Shamrock Rovers have pulled off a high profile signing after announcing that Irish national team hero Ruesha Littlejohn has joined the Tallaght side, after being without a club since the end of 2024
Shamrock Rovers have pulled off a high profile signing after announcing that Irish national team star Ruesha Littlejohn has joined the Tallaght side, after being without a club since the end of 2024.
The 34 year old midfielder was unveiled at Tallaght Stadium two weeks ago, with Rovers having won their opening game of the season last week 2-1 against Shelbourne. Littlejohn is a huge signing for the side that finished fifth in the Premier Division last season and is sure to bring both quality off the pitch - and fans off it.
The Scottish born player has had a long career in the United Kingdom, having kickstarted her career at Glasgow City in 2007 and most recently playing for the London City Lionesses, who currently sit second in the second division in England. Between those two teams she had spells at multiple clubs including Arsenal, Celtic, Liverpool and Leicester.
Littlejohn’s signing is big news for both Shamrock Rovers and Irish football. With over eighty appearances and six goals for Ireland, she’s one of the biggest names in the national team. She featured in every game for Vera Pauw’s side in the 2023 World Cup and was an important player for Eileen Gleeson in the recent qualifying campaign.
Although Rovers fans will be excited by the quality to come, fans of the league in general will be excited to see a mainstay in the international team lining up on a weekly basis on home soil. Carla Ward took charge of her first games for the national side last month and there wasn’t a single domestic player in the squad.
Littlejohn started both of those games and will now not only show that the league is still attractive to top players - but also force Ward’s eyes on the home league.
Littlejohn will once again link up with Collie O’Neill, who previously acted as a coach in Eileen Gleeson’s Ireland set up. As head coach at Shamrock Rovers, O’Neill said “We are absolutely delighted to have Ruesha join our team. Having a player with her level of experience is not just beneficial for us, but it's also massive for the entire league”.
She’ll also be once again linking up with Áine O’Gorman, who was capped 119 times for the Republic of Ireland, and played alongside Littlejohn on many occasions, including the 2023 World Cup. O’Gorman currently captains the Shamrock Rovers team.
Speaking on her move to Rovers, Littlejohn said “It will be good to get back in a routine of playing football. I’m looking forward to keeping learning, it will be nice to have a manager that’s going to help progress me and I’m looking forward to hopefully being here for the team and hopefully we can win as many games as possible”.