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Roy Keane
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2004 |
Extract from Football's Greatest Heroes by Robert Galvin. The official National Football Hall of Fame book:
Roy Keane can properly be described as the ‘heart and soul' of a Manchester United side that enjoyed unprecedented success in English league and cup football during the 1990s, according to Sir Alex Ferguson.
‘ Roy is a legend who will always be revered by fans at Old Trafford for what he did for this club,' said Ferguson . With Keane driving them on from his position in central midfield, United claimed three doubles in the space of five years.
‘If I could have any individual player in the world in my team, money no object, it would be Roy ,' said Brian Clough, the Nottingham Forest manager, who signed Keane as a teenager in 1990.
Three years later, when Keane became available for transfer, Ferguson acted swiftly, telling him: ‘ Roy , with you at our club, we can win the biggest prize in Europe .' Keane accepted the challenge, and in 1999 he proved his manager correct.
‘I didn't think I could have a higher opinion of any footballer than I did of Roy but he rose even further in my estimation against Juventus,' Sir Alex recalled, referring to the Irishman's performance in the Champions League semi-final, second leg in 1999.
When Keane was cautioned in Turin – a booking which meant an automatic suspension for the final – United were losing on aggregate. Whatever happened now, he would miss out on the biggest game of his career. His reaction to this disappointment ‘defined him as a player', Ferguson said.
‘ Roy seemed to redouble his efforts. It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I've seen on a football field, inspiring all around him,' Ferguson said. Two goals adrift at one stage, United eventually went through 3-2 on aggregate.
Ferguson had set his sights on signing Keane within 15 seconds of first seeing him live in action – during his first season at the City Ground.
‘I always remember the kick-off,' Ferguson recalled. ‘The ball went back to Bryan Robson and Roy absolutely cemented him! I said to myself: “Bloody cheek of him! How dare he come to Old Trafford and tackle like that.”'
The childhood boxer relished the challenge. ‘During my time in the ring as a lad I developed a certain confidence when confronted by physical aggression,' he said.
Keane loathes complacency; in himself and in others. Relentlessly over the years he drove his team forward. His fierce will to win has since been identified by Ferguson as perhaps the biggest positive factor in the rise of the club.
‘I worked for every second with complete determination and absolute concentration,' Keane said of himself as a youngster. ‘The determination was obvious. It was my trademark.'
The constant striving for improvement did led to confrontation with authority. Keane had a history of red cards and confrontations with referees. By his own admission, he sometimes went too far. ‘The psycho in the middle with veins bulging in his head is me,' he said, referring to a photograph of one incident.
At international level, he walked out of the Republic of Ireland training camp before the World Cup in 2002, accusing officials of being unprofessional, and sparking a controversy that divided the nation.
A native of Cork , Keane was playing for semi-professional Cobh Ramblers when a Forest scout first spotted him. Less than a year later Keane was playing international football. Jack Charlton, the Republic of Ireland , manager, was soon describing him as ‘the best midfielder in Britain '. Graham Taylor said: ‘I just wish he was English.'
Bryan Robson, a predecessor in the leadership role at Old Trafford, said: ‘I haven't seen him have an average game yet. He's outstanding, a legend. If I had to pick a World XI, Roy would be in it.'