28-05-2025
Ireland women's star Megan Connolly inspired by Katie McCabe success story
Rome wasn't built in a day. Nor was Megan Connolly's career.
She had figured that bit out before she landed in Formella, 25 minutes from the Italian capital, a two-year contract with Lazio the biggest move of her career.
All those stepping stones towards this chance, the formative years with Cork Corinthians, the coming-of-age experiences with Brighton and Bristol City, have led to this.
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She's here now, in the Italian capital, playing in one of the best leagues in the world, at the peak of her powers.
At 28, Connolly is both old enough to have seen the tougher side of football, and young enough to realise better days lie ahead.
And that's where Lazio come into play, the Italian Serie A club offering her the chance to step up from super-sub to starter on the Ireland team.
The Cork woman says: 'At the start it was quite difficult to settle in going to a new culture, trying to learn a new language.
'So yeah, it was a shock at the start. But now I'm absolutely loving it. The league is great, the football is great. Lazio is fantastic, the training is great, the players, the staff.
While I took quite a big risk to go there, I look back on it as such a great decision for me personally and for my career.
'It is a growing league with some fantastic players, Italians and other internationals who relocated last year. You have some of the best teams in Europe in the WSL, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City but there are some fantastic teams in Italy and yeah the level is top.
'The Rome derby was different to anything I ever experienced in England, grown men shouting at you. It was quite a shock. But a nice one. A good atmosphere. And yeah we played well in both games so that made the atmosphere really good and hopefully we can beat them twice next season.'
Before then she has work to do with Ireland.
A poor start to this Nations League saw Ireland lose 4-0 away to Slovenia before they posted wins over Turkey and Greece (twice).
That sets them up nicely for the showdown with Slovenia in Pairc ui Chaoimh in Connolly's home town next Tuesday.
She said: 'We have been trying to implement a new style of play under Carla (Ward, Ireland's recently appointed manager).
'We are over the Slovenia defeat, definitely something we'll learn from, teaching us what can happen when you're not on your game.
'It was a wake-up call that while we're trying to implement new things, change our style and grow, these things can happen and we have to make sure they don't happen again.
'These are two really big games for us (Turkey away on Friday, Slovenia at home next Tuesday) to try and get back into League A.
'We know that has an effect on the World Cup qualifying campaign. So the focus for us is on Friday, get the result, and then go for Tuesday and try to get another good result. We know it's going to be difficult.'
But being in the Pairc will help, for it was there, last year, when they got their best result in recent years, beating France 3-1.
Connolly said: 'Hopefully the same crowd comes out, the same noise is there. The pitch was fantastic the last time as well. Down in Cork, they always keep it so well.
'I know there's lots of games on it with the GAA but the pitch quality was unreal and as were the fans and the atmosphere.
'That France game was amazing to see the crowd we got.
'The last time we had played in Cork before that was in Turner's Cross and I was there as a fan about ten years beforehand.
'So I'm not sure we kind of knew what to expect. Obviously all the fans that turned out and the noise that was made was something that I think stuck with everyone, even with all the players.
'They loved everything about it and we all hoped to come back to Cork. Once we found out one of the games was back in Cork, it was such great news for all the girls who play football in the city.
'For us to come back down to Cork and expose ourselves to more fans down here is massive. Hopefully the crowd is just as loud because we'll need them.'
Indeed they need all the help they can get.
Should Ireland beat Turkey on Friday - which is likely - and should Slovenia defeat Greece that same day - which is even likelier - then Ireland would have to beat the Slovenes by five goals.
That's a big ask and a promotion/relegation play-off is their probable destiny.
But Connolly says: 'We will give it our best shot.'
