Noel Brotherston (18 November 1956 – 6 May 1995) was an international footballer for Northern Ireland.^[3]

A winger, Brotherston played in the Football League for Tottenham,^{[citation needed]} Blackburn Rovers,^{[citation needed]} Bury,^{[citation needed]} and Scarborough.^{[citation needed]}

Noel was well remembered for his characteristic hairstyle that seemed to emphasise his jinking runs down the wing. He was a fans' favourite at Blackburn.^[4]

Brotherston made his debut for Northern Ireland in a May 1980 friendly match against Scotland and won 27 international caps, scoring three goals. He represented his country in three FIFA World Cup qualification matches^[5] and played at the 1982 World Cup.

Brotherston played in a famous 1–0 win for Northern Ireland over Israel^{[citation needed]} that helped the team to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time in 24 years. He also scored the winning goal against Wales in 1980^{[citation needed]} to give Northern Ireland the Home Internationals Championship trophy in the Irish Football Association's centenary year.^{[citation needed]}

Brotherston grew up in the town of Dundonald,^{[citation needed]} in the east of Belfast. He lived in Bright Street, East Belfast when he was a small boy.

He became a painter and decorator in Blackburn^[4] when he retired as a player, and had two sons, Lee and Ryan. He died of a heart attack aged just 38.^[4]

• Noel Brotherston at National-Football-Teams.com
• Noel Brotherston at EU-Football.info
• Noel Brotherston Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
• Noel Brotherston Profile Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Tottenham Hotspur