There's Only One Keano
12/06/06 03:43 PM
Just heard the news that Man Utd legend and Celtic midfielder Roy Keane has today retired from football because of a long-standing hip injury.
Clearly he’s not everyone’s cup of tea but in my mind he was one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen. I’ll never forget the Champions League semi-final against Juventus in 1999; possibly the best performance I’ll ever see by one player. He got Utd to that final even though he knew he would be banned, and that will be remembered forever by all Utd fans.
Like him or loathe him he’ll go down as one of football’s all-time greats. Like Peter Schmeichel before him, Fergie will have signed possibly a dozen players before he finds anyone even close to replacing him. Following so soon after Alan Shearer’s retirement (another true great, love or hate) I feel the game has lost another legend, and one of the Prem’s original stars.
Looking around, there aren’t too many of the good old fashioned, rock ‘ard old school footballers left now, we just have the namby pamby footballers of today…
I just hope all the Liverpool / Arsenal etc fans recognise him as the great player he was (just like I grudgingly acknowledge the Bergkamps and the Fowlers)!
Anyway I wish Keano all the best in his retirement, although I do have a sneaky feeling we’ll be seeing him back at Old Trafford in some capacity in the future.
There is and will only ever be one Keano! Keano! Keano! Etc.
commenting closed for this article
On Tuesday June 13, 2006,
Steve Tucker said:
Tallent-wise on the pitch he was a fantastic player with a great track record. However I find it hard to look past his shite, god-awful, thug-like personality. Im not sorry to see him go, and neither im sure will all the players, refs and the Ireland manager he’s mouthed off to over the years. Perhaps he’ll use his time to bring out another biography with more confessions of his on-pitch player crippling antics.
Sorry to piss on your bonfire mate, didnt mean to put a damper on the article!
On Tuesday June 13, 2006,
Steve Tucker said:
PS: love the world cup shrine! :D
On Wednesday June 14, 2006,
Stu said:
You’re not pissing on my bonfire at all; football is all about opinions (The England World Cup squad of 2002 is better than the current one remember!...).
Keane had plenty of faults, nobody can deny that, but I would bet that there isn’t a single fan who can honestly, honestly say they didn’t wish he was in their team over the past 15 years. There aren’t many single players about who can take a game by the scruff of it’s neck and change it on their own, something to admire surely.
On Thursday June 15, 2006,
Steve Tucker said:
...not outside Brazil anyway ;)
Point taken though!