Dublin midfielder Brian Fenton is retiring.
The 31-year-old, widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in the history of the game, will not be involved with Dessie Farrell’s squad after making the shock decision to step away.
Fenton’s retirement will reverberate well beyond the capital as the two-time Footballer of the Year remained one of the top players in the country, and following his displays in this year’s championship he was again nominated for an All Star.
The seven-time All-Ireland winner made his Dublin senior debut in 2015 and over the last decade developed his game to become a standout player on the greatest football team of all time.
With James McCarthy announcing his retirement only two weeks ago, and speculation that Stephen Cluxton might not be returning, Dublin fans were hoping the likes of Fenton, Ciarán Kilkenny and Con O’Callaghan would lead the dressingroom in the years ahead.
However, Fenton has now also decided to walk away – leaving a big void in the heart of the Dublin team.
The decision of the six-time All Star to retire will come as a huge disappointment to all Gaelic football fans and leaves Farrell facing a significant rebuilding job down the spine of his Dublin team in 2025.
Fenton leaves behind him one of the most glittering intercounty innings in the history of the game – a career that included a six-year unbeaten championship run from 2015 until 2021.
Remarkably, he retires having never lost a single game in the Leinster senior football championship – winning the Delaney Cup on 10 consecutive occasions. He also won four National League titles.
Fenton was deemed too small for Dublin at minor level and his intercounty career was in danger of drifting away until he hit a growth spurt and found a strong run of form at under-21 level.
He first really came to prominence with the Dublin under-21s in 2014 – playing his part as the young Dubs won both the Leinster and All-Ireland titles. It was a Dublin team that included Jack McCaffrey, John Small, Niall Scully, Cormac Costello and Paul Mannion.
Fenton made his senior debut in a National League game against Monaghan in April 2015, wearing number 22 he set a high bar immediately by scoring a goal inside five minutes of his senior bow.
Under Jim Gavin, he soon became a mainstay on the team and his championship debut arrived that June when Dublin hammered Longford by 27 points – Fenton chipping in with 0-1.
It was no coincidence Dublin’s most glorious era coincided with Fenton’s arrival to their engine room.
His ability to get up and down the field, his willingness to work for the betterment of the team, his aerial prowess, his discipline, decision making, leadership and all-round skillset made him the complete midfielder. He worked on his shooting too and his scoring rate improved as his career progressed, constantly looking for improvement.
McCarthy became Dublin’s preferred midfield partner alongside Fenton in recent years but while the management chopped and changed to try out various pairings, Fenton was the constant in that sector for the Dubs.
He was the first player in history to be crowned All Star Footballer of the Year on two occasions – winning the prestigious award in 2018 and 2020. David Clifford is the only other player to have picked up the accolade twice.
Fenton was also shortlisted for the Footballer of the Year award as recently as 2023.
At club level, he inspired Raheny to a Dublin SFC semi-final appearance that year too, ultimately only losing to eventual champions Kilmacud Crokes in a penalty shoot-out.
He missed Dublin’s championship quarter-final against Meath this summer because of suspension – a sending off from the league final which he contested and which was the first in his career either at club or county level.
He returned to the starting team for Dublin’s provincial semi-final win over Offaly and remained in the centre of the field for the rest of the campaign – scoring in five of his six championship appearances.
His last game for Dublin was the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Galway at the end of June, a contest in which Fenton and McCarthy were once again charged with holding the middle ground.
It seems that match will now prove to be the last time two of Dublin’s most iconic players will wear the sky blue and navy.
And it remains to be seen if Fenton will be the last of Dublin’s experienced players to go before the start of the 2025 campaign with others also believed to be considering their intercounty futures.
