Euro 2016: Northern Ireland star Paddy McCourt reveals he missed tournament because his wife needed brain surgery
Winger opens up on easy decision to turn back on France and put family first after sudden illness struck
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NORTHERN IRELAND star Paddy McCourt has spoken for the first time about the family heartache behind his decision to pull out of Euro 2016.
McCourt was the surprise name missing from Michael O’Neill’s squad when it was announced last month but there was no explanation for his absence.
But now the former Celtic and Luton winger has revealed he pulled out of the tournament in France because his wife, Laura, had been struck down by a brain tumour.
In an interview with , McCourt said: “When something like that happens, your only thought is for your family.
“My sole focus has been on Laura and our kids. That’s the kind of person I’ve always been, but it’s amazing how, when you’re in a situation like this, everything else becomes secondary.
“That would be no different if I had played every minute of every game in qualifying and we got to the final.
“As much as I would have loved to have been there with the lads if this hadn’t happened, the fact that it happened changes your perspective totally.”
McCourt, speaking to , added: “Laura was on a flight back from Marbella. The flight landed at Gatwick and was taxi-ing to the airport when she had a seizure on the bus.
“Paramedics were called to the scene and they rang me. They were asking me if she was epileptic or anything like that. No, nothing.
“I went to hospital and met Laura. They did some tests. By the end of the night they had found something on her brain. That was what had caused her seizures.
“Within 48 hours it came back that they had found a brain tumour. We were told that the tumour was benign, but it was growing and it had caused these seizures and it was a real worry.
“They said they could operate to remove it and we agreed it was definitely the right thing to do. The date they came back with was June 9 [the day before the Euros began].
“From my point of view, that changed nothing. Family has always come first and it always will.
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“I called Michael. He was going to be naming his squad for the Euros. Would I have been in the 23?
“I called Michael, explained what had happened and told him I wasn’t going to be available for the Euros.
“As much as he’s incredibly serious about his football, when I told him, he said, ‘Don’t even think about the Euros. Just be there for Laura and make sure she gets better.’
“Michael has been a very good friend to me over the years as well as a team-mate and now a manager.
“He asked me how I wanted him to handle it in terms of the media. I said I didn’t want to speak about it until I knew the operation had been successful. I knew he was asked the question, but he batted it off.
“I’m very grateful for that because we, and especially Laura, didn’t need the attention it would have created if he had said what was really happening.”
Thankfully, the operation looks to have been a success and McCourt has now decided the time is right to go public.
He said: “It was absolutely nerve-racking, but thankfully we were given the best possible news afterwards, which was that everything had been positive.
“Laura is now recovering and we’re told that in four to six months, please God, she will be completely back to normal.”
