Ireland footballer diagnosed with autism

Midfielder “Wigan” and the national football team of Ireland James McClean said that the doctors diagnosed him with autism.

— My daughter is autistic. The last four years have changed her life in the most amazing way, but at the same time they have been very difficult for me who watched her overcome many obstacles in her life. The more my husband and I learned about autism, the more we realized that I was very much like a daughter, more than we thought.

I see so many traits in her that I see in myself. So I decided to undergo a medical examination. It’s been a bit of an adventure, and now that I’ve received my diagnosis, I feel it’s time to share it. For a while I thought about talking about it publicly. I did this for my daughter to let her know that I understand her and that autism cannot and should not keep her from achieving her goals, he wrote on social networks.

McClean, 33, has been with Ireland since 2012 and has made 96 appearances and scored 11 goals. At youth level, the midfielder represented Northern Ireland. McClean has been a Wigan player since 2021, having previously played for Stoke City, West Bromwich, Wigan, Sunderland, Derry City.