for a £600,000 fee. He went straight into the starting eleven, playing at centre back in place of injured captain Steve Vickers rather than his customary right back. He formed a fine defensive partnership with Matthew Upson, who joined in the January transfer window, and at the end of that campaign, his teammates chose him as their Player of the Season. After the first few matches of 2003–04, Birmingham's manager Steve Bruce was describing Cunningham as "on current form ... the best defender in the Premiership". Nicknamed "King Kenny" by the fans, Cunningham had a reputation as an organised solid defender, and Manchester United and Ireland full-back Denis Irwin suggested in November 2003 that, though his ability had been under-rated in the past, "this year ... people are realising how good he actually is". After the club's relegation at the end of the 2005–06 Premier League season, Cunningham and seven other first team players were released. On 11 May 2006, Cunningham launched a scathing attack in the press on Bruce and the board, blaming the club's relegation on a lack of preparation throughout the season and likening the club to a "stiff corpse" that has "no heartbeat and, more worryingly, no soul". While fans were in the main supportive of Cunningham's views, the club reacted furiously, and chairman David Gold wondered "if Kenny would have said the same things if we'd stayed up, Portsmouth had gone down and he'd been given a lucrative new contract". Sunderland Cunningham signed for Sunderland on 19 July 2006 with Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn praising his leadership qualities. He made 11 appearances for the Black Cats as they won the Championship, but no more appearances after October when he was made captain by manager Roy Keane before sustaining an injury. He was released at the end of the season, and retired as a player. International career Cunningham won a total of 72 caps for the Republic of Ireland national football team. He made his debut on 24 April 1996 in 2–0 friendly loss to the Czech Republic in Prague. He was named as FAI Senior International Player of the Year in 1998. In March 2001, he returned after a long layoff due to injury, replacing Richard Dunne to partner Gary Breen in defence for a match against Cyprus. Cunningham was named team captain after the 2002 FIFA World Cup. According to manager Mick McCarthy: "Kenny's