Jim McGuinness has revealed the heart-breaking circumstances that have inspired his coaching career.
The tale of taking un-fancied Donegal to become Sam Maguire champions and landing a job at Celtic is well known, the tragic death of two older brothers was explained during an interview with RTE.
On Friday night he launched his book Until Victory Always, a direct translation of Argentinean revolutionary hero Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s slogan, Hasta Victoria Siempre, in his home town of Glenties.
The book is no ordinary sporting tale, dealing in depth with the circumstances that have shaped him. Speaking to RTE he went into detail about the car crash that would have crushed the spirit of many with the death of his brother Mark following on from the night as a 12-year-old when he heard older brother Charles die at home from a heart condition.
“I remember thinking the truck was out of control and the car was tossed like a matchbox, I held his hand, stared into his eyes and told him I loved him,” McGuinness recalled.
“I was the youngest, then Mark and then Charles. When Charles passed away we (him and Mark) became very very tight. He was absolutely fanatical about me, fanatical about football, fanatical about Donegal and Glenties and so we were best friends.
“He looked after me, he sent more money down to college for me, kept me going and did everything he could for me.”
McGuinness is part of Ronny Deila’s coaching squad working with the first team and development squads while studying for his UEFA Coaching qualifications.
