Roy Keane

No matter what team you support, there is no denying that Roy Keane is one of the best midfielders of his generation. Named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players in 2004, he has also been a club manager and assistant manager to the Republic of Ireland national team. Noted for his hardened and brash demeanour, Keane is a hugely likeable and popular figure and is a regular pundit on TV’s live football coverage with Sky Sports and ITV. He was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021.

Over his 18-year playing career, the Cork-born Roy Maurice Keane has played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, and Celtic. He was a dominating box-to-box midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, and this helped him excel as the captain of Manchester United from 1997 until he left the club in 2005. And during his 12 years at the club, who he joined in 1993, the team saw an incredible amount of success, including seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and the UEFA Champions League title in 1998-99. He signed for Celtic in 2005, and helped the club win a domestic double before he retired as a player in 2006. He played at international level for the Republic of Ireland over 14 years, and also served as their captain, taking them to two World Cups. He started his managerial career at Championship side Sunderland in 2006, helping them secure promotion to the Premier League in his first season. He resigned in 2008 and then took over at Ipswich Town from 2009 to 2011. In 2013 he was appointed assistant manager with the Republic of Ireland under Martin O’Neill.

Keane is not a huge fan of social media, but he does occasionally post about his life around football and family to his millions of fans and followers through Instagram.