Roy Keane
Genius. Madman. Professional dog-walker
| Full name: | Roy Maurice Keane |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | August 10, 1971 |
| Clubs played for: | Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Celtic |
| Clubs managed: | Sunderland, Ipswich |
Club Career
Keane cost Nottingham Forest just £10,000 from Irish League Cobh Ramblers when he moved to England in June 1990. Three years later, United paid 375 times that fee to take him to Old Trafford where he emerged as their on-field general, winning a massive trophy haul before leaving for boyhood idols Celtic in December 2005.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-93 | Nottingham Forest | 114 | 22 |
| 1993-2005 | Manchester United | 323 | 33 |
| 2005-06 | Celtic | 10 | 1 |
International Career
Keane's Republic of Ireland career was laced with controversy, not least when he quit their 2002 World Cup squad after a furious disagreement with manager Mick McCarthy over the facilities at the club's pre-tournament training camp on the Pacific island of Saipan. He did play in the World Cup finals in 1994 and was persuaded to come out of international retirement after McCarthy's departure but, when the squad failed to qualify for the 2004 European Championship, he called time on his Ireland career.
International Career Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-2005 | Republic of Ireland | 66 | 9 |
Key Games
Manchester United 3-0 Sheffield United (Premier League, August 18, 1993)
Keane's Old Trafford debut set the tone for his entire United career. He capped a rampaging display with two goals as Alex Ferguson's side thrashed the Blades in a performance reminiscent of Bryan Robson in his pomp. United had found their new Captain Marvel.
Juventus 2-3 Manchester United (Champions League semi-final 2nd leg, April 21, 1999)
Having drawn 1-1 in the first leg at Old Trafford, United found themselves 2-0 down (3-1 on aggregate) inside 10 minutes in Turin. Enter Roy Keane. In arguably his finest performance in a United shirt, he drove the team to an astonishing 3-2 victory, scoring the first goal himself. And all of this despite picking up a booking he knew would rule him out of the final.
Clyde 2-1 Celtic (Scottish Cup 3rd round, January 8, 2006)
Keane's debut for Celtic - the club he had supported as a boy - did not go as planned as they crashed out of the Scottish Cup 2-1 at First Division Clyde. This was not what he had swapped Old Trafford for! In typical Keane fashion, however, he rallied the troops in the remainder of the season as Celtic claimed the Premier League title.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | Premier League | 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2002-03 |
| FA Cup | 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004 | |
| Champions League | 1999 | |
| Football Writers' Footballer of the Year | 2000 | |
| PFA Players' Player of the Year | 2000 | |
| Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 2006 |
| Scottish League Cup | 2006 | |
| Sunderland (as manager) | Football League Championship | 2007 |
Did You Know...?
The attendance of 69,591 that turned out to pay tribute to Keane when Manchester United took on Celtic at Old Trafford in 2006 was the biggest-ever crowd for a testimonial match in England.
In 2004, Pele picked Keane in his list of FIFA's Top 100 living footballers - the only Irishman to be selected.
Keane spent the day of then team-mate David Beckham's wedding to Victoria Adams in his local pub the Bleeding Wolf. When asked why he hadn't gone, Keane joked: "It was a choice between the wedding and the Wolf - and the Wolf won".
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