- Planet Sport writer
- 24 June 2024
Roy Keane for Ireland? Man Utd legend opens up on 'dream' managerial job
Roy Keane has admitted managing the Republic of Ireland would be his “dream” but fears his chance of taking over has gone.
Roy Keane is a former soccer player and current pundit for Sky Sports. As a player, he was most famous for being the captain of Manchester United and the Republic of Ireland national team. He also played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest and Celtic.
Keane is widely regarded as one of the greatest Premier League midfielders and captains of all time. At Manchester United, he picked up seven Premier League titles - winning the competition in 1993/94, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01 and 2002/03.
In the 1998/99 season, Manchester United picked up an historic treble, becoming the first English team to win the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup in the same season.
While at Celtic, Keane played a part in the team which won the Scottish Premier League title in 2005/06.
As brilliant as he was as a player, Keane was controversial due to his bouts of aggression, which at times not only caused pain to others, but also appeared to be against his own interests.
Nevertheless, it was this modus operandi which led him to such success, as nobody could accuse Keane of not wearing his heart on his sleeve. Keane's combative style has led to similar controversy and success during his career in punditry.
Roy Keane and Manchester United
After a spell at Nottingham Forest from 1990 to 1993, Keane signed for Manchester United. He played a major role in the team in each of his first four seasons. United won the Premier League in all of those except 1994/95, the season which saw Blackburn Rovers shock everyone and win the title.
Keane took over the captaincy in 1997, but his involvement in the team temporarily diminished in the 1997/98 season due to a cruciate ligament injury. Nevertheless, he played a major role in 1998/99 in United's treble-winning campaign.
Keane missed the final of the UEFA Champions League, a 2-1 comeback win against Bayern Munich, due to suspension. Recalling the incident, he said: "Although I was putting a brave face on it, this was just about the worst experience I'd had in football."
United defended their Premier League title in 1999/2000 and again in 2000/01.
In 2001, Keane put in an infamous knee-high tackle on Manchester City's Alf Inge Haaland, who had injured him in a previous encounter while Haaland was at Leeds United. Keane picked up a red card.
It is commonly claimed that the injury picked up from Keane's challenge ended Haaland's career. This is disputed, however, as he did play afterwards and it was reportedly an injury to his opposite knee which really did end his career. Keane has shown no remorse for the incident.
United lost the league title to Arsenal in 2001/02, but won it back in 2002/03. Keane developed a fierce rivalry with Patrick Vieira, who was Arsenal's captain during this era. The pair had a notorious tunnel bust-up on one occasion, but appear to have reconciled since and featured in the documentary Keane and Vieira: Best of Enemies.
In 2003/04, United were beaten to the Premier League title by Arsenal's 'Invincibles', who went through the whole league season unbeaten. Chelsea, who were just beginning to emerge as a force under the ownership of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, finished second, and United third.
In 2004/05, United again finished third, with Chelsea winning the Premier League under Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger's Arsenal finishing second.
Keane left Manchester United by mutual consent on November 18, 2005 after having reportedly given an inflammatory interview to MUTV. His relationship with manager Sir Alex Ferguson had become strained by this point and appears to have remained so.
"I wouldn't forgive Ferguson," Keane told OffTheBall. "The media spin, how I apparently upset everybody, it was all nonsense.
"Ferguson came out afterwards and said he always did what was best by Manchester United. Nonsense.
"People said [Ferguson] always had the best interests of Manchester United at heart. Darren Ferguson (his son) won a medal. He was very lucky.
"[Alex Ferguson's] brother was the chief scout for Manchester United for a long time. I'm surprised his wife wasn't involved in the staff somewhere."
Keane went on to finish his playing career at Celtic, winning the 2005/06 Scottish Premier League title.
Roy Keane and Republic of Ireland
Keane was a regular in Republic of Ireland squads even at youth level, but even as a youngster, he had already reportedly grown tired of the disorganisation within the ranks of the Irish team.
Keane starred for Ireland at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Injury kept him out at critical moments in the 1998 qualification campaign, but he was instrumental in helping the team qualify for the World Cup in 2002 in South Korea and Japan under Mick McCarthy.
In Saipan, with the Manchester United captain unhappy with the team's facilities, Keane and McCarthy had a spectacular and widely-publicised falling out. This led to Keane, the team captain, leaving the squad.
Coaching career
Keane had spells in charge of Sunderland and Ipswich Town and was an assistant at Aston Villa, the Republic of Ireland national team and Nottingham Forest.
Keane led Sunderland to promotion to the Premier League in 2006/07, helping them recover from a disastrous run in 2005/06 which had earned them relegation. However, he was less successful at Ipswich.
Roy Keane and punditry
Keane's combative style has made for entertaining viewing during his career as a pundit. He has developed solid on-screen chemistry with Micah Richards, the former Manchester City and England defender.
Notably, Keane has fired witty quips at Richards and ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher about their career achievements. He mocked Richards for saying that he "burst onto the scene" and pointed out that Carragher "almost" winning the league was not the same as actually succeeding in doing so.
Personal life
Keane married Theresa Doyle in 1997. They have five children: Shannon, Caragh, Aidan, Leah and Alanna.
Keane started up his Instagram account in February 2021. He already has 1.3 million followers.
Roy Keane's net worth
Keane was reportedly paid £350,000 per year when he first joined Manchester United. However, he was soon earning millions.
He was angered when United officials put an increase in ticket prices down to Keane's improved contract, reportedly demanding an apology. At the time in 2000, Keane was said to be earning £52,000-a-week.
