Roy Keane

About

Roy was captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure in 2005, having joined the club in 1993. He helped United achieve a sustained period of success in more than 12 years at the club, and is considered as one of the greatest midfielders to ever play football.

Roy Keane was born in Cork, Ireland on 10 August 1971. In June 1990 Roy Keane was transferred from Cobh Ramblers to Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest for £10,000. Three years later he moved to Manchester United for £3,750,000.

After moving to United hesoon established himself as a permanent fixture in Alex Ferguson’s side, and by the end of the season, he had won his first trophy as a professional as United retained their Premier League title in May. Two weeks later, Keane broke his Wembley losing streak by helping United to a 4–0 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup Final, sealing the club’s first ever Double.

Roy also played at international level for much of his career, representing the Republic of Ireland over a period of 14 years, most of which he spent as captain. He played in every Republic of Ireland game at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Keane was included in Ireland’s squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the USA and played in every game, including a famous 1–0 victory over tournament favourites and eventual runners-up, Italy. Despite a second-round exit at the hands of the Netherlands, the tournament was considered a success for the Irish team, and Keane was named the best player of Ireland’s campaign.

After retiring from football Roy took up the post as Sunderland manager. During his first season he took the club from 23rd position in the Football League Championship to win the league and gain promotion to the Premier League. Keane’s arrival was cited as the catalyst for Sunderland’s recovery. He managed to keep Sunderland from relegation in the 2007–08 season, but in his second season as a top-flight manager he left his position with Sunderland in the relegation zone.

Keane was named FWA Footballer of the Year and the PFA Player’s Player of the Year, both in 2000. He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Keane has done media work along with Harry Redknapp and Gareth Southgate were pundits for ITV’s coverage of the Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona.

As a speaker, Roy is always ready to give his honest and passionate opinion on a number of topics, sports related or not.