Roy Keane was an ‘unbelievable’ player and teammate says Robbie Keane
Keane #Keane
Robbie Keane has hailed his namesake Roy as an ‘unbelievable’ teammate and player.
The two played together for a number of years under Mick McCarthy and Brian Kerr’s stewardship of the Republic of Ireland.
Both Keanes’ played crucial roles in the team, with Roy being the fulcrum of the midfield and Robbie being the goalscorer in chief. It’s been 18-years since the players shared a dressing room, but the respect Robbie has for his former captain is plain to see.
READ MORE: Mick McCarthy impresses fans with first act as Blackpool manager
“Roy, unbelievable player,” Robbie Keane said in an exclusive chat with Betway recently.
“Obviously, we played together for a few years. Unbelievable teammate. Off the pitch, great storyteller, very very funny.
“Obviously brilliant leader in terms of what he demands from the players, and certainly learned a lot from him.”
Of course, when Roy Keane’s name is mentioned in an Irish context, Saipan and the 2002 World Cup comes to mind. Roy infamously never played in that tournament after a huge bust-up with McCarthy saw him leave the camp on the eve of the tournament.
While it was a difficult time for Roy, that tournament is where Robbie truly announced himself on the World stage. The young striker scored three goals that tournament, with the most memorable being his iconic last-minute equaliser in the group stage against eventual runners-up Germany.
“Ah, well. This is obviously the Germany goal v Oliver Kahn in the 2002 World Cup. Even seeing this picture now still gives me goosebumps,” Keane again told Betway.
“Looking back now and you see the videos of it, and you see Mick McCarthy’s face, he’s almost in a trance, and all the players were running down and celebrating.
“I remember they all jumped on me, I couldn’t breathe for about a minute afterward, but it was well worth it.”
On McCarthy, Keane has nothing but praise for the former Ireland manager. According to the Spurs legend, the 63-year-old McCarthy, who just this week returned to management with Championship strugglers Blackpool, is one of football’s ‘good guys.’
“Mick McCarthy is probably one of the good guys. The thing about Mick is, what I love about him as a manager is that he is honest, and what you see is what you get.
“To work under him at the national team, as an assistant, was brilliant because, for someone like him, what he’s done in the game in terms of management, I think he’s managed over nearly 1000 games which is incredible.
“Just the way he is with people, the media, but also away from that he is a really, really good guy.”
READ NEXT:
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts