Name:
Roy Maurice KEANE
Shirt Number: 16
Position: Midfielder (Centre)
Date of Birth: August 10, 1971
Birthplace: Cork, Republic of Ireland
Transfer Fee: £3.75 million
Roy Keane was born in Cork on 10 August 1971.
After failing to get an apprenticeship with any
English League clubs, Keane began his footballing career with
Cobh Ramblers before Brian Clough took him to Nottingham Forest
as an 18 year old. His League debut with Nottingham Forest was
a real baptism of fire away to Liverpool, the then champions.
At the end of his first full season Keane made an appearance in
the 1991 FA Cup Final, collecting a runners up medal.
His performances, however, had not gone unnoticed
by the Republic of Ireland manager Jack Charlton, who gave him
his first full international cap in May 1991. A season later he
was again on the losing side again at Wembley, with Nottingham
Forest losing 1-0 to Manchester United in the League Cup final.
His luck with Nottingham Forest did not improve any as Forest
got relegated the following season. In the close season the race
for Roy Keane's signature began, with United emerging the victors
paying a then club and English record fee of £3.75 million.
Whilst he has been at Manchester United, his
ball winning skills, drive, determination and late runs into the
box to score vital goals have made him an irreplaceable figure
in United's midfield, so much so that he is often compared to
the ex-United player Bryan Robson. He has helped United to win
six Premier League Championships, including two doubles in 1994
and 1996 and is currently the team captain. He also participated
in the 1994 World Cup Finals and is a regular international for
the Republic of Ireland.
At the end of the 1996/97 season, when Eric Cantona
retired from professional football, Keane took over the role of
team captain. However less than two months into the season Keane
injured his knee and spent a frustrating season on the sidelines.
Many pundits felt that towards the end of that
season when United were faltering, it was his presence and determination
which the team sorely missed, and in the end was a crucial factor
in the championship ending up at Highbury. Fortunately for Manchester
United, Keane fought his way back to full fitness to lead the
team out, at Wembley, in the 1998 pre season Charity Shield.
If Keane's presence and quality was missed by
all at United in the 1997/98 season, then it was surely missed
by Ireland too. A full international, Keane participated in the
1994 World Cup finals in the USA and has played at International
level for almost eight years. His injury in September 1997 coincided
with Irelands Word Cup qualifying campaign. As United failed to
win any silverware in his absence, Ireland failed to qualify for
the 1998 World Cup finals in France.
The 1998/99 season saw Roy Keane fully restored
to fitness. As the Club reached the climax of that unprecedented
pursuit, Roy enjoyed mixed fortunes. A sending-off in the FA Cup
semi-final replay was followed by a yellow card in the Champions
League semi-final second leg against Juventus, forcing him to
miss the memorable final in Barcelona. He recovered from an ankle
injury to play in the last League match versus Tottenham and collected
the Premiership Trophy. The following week at Wembley, however,
he sustained another ankle injury and was forced to give way to
Teddy Sheringham in the early stages of the game, knowing that
his season had ended there and then.
In Barcelona, despite Keane taking no active
part in the match, the fans finally got their way during the post-match
celebrations when they insisted on Roy taking his deserved bow
with the Champions League trophy in front of the massed ranks.
Roy's contract negotiations fell under the media
microscope midway through the 1999/2000 season, when it was revealed
that the Club captain had turned down the Club's initial offer.
At the home Champions League match against Valencia,
however, it was announced that Keane had signed a new deal. After
that, Keane seemed to play with a weight lifted off his shoulders,
and the captain led by example, as ever. Over the course of the
season Keane found the net a remarkable twelve times, with half
of those coming in Europe. A superb season from the skipper was
recognised by both the Football Writers and the Professional Footballers
Association, who both voted him Player of the Year.
Keane was arguably even more influential during
season 2000/2001, leading the team to a seventh Championship title.
On the international front he was also an inspiration,
winning his 50th cap in the Republic's 4-0 win over Cyprus.
Roy's form helped the Republic qualify for the
2002 World Cup finals, despite being in a group containing both
Portugal and Holland. Once out in the Far East, though, Roy caused
the biggest story of the tournament before it had even begun.
Following a row with manager Mick McCarthy, Keano was sent home
in disgrace.
Newspapers were full of speculation as to what
had happened, and reporters camped outside Roy's house. The media
storm quickly passed, however, as Ireland progressed in the tournament.
