John Giles' family life with wife and children as he retires from punditry

John Giles has called time on his career as a pundit. The Ireland football legend has graced Irish screens and airways for many decades, being respected as one of the best analysts in the land.

The ex-Leeds United ace was a mainstay of RTE's football analysis from the 1980s until he stepped away from TV work in 2016. He has been a key component of Newstalk's football coverage for more than twenty years, and on Off The Ball on Thursday night, he reflected on his career analysing the game's top players.

He said: "I was really lucky. I fell into the television. Eamon [Dunphy] helped me a lot in that.

"When you're doing the job I was trying to do, you have to watch all the matches. You can't make it up as you go along.

"I think it got to the stage where I was getting a bit stale trying to watch as many matches as I could and it became hard work.

"Football has never been hard work to me, I have always loved it but there are so matches.

"Even in the summer now, you see the teams over in America [for the Club World Cup].

"I have had a good run of it. I am 84, nearly 85.

"I have enjoyed it. I loved playing. I fell into to the television, I had no intention of doing that when I was actually playing the football.

"No complaints whatsoever."

Here's everything you need to know about the football great:

Where is he from and what age is he?

John Giles was born in Dublin on November 1940 and is 84 years old.

Playing career

He kicked off his career with Manchester United, making over 100 appearances for the Red Devils before moving to Leeds United.

During his time in Manchester, he bagged an FA Cup and then had a remarkable run with Leeds under Don Revie, where he clinched two First Division titles, an FA Cup, and a League Cup. He also made it into the PFA Team of the Year.

His English playing days concluded with West Brom, followed by a brief stint with Philadelphia Fury, and finally ended his playing days with Shamrock Rovers, securing an FAI Cup.

Family life

Giles tied the knot with his wife Anne way back in 1966. She is the sister of former Irish sprinter Paul Dolan.

The couple have four sons and two daughters together.

Two of Giles' sons previously played for Shamrock Rovers.

His sister Kay was married to England World Cup winner Nobby Stiles.

TV and radio work

Giles first graced the RTE airwaves in 1986, marking the start of a highly respected broadcasting career. He remained a fixture for the national broadcaster for three decades, signing off after Euro 2016.

He still worked for Off The Ball until announcing his retirement on June 26, 2025.