Roy Keane was born in Cork but his journey to becoming a professional footballer was not straightforward.

He was turned down by a litany of clubs due to his height and slight build before Cobh Ramblers eventually took a chance on him.

Keane came to the attention of Nottingham Forest scout Noel McCabe who recommended him for a trial. After impressing manager Brian Clough, he joined the Tricky Trees in a deal worth £47,000 in the summer of 1990.

The midfielder initially suffered from homesickness and he credits Clough for his patience as he began to settle into life at the City Ground. He went on to score 11 goals in his first season.

Keane continued to impress in his two subsequent campaigns at Forest but he couldn’t prevent them from being relegated in 1993.

His move to Manchester United

There was a relegation clause in Keane’s contract and he was poised to join Blackburn Rovers for £4m, only for paperwork to scupper the move. Alex Ferguson managed to hijack the deal and he made the switch to Old Trafford for £3.75m – a British record at the time.

It didn’t take long for the Republic of Ireland international to establish himself as a regular starter. Bryan Robson was 36 at the time, and injuries meant that Keane was selected ahead of the club legend during his first season at the club.

He didn’t really look back from there. He won the Premier League title (United’s second in a row) during his maiden campaign and he would go on to be named captain of the club following Eric Cantona‘s retirement in 1997.

However, an ACL injury meant that Keane didn’t play many games during the 1997/98 season when Arsenal beat United to the title. He would return with something to prove the following campaign, helping the club secure a historic treble (the league, FA Cup and Champions League) in 1999.

The Red Devils continued to win trophies with Keane captaining the side but, after winning the league in 2003, the relationship between the player and club gradually began to turn sour.

Keane’s fallout with Ferguson and departure

By 2005, the midfielder was reaching the end of his career and he was picking up more injuries. Speaking in an interview after the fact, Keane claimed that he felt he was being forced out due to his age.

His contract was up at the end of 2005/06 season and the player confirmed that he was open to playing for other clubs in a phone-in Q&A with the club’s TV channel MUTV. He also criticised the performances of his teammates during another sit-down chat with MUTV.

Both incidents are believed to have agitated Ferguson and, combined with his difficult relationship with assistant Carlos Queiroz, it contributed to Keane leaving Old Trafford by mutual consent in November 2005. He would join Celtic just a month later but he opted to retire from professional football at the end of the season.

Career Achievements

• Keane won 17 major honours during his career including 7 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 4 Charity Shields, one Champions League and one Intercontinental Cup.
• He won the PFA Player of the Year in 2000.
• Keane was also handed the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year in 2000.
• He was named in the PFA Team of the Year on five separate occasions (1992/93, 1996-97, 1999/2000, 2001/2001 and 2001/2002).