and scored nine goals for Milan in his lone Serie A campaign. Sloan later featured for Udinese and Brescia, though outside the top flight.

It would be another 30 years before Serie A saw its next Irish arrival. Former Arsenal Liam Brady, signed for Juventus in 1980 during the league’s golden age of attracting foreign talent.

The gifted midfielder went on to win two Scudetto with the Bianconeri and remains Ireland’s most capped player in Serie A history, with 189 appearances and 24 goals. He also turned out for Sampdoria, Inter, and Ascoli in a distinguished Italian career.

At the turn of the millennium, Robbie Keane - arguably the greatest figure in Irish football - had a brief spell with Inter, where he netted four goals in 16 appearances for the Nerazzurri.

More recently, youngsters Festy Ebosele and James Abankwah both featured for Udinese, although neither found the net during their time in Friuli.

Now, Evan Ferguson arrives in the Italian capital as a striker of great promise. After bursting onto the scene with Brighton in 2022/23 – scoring 10 goals in 25 matches – his progress has stalled somewhat, prompting a loan move in search of regular football. But at just 20 years old, Ferguson becomes the first Irish player ever to don the Roma shirt, and the hope is he can provide the firepower to lead the line in the season ahead.