It was June 13th and the Republic of Ireland were about to begin their treacherous ‘group of death’ at EURO 2016 in Stade de France. They were 1-0 up against Ibrahimovic’s Sweden.

As the Irish fans continued to bring the noise, a ball was fizzed across their box by Zlatan. Ciaran Clark, in pure instinct, attempted to clear it with his head.

The ball went into his own net. The 27-year-old lay on the floor, beaten. But his EURO 2016 experience was about to get worse.

He had just been part of a relegated Aston Villa side that conceded 76 goals in 38 Premier League games; arguably one of the worst teams to ever grace the league.

Next up for Clark and his teammates was the frightening Belgium. The papers said they needed a result, or else it was over.

2-0 up, the Belgians were confident. Hazard galloped forward. Irish supporters in the stadium and pubs across the world prepared for the worst when Clark ran ferociously towards the winger.

He dived in, and in the blink of an eye, Hazard was away and Belgium were 3-0 up. Words used to describe Clark by Aston Villa fans began to seep their way into the Irish’s vocabulary.

Rash, stupid, reckless, impulsive and so on. The Republic managed to turn their campaign around, heroically going out to the hosts, France, in the knockout stages. But Clark was dropped and played no part.

2016 was getting worse and worse for the Aston Villa academy graduate. There was a sense of eeriness and shock amongst Newcastle supporters when Rafa Benitez paid £5m for Clark’s services in the summer.

‘He’s stupid and rash. Can’t believe we’ve gotten £5m for him!’, said one Villa fan on Twitter.

Clark was part of a horrendous relegated side and made two glaring errors at the Euros in front of millions of people, but Rafa Benitez saw through that.

The Spaniard knew there was a player in there, and he intended to do what he always does; improve the footballer.

Clark made his first start for Newcastle in a 6-0 win away to Queens Park Rangers. It marked the beginning of a formidable partnership with captain Jamaal Lascelles.

The versatile defender scored his first United goal at Loftus Road. You could see the passion in his eyes. His year was turning around; he was finally flourishing.

Surprisingly, the Irish international started his professional footballing career up front. Clark was a massive fan of Thierry Henry and wanted to emulate the legendary striker.

However, one afternoon, everything changed.

“Away at Derby one day, the centre-half got injured and they said ‘in you go Ciaran.’ My centre-back partner was a young lad called Sam Simmonds.

“He was laughing at me because he never dreamed of playing alongside me in the heart of defence.”

Since then, all Clark has known is defending. Whether it’s in front of the back four, at left-back or at centre-back, he has always been taught to defend first.

His defensive partner and fan favourite, Jamaal Lascelles, has finally found a reliable and sturdy right-hand man. The duo has kept seven clean sheets in 15 games for Benitez.

“I think we work well off each other. Ciaran’s played in the game a long time and reads the game really well.

“He’s very vocal and helps me out a lot talking and organising from the back. Me and him are so loud for the team. I think it’s so important,” Lascelles told the Chronicle.

Clark hasn’t just impressed at club level. He has bounced back from a disappointing EURO 2016 campaign and was the unsung hero in Ireland’s recent 1-0 victory against Austria.

With an average pass accuracy of 80%, he has become more cautious in how he uses the ball. Under the guidance of Rafa Benitez, Clark is no longer rash or impulsive.

He is an aerially dominant, clever and vocal defender key to Newcastle United’s recent success.

The price United paid for him is increasingly looking like a bargain, and Aston Villa fans would be foolish to not want him back.