Team mates and opponents, past and present, have been speaking on Tuesday morning about Colm Cooper.
The Kerry legend announced his retirement from inter-county football on Tuesday morning, less than three weeks after his club side Dr. Crokes won the All-Ireland Club Final in Croke Park.
Marc Ó Sé was part of all of Cooper's All-Ireland winning sides, and speaking to Oisin Langan on Newstalk Breakfast, he revealed the news was not a surprise.
"We all knew this day was coming", Ó Sé admitted. "Gooch has had such a fantastic career. It was lovely that he finished off his career with Dr. Crokes winning the All-Ireland club medal that he so desperately wanted."
Colm Cooper: "It is very rare for people to achieve their ultimate dreams in life - I just have"https://t.co/Lnm2qikVjW
— Newstalk Sport (@NewstalkSport) April 4, 2017
Ó Sé played in many Kerry teams with excellent players, but he felt Cooper was a level above them all.
"He was absolutely incredible. For me, he has to go down as the greatest player I've ever played with, bar none."
"Every night you would be marking him in training, you'd come out puzzled. He just had every skill known to man. He would challenge you in every way. There were some nights I'd go home and I wouldn't get a night's sleep thinking about marking The Gooch, or at least trying to."
Cooper was a one-off according to his former team mate, who claims he can never be imitated.
"He was an incredible footballer. I dont think we will ever see the likes of him in this county ever again."
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