Celtic legend Rudi Vata has had his own tough times in his journey as a professional footballer

Rudi Vata played for Albania against Ireland 28 years ago. He was wearing a borrowed kit and playing with players from Albania's Under-21 team. Liam Brady was watching and Vita made his Celtic debut in a friendly against Cork City.

Vata caught the eye of Brady during Albania's 2-0 defeat to France. Vata left Paris in 1991 after playing in France's 5-1 defeat still wearing his football boots. He claimed political asylum from the dictatorship at home.

Rudi Vata was refused an application to join Le Mans on trial. He broke his ankle and tore ligaments on his first day. The club sponsor Jean-Rene Belliard paid for the surgery and covered his expenses. Vita defected from the Communist Party and was banned from playing for his country until 1992.

Rudi Vata played for Albania in 1994 World Cup qualifying. He returned to the fold the following month. Albania's attempts to transition from centralised economy were painful. Wages dropped 50 per cent between 1991 and 1994. Internationals in the domestic league earned an average of $13 a month and the football federation was impoverished. Ireland's rugby team recorded a 22-7 win over Poverty Bay in New Zealand on the same day as Jack Charlton's side were due to begin their qualifying campaign.

The newly-formed Irish Friends of Albania was there to greet them. Only two of their five members could make it. They had no money until noon yesterday, but they got some from their Olympic Council and were able to travel.

The Spanish FA gave them $50,000 to cover their costs. FAI counterpart Seán Connolly claims the Spanish helped only with paying airfares. The Playwright in Blackrock hosted a dinner which the players attended in their tracksuits.

Penneys provided casual clothes and Adidas franchise holders Three Stripe International and The Cork Examiner agreed to split the cost of a kit. Celtic legend Rudi Vata had his own tough times in his journey as a professional footballer.

The new design was sent to Kinsale transfer manufacturer Chris Kay only the night before the match. It meant that their gear arrived at Lansdowne Road 2½ hours before kick-off. There was no question of swapping jerseys at the final whistle.

Anesti Qendro made his senior debut for the national team despite playing the full 90 minutes for their 21s the previous night. Artan Pali and Blendl Sokoli were also brought off the bench in the 3-1 defeat at Tolka Park. Kevin Sheedy was replaced by McCarthy and Paul McGrath moved into midfield. McGrith scored the second goal in 80th minute after John Aldridge had broken the deadlock on the hour mark.

Rudi Vata's Celtic team won the match against a team with a stronger bench.

Rudi Vata wanted to be the next Franz Beckenbauer but before the 1990s, Albanians were not allowed to play abroad. Vita's maximum dream was to represent Albania.

Liam was famous in Albania. Vata won the 1995 Scottish Cup with Liam. He went on to play in Germany, Cyprus and Japan. In Glasgow, Vita met his wife Ann Frances. Ann's mother is from Howth, making her son Rocco eligible for Ireland. Rocko made his debut for the under-15s last November.

Albania's visit to Dublin caused a financial fallout for the Irish FA. They will be sent the Albanian hotel bills to Fifa, who had already paid for flights.

Albania are an impoverished football team. They played out the remainder of their World Cup fixtures despite civil unrest in 1997. In 1991, their final game against Spain was cancelled because of civil strife. Albania have qualified for the European Championships.

Rudi Vata has had his own tough times in his professional football career. Celtic lost to Switzerland and Romania. Vita believes that hard times create strong men and good times.