Roy Keane is an extraordinary person in the football world. His industriousness, intransigence and playing to the limit of opportunities made Keane one of the best midfielders in the world. At the same time, a tough and unprincipled character often turned against Roy, turning him from a public favorite into an antihero.
In one of the matches, Roy Keen broke his leg to Holland, the Norwegian footballer, after which he was never able to return to the big sport. Keane earned a record number of deletions in English football, but at the same time he is the most successful captain in the history of Manchester United.
The choice between boxing and football
Roy Keane was born on August 10, 1971 in a small suburb in southwestern Ireland. His family lived poorly, because at that time there were economic problems and unemployment in the country. Keane's father took up any business to feed a large family - Roy was the fourth of five children.
Little Kin studied without much enthusiasm, because all his thoughts were about sports. Keen chose from three disciplines - football, boxing and heurling (Irish hockey). The latter fell away pretty quickly, but Roy had good abilities in boxing, but when the “either-or” question arose, the Irishman did not hesitate to choose football. Kin responds positively about his boxing experience, since it was boxing that taught him sport discipline and fearlessness before physical encounters.
Rockmount (1979-1989)
At 8, Roy Keane began playing for the local Rockmount youth club. It was a fairly successful team, which was a significant step forward for Keen and taught the player the right approach to business. In addition, the football player’s brothers and once his uncles played in this team.
Therefore, the young Keane supported family traditions, and after the first season the team even earned the title “Player of the Year”. But success in the club did not help Roy to qualify for the Irish national team “Under 15”, which would open up real prospects for getting into English clubs. Coaches said Keen is too small for a professional. This somewhat unsettled the future star, but he continued to train, and also began to earn extra money, because there was not enough money in the family. The letters that he sent to English clubs with a request to watch, received refusals. A 1986 photo of Roy Keane is presented below (Keane second from left).
Football courses for elite football players
To reduce unemployment in the country, the Irish government in 1989 launched a program to prepare young people for certain types of jobs. Football courses were organized in which the best young football players of the country could study. Each National League club could send one promising player.
Keen signed a contract with one of the clubs in the second division of the national league, Cove Ramblers, and entered football courses. There, he perfected all aspects of his game and, as Keane himself notes, in a few months grew from a boy to a man. An example to follow for Roy was MJ player Brian Robson. The unyielding and ubiquitous midfielder worked out one hundred percent, it was with him that the young Roy Keane associated himself. He then did not suspect that he would one day become a replacement for his idol.
Nottingham Forest (1990-1993)
The turning point in the fate of Keane was a duel with the best Dublin club Belvedere Boys. And although Roy's team lost to the nines (4: 0), but the player himself fought until the final whistle.
He was noticed by the breeder of Nottingham Forest and invited to the team for viewing. So Keane's dream came true: he got into the club of the first division of England. It was quite difficult for him to adapt to new conditions, but he was happy. His goal was to gain a foothold in the reserve, so he put all his strength into the youth team.
But Brian Clough, then-coach of Forest, decided to give him the opportunity to take the higher bar - to play in the main team. Keane played his first official match against Liverpool at the start of the 1990/91 season. The confident play of the Irish secured him a place at the base. Roy Keane will later say about Clough:
"... he gave me a chance, and everything I have, I owe him."
In 1991, Forest reached the final of the FA Cup, where it lost to Tottenham Hotspur. A year later, the Reds reached the final of the Football League Cup, but lost again, only now to Kean’s future club Manchester United.
In the championship itself, the team played with varying success, but Keane, as always, gave all the best. Leading clubs of the Premier League began to look at him. Then Keane signed a new contract with Forest, which was amended that if the club leaves the Premier League, the player will be able to leave the team. Actually, this is exactly what happened - despite the good game of Roy, for which he was awarded the title of player of the year from the fans, the Reds flew out of the country's main league, and Keane was preparing to move to Blackburn.
The leadership of the “tramps” has long laid eyes on the midfielder and negotiated with him. It was they who advised Roy to write a reservation in the contract with Forest, allowing them to leave the club. But on the eve of signing the contract, Alex Ferguson called the Irishman and offered to come for negotiations. Keen already understood:
From now on, I would not have signed anything with any other club. At heart, I knew that I could never refuse the greatest football club in the world.
