Three Mayo men listed among best footballers from the past 25 years

CILLIAN O’Connor, Keith Higgins and Lee Keegan have been named among the best Gaelic footballers from the past 25 years by GAA.ie.

The three players, who have since stepped away from intercounty football, were lynchpins of a Mayo side that contested seven All-Ireland Senior Football Championship finals between 2012 and 2021.

Higgins retired from intercounty football in early 2021 but continued to play hurling for the county and has represented Mayo with distinction in both codes. He won four All-Stars as a footballer. 

“The four-time All-Star was the prototype of the modern corner-back thanks to his combination of tigerish defending and counter-attacking ability. He had pace, skill, and a great knack for reading the game,” read his citation on GAA.ie.

Keegan retired from intercounty duty at the start of 2022 after a career which saw him win five All-Stars and a Footballer of the Year award in 2016.

GAA.ie described him as ‘a brilliant all-round footballer who could combine touch-tight man-marking with a great ability to join the attack and kick important scores’.

O’Connor stepped away most recently when he decided to opt out of the Mayo panel for the 2025 season. The 32-year-old is Mayo’s highest ever scorer and the highest scorer and - since 2019 - is highest scorer in the history of the senior intercounty championship since 2019 with 32-363. 

“The bigger the occasion the more he seemed to like it,” read his citation from GAA.ie.

A total of 26 players were chosen by GAA.ie, excluding ten of the 25 Footballer of the Year winners from 2000 to 2024.