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Kevin Keegan
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2002 |
Extract from Football's Greatest Heroes by Robert Galvin. The official National Football Hall of Fame book:
Kevin Keegan developed a knack for the grand finale after lifting himself from the depths of the Football League to the pinnacle of the game as England captain by dint of sheer force of will and application.
Twice Keegan made his exit from a club in a European Cup final, winning one, losing the other. Then, in his final game before retirement, he waved goodbye to an adoring crowd from a helicopter as it took off from the middle of the pitch.
His career at the top level began in equally dramatic fashion. Twelve minutes into his debut for Liverpool as a raw 20-year-old in 1971, Keegan scored in front of the Kop. ‘A fairytale start,' he recalled. Keegan had cost £33,000 from Scunthorpe United. ‘Robbery,' Bill Shankly called it.
‘When Kevin was with Liverpool he was, without argument, the best player in Britain ,' Emlyn Hughes, the Liverpool captain, said. ‘His consistency was incredible.'
The first Englishman twice to be voted European Footballer of the Year, Keegan gave a match-winning performance against Borussia Moenchengladbach in the European Cup final in 1977.
His tussle with Berti Vogts, his marker, was pivotal, and Keegan won it comprehensively, luring the West Germany defender into giving away the decisive penalty in a 3-1 victory in Rome .
Three years later, Keegan was playing for SV Hamburg when they lost 1-0 against Nottingham Forest in Madrid . It was his last game for a club whose fortunes he had transformed. In turn, Hamburg had paid him handsomely for the use of his image commercially.
Now the most famous footballer on the continent, Keegan ignored overtures from Spain and Italy in making his next move. That he wanted to come home wasn't too surprising. That he opted for Southampton certainly was.
In his first season at The Dell, the Saints finished sixth, the highest position in the club's history. The following season, Keegan was highest scorer in the First Division, with 26 goals.
Moving on again, this time to Newcastle United, Keegan helped the club to promotion in his second season. Then, at the age of 33, he retired, departing St James' Park by helicopter. ‘To add to my dramatic exit, I dropped my number seven shirt as we took off,' he said.
Unfortunately for Keegan, his peak years had coincided with a decline in the fortunes of England , who failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1974 and 1978.
Finally, in 1982, England made it. Yet once again, it ended in disappointment. Cruelly sidelined by a back injury, he was limited to 18 minutes of active involvement. A substitute against Spain , he missed one chance, and England were out.
‘I was captain of my country in over 30 games,' Keegan said. ‘It is a source of great disappointment that the least successful part of my career should have been played out on the international stage.'
After making his international debut in 1972, Keegan collected 63 caps over a period of 10 years. ‘Kevin was a great England player, and the man I built my team around,' Ron Greenwood said.
Years later, Keegan summed up his thinking as a footballer: ‘I was never the prettiest player to watch, but it was the end product that I was interested in.'