Manchester United gave away 3.75 million pounds for the player, and the transition took place.
Manchester United: First 4 Seasons
After moving to the camp of the Red Devils, footballer Roy Keen turned out to be the most expensive British player. From the very first games for the club, he was able to justify the money. Brian Robson, who played in midfield, was increasingly missing out on injuries, and Keane took over. An excellent game allowed the midfielder to become a base player and win the gold medals of the 1993/94 season and the 1994 FA Cup with the team.
He admired the professionalism and unity of the team and called Manchester a dream club for any young player. The next season was not so successful: the Mankunians could not win the Premier League, lost to Everton in the FA Cup final, and Keane received a red card for the first time, as well as suspension for three matches and a fine for unsportsmanlike behavior against the Crystal Palace player in the semifinals cup.
The 1995/96 season brought everything back to normal: the renewed Manchester United became the Premier League triumph and the owner of the FA Cup. Roy Keane notes in his autobiography that the first seasons at Manchester United taught him a lot. In particular, the player was able to catch the pace of the game and adapt to it, he clearly understood that the best teams and the best players are able to impose their own rhythm on the opponent.
Keane's main goal was excellence in midfield. He focused his efforts on breaking attacks, on the selection of the ball and the organization of the attack. He called his role "protection and support", his actions - "to select and pass." At the same time, the midfielder always left his strength for the last spurt, if the team suddenly needed it. Sometimes this “untouchable reserve” was saved by Manchester.
Holland captains, “grudge” and Champions League triumph
In the 1997/98 season, team leader Eric Cantona left Manchester United. The captain's armband passed to Keen. The season began successfully for the "Red Devils" and the newly minted captain. But in the ninth round, Keane received a serious injury. The midfielder decided to punish the Leeds player Alf-Inge Holland, who “passed” his entire match. Shortly before the end of the game, Keane wanted to hook Holland, but in a careless tackle he tore his cruciate ligaments of his knee. Holland then accused Keene lying on the lawn of the "performance", but the Irishman did not pretend and dropped out for the whole season.
Manchester United lost all their accumulated advantage and lost to Arsenal in the championship race. There were concerns about whether the captain could continue to play football, but next season Keane returned to duty and helped the team win the Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League.
After returning, he seriously thought about his physical training, began to work independently on strengthening the body.
I realized, as I had never realized before that very lost season, that my time in football is not endless. It can end at one single junction, once - and you are already yesterday.
In the 1998/99 season, Keane showed his best game. It was his dedication and fortitude that helped the team reach the Champions League final. Manchester United then lost 2-0 to Juventus in the semifinal match, but Keene’s goal turned the game upside down. As a result, the Mancunians pulled out a victory and reached the final of the European Cup. This was one of the best games in Roy Keane's career. Only one thing overshadowed her - the Irishman received a “mustard” for a foul against Zidane, by the amount of yellow cards he had to miss the Champions League final.
According to Keane, this was the worst episode of his career, but the player blamed it exclusively on himself and his savagery. In part, he was able to rehabilitate in the Intercontinental Cup: the Irishman scored the only goal against the Brazilian “Palmeiras”, which allowed the “Red Devils” to win the trophy.
Recent seasons at Manchester United: Roy Keane's revenge and rising tensions
In 1999, Keane signed a new contract with Manchester United until 2004. In the 1999/2000 season, the Mankunians won the Premier League again, and Roy Keane was recognized as the footballer of the year by the Professional Football Association.
The next season there was an unpleasant episode involving the Irish. In the match against Manchester City, he decided to “pay off” for the past with Alf Inge Holland and went straight on the Norwegian. As a result, Roy Keane broke Holland's leg, and he did it on purpose. Because Holland once accused him of simulating. For his act, Keen received a disqualification, a fine and a general wave of disapproval. Nevertheless, as Roy Keen later admitted in an interview, he does not regret a single gram of his act. As the saying goes, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." Holland, by the way, could not recover.
