As Chris Baird celebrates his 44th birthday today, we look at some of his best moments playing for Northern Ireland…
On 3 June 2003 Baird made his senior international debut in a friendly against Italy.
The defensive midfielder played the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss in Campobasso. Then manager Sammy McIlroy also gave debuts to Tommy Doherty and Andy Smith that day.
Eight years later, when earning his 50th cap, Baird was given the captain’s armband for a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Serbia. Unfortunately Northern Ireland suffered a 2-1 defeat at Stadion Crvena Zvezda.
The man from Rasharkin played for Ballymena United’s youth teams before signing for Southampton’s academy in 1998. He penned his first professional contract with the Saints in 2001 and over the next six years he would make 68 appearances for them. He also had loan spells with Walsall and Watford.
Arguably his finest moment at the Saints was in the 2003 FA Cup final. Although Southampton lost to Arsenal by a goal to nil, Baird was named Saints man of the match.
He moved from Southampton to Fulham and went on to make 127 appearances for the Cottagers between 2007 and 2013, including an appearance in the 2010 UEFA Europa League final against Atletico Madrid in Hamburg. The Spanish side won the game 2-1 after extra time.
He subsequently played for Reading, Burnley and West Bromwich Albion before a successful stint with Derby County (69 appearances between 2015 and 2018) which also included a loan spell with Fulham.
Baird, who played at right back, centre back and as a defensive midfielder for Northern Ireland, and also showed versatility at his various clubs, lined out in nine of the 10 qualification games that took Michael O’Neill’s side to UEFA Euro 2016 in France.
He played his final game for Northern Ireland in the tournament itself, starting in the opening match against Poland in Nice.
The defensive midfielder retired from international duty shortly after the Euros and retired from professional football in February 2019.
Through his 79 caps and his 13 years playing for Northern Ireland, Baird displayed versatility and reliability that made him a standout for the national team.
Happy Birthday Chris!
