International footballer last in coconut shy (9)

I believe the answer is:

introvert

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'shy' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'international footballer last in coconut' is the wordplay.
'international' becomes 'int' (abbreviation for international).
'footballer' becomes 'rover' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'last in' suggests the final letters.
The final letter of 'coconut' is 't'.
'int'+'rover'+'t'='INTROVERT'

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(Other definitions for introvert that I've seen before include "quiet" , "Withdrawn type" , "one's reserved" , "eschewing external contact" , "Reflective person" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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