Icons: Roy Keane
Roy Keane is another football icon.
He is someone that won a number of team and individual honours during a hugely successful playing career.
A brief overview
He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during his time at Manchester United. Many regard him as one of the best midfielders of his generation. In 2004. he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
In his 18-year playing career, Keane played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United before ending his career at Celtic. He was a dominating box-to-box midfielder noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play. This was an attitude that helped him excel as captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure in 2005. Keane helped United achieve sustained success during his 12 years at the club. He then signed for Celtic, where he won a domestic double before he retired as a player in 2006.
A replacement for another Manchester United icon
When Roy Keane moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 1993, Alex Ferguson almost certainly saw him as a long-term replacement for another United hero in Bryan Robson.
He quickly established himself as a first-choice selection for The Red Devils. By the end of the season, he had won his first trophy as a professional as United retained their Premier League title. Two weeks later, he helped United to a 4–0 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup Final, sealing their first-ever double.
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His finest performance
In an inspirational display against Juventus in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, he helped bring his team back from two goals down to win 3–2, scoring the first United goal. His performance in this game has been described as his finest hour as a footballer. For many Manchester United fans, this performance was all the more remarkable due to the fact he knew from early on that he wouldn't play in the final due to a suspension.
Check out this video from BT Sport. Roy Keane, Juventus vs Man Utd (1999) Champions League classic displays - YouTube
Zepher Gaming commented on that YouTube video: "This was one of the most inspirational, effective and tenacious performances ever. He will go down in history as one of the Premier League's greatest ever captains. He kept all those around him firmly on the ground and demanded the highest of standards from them at all times."
International career
Keane also for the Republic of Ireland for over 14 years. At the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he played in every Republic of Ireland game. He was sent home from the 2002 FIFA World Cup after a dispute with national coach Mick McCarthy over the team's training facilities. Despite that controversial exit, many Ireland fans speak very fondly about his performances for his country.
The video below contains clips from one of his best matches for his country. It came in a World Cup Qualifier v Holland in 2001.
Roy Keane as a manager
Keane began his management career at Sunderland shortly after his retirement as a player, and took the club from 23rd position in the Football League Championship to win the division title and gain promotion to the Premier League. He resigned in December 2008, and from April 2009 to January 2011, he was the manager of Ipswich Town.
In November 2013, he was appointed assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national team by manager Martin O'Neill. He would also have short assistant manager spells at Aston Villa in 2014 and Nottingham Forest in 2019. Keane has also worked as a studio analyst for British channels ITV's and Sky Sports football coverage.
What do you think of Roy Keane?
Liam, our resident Manchester United fan, told us: "He will always be one of United's greatest players. That performance against Juventus was special but there were so many more."
Lewis is a Sunderland fan. He spoke about Keane's spell as a manager at the Stadium of Light. Lewis said: "I believe he was unfairly treated by Sunderland at the time. He performed a miracle gettiing us promoted to the Premier League in 2007."
