‘I’ll smash him he killed me’ – Man Utd icon Roy Keane threatened Cesc Fabregas after brutal tackle in 2005 FA Cup final

ROY KEANE threatened to “SMASH” Cesc Fabregas after claiming the Spaniard “killed” him with a brutal tackle in 2005.

The Manchester United legend was left fuming during the 2005 FA Cup final against Arsenal following a chunky challenge from Fabregas.

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Roy Keane threatened revenge on Cesc Fabregas in Man Utd’s FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal in 2005Credit: Getty – Contributor

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Keane was left fuming after being wiped out by a brutal Fabregas tackleCredit: Action Images – Reuters

The playmaker wiped out his midfield opponent with a crunching slide in the first-half.

Arsenal went on to win the thriller in Cardiff on penalties.

But Keane’s biggest gripe was with Fabregas’ tackle.

The Irishman, famous for his own no-holds barred challenges, let rip at then-teammate Gerard Pique during the half-time break just for being friends with Fabregas.

And Keane vowed to get his own back later on in the heated encounter.

Fabregas told The Times: “I tackled Roy Keane really hard and felt really good about it because he was always giving me a tough time.

“A few years later, Pique said to be that at half-time Keane said, ‘That Spanish friend of yours, I will smash him, he killed me’.”

It’s not the first time Fabregas has lifted the lid on his infamous encounter with Keane.

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The ex-Barcelona and Chelsea star told the Telegraph in 2020: “Gerard Pique, who was at Man United then, told me about this afterwards and I never knew about it.

“He told me that me and Roy went into a challenge, which I remember.

“It was 50/50 and I must have caught him with my knee in his quad. I got him a little bit.

“At half-time, he went to Pique and started shouting at him because he knew we were friends.

“[There was] a bit of swearing. I can’t say the exact words but it was fun.”