Keane's unbridled character manifested itself more and more. The captain of Manchester continued to receive red cards and even thought about ending his career, but Alex Ferguson dissuaded him. In the 2001/02 season, Manchester United were left without awards, and Roy became increasingly entrenched in the idea that this was no longer the team of warriors hungry for victories. He publicly accused some players of neglect.
After another red card, Keen was again disqualified for several matches. During a period of downtime, he underwent hip surgery. While the Irishman came to, he analyzed the cause of his frequent injuries and disqualifications. He understood that the reason was explosive and decided to restrain himself. He tried to circumvent skirmishes and disputes, but remained all the same unyielding and stubborn. In 2003, Manchester United again became the champion of England. Nevertheless, Keane’s dissatisfaction with the situation in the club became stronger, as well as the discord in relations with Ferguson.
Leaving Manchester, or Keene through the eyes of Alex Ferguson
Ferguson, in his autobiography, devoted an entire chapter to Roy Keane, whom he called the “driving force of Manchester United.” Keane was very helpful to the coach in such an aspect of the game as motivation.
According to Ferguson, Keane did not want to admit that he was no longer the twenty-year-old boy who could rush about in the field tirelessly. Unwillingness to accept new game tasks is one of the causes of the conflict, but it is not the main one.
The main reason is the comments Roy allowed himself against the young Manchester players on MUTV. He accused several football players of a frivolous approach to business, humiliated them, and Alex Ferguson was forced to remove him from the club. Here is what the coach of the Mancunians later wrote about his departure:
If you look, then his transfer was a great way out of the situation, because he scared many players, and after his departure they opened up in a new way.
Despite this departure, Keane remains a club legend. He is the most successful captain in the history of Manchester United. For 480 matches, the midfielder scored 51 goals, 7 times became the champion of the country, four times the winner of the FA Cup, as well as the winner of the Champions League and the owner of the Intercontinental Cup.
Celtic (2005-2006)
After leaving MJ, Keen signed a contract with Celtic, in which he played only six months. Together with the Scottish club, Roy won the Premier League and the Scottish League Cup, but at the end of the season announced his retirement, because he was again worried about a long-standing injury.
In May 2006, Roy Keen's farewell match took place at Old Traford, in which his two teams met - Manchester and Celtic. In the first half, Keane played for the Scots, and in the second he married the “Red Devils” with a captain's armband. About 70 thousand spectators came to spend the Irishman, which is a record among farewell matches in England.
National Team Games: Roy Keane's altercation with Martin O'Neill
Keen played for Ireland 67 matches and scored 9 goals. The team did not enter the final part of Euro under Roy, and the Irishman got to the World Cup only once - in 1994. In 2002, he was in an application for the World Cup in Japan and Korea, but criticism of head coach Martin O'Neill played a trick on him. Roy Keane kicked out of the team.
Coaching
In 2006, Keene led the Sunderland Football League Championship Club and led the team to the championship, allowing the club to enter the Premier League. From 2009 to 2011, the Irishman headed the club of the second division “Ipswich Town” and brought him to the semifinals of the League Cup. In 2013 and 2014, Keane worked as an assistant coach for the national team of Ireland and Aston Villa.
Personal life
Roy Keane met his future wife, Theresa Doyle, in 1992, when he played for Nottingham Forest. They got married in 1997. The couple has 5 children. For Keane, his family is a lifeline. Even in the most difficult times, it was she who did not let him lose consciousness.
Summary
Roy Keane's biography is a story about a strong, courageous and truthful person. Since childhood, he used to give all his best, could not stand whiners and lazy people. He was demanding of himself and others. Kin never considered himself a gifted footballer, but he was a real workaholic. For his incontinence, he often scolded himself, but could not help himself.
The Irishman does not forgive insults, which proved the episode where in one of the matches of the Premier League Roy Keen broke Holland's leg. Keene’s intransigence and tenacity have greatly benefited Manchester United. If it weren’t for Keane’s character, perhaps there would have been no victory in the Champions League in 1999 and a series of glorious victories of the “Red Devils” in the English championship.
Who knows what Keen could achieve in the coaching field, if not for the overly steep disposition that often interferes with effective communication.