Aidan O'Shea: 'I knew the reality was that Mayo would win an All-Ireland one day'

Mayo legend Aidan O'Shea said in the aftermath of the county's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship victory over Kerry on Sunday that he knew the day would come eventually, writes Patrick Hennelly.

“I knew the reality was that Mayo would win an All-Ireland one day, whether I would be there or not,” the Breaffy man said.

He added: “I know the quality of football that is in Mayo. It is not like this is out of the blue. We have had decent players over the years. We can talk about something different now and the fact that Mayo are All-Ireland champions for 2026, and people can never take that away.”

What has been different this year? “You take a sprinkling of some of the younger players and there has been some quality added to the group,” O'Shea said.

“I think Andy challenged us straight away last August when we met for the first time, and he said: 'Why not us?' We chased this title, and we have had some serious bumps along the way, but we have improved, and we timed it nicely and were in good shape for Sunday and everyone fit bar Stephen Coen.”

The veteran Mayo player continued: “The boys were outstanding, the way they started tackling, hassling and harrying for possession. We started to put pressure on and we started to turn the tide, and going in only one point down at half-time was unbelievable. For the way we played and then started the second half, overall we played really well.

“And we knew athletically we'd be in a good spot going down the stretch, and it proved to be the case.”

O’Shea also praised the sportsmanship of the Kerry supporters. “I think it is important to acknowledge the Kerry supporters as well as they waited for the presentation of the cup, and they showed huge respect for us and acknowledged what a huge moment it was for the GAA and for football fans in Mayo and across the country.”