The remarks emerged two days after Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in Hungary following a turbulent build-up in which the squad voted to fulfil the fixture despite unease amongst players over the war in Gaza.
The five-time World Cup winners scored two goals late in the second half to see off a Socceroos outfit who have only beaten their illustrious opponents once in their history.
Former world champion Fernando Alonso had been considering ending his illustrious racing career, but his passion for driving convinced him to remain at the British-based team for at least one more year.