Roy Keane: Captain, leader and legend

Roy Keane arrived at Manchester United in the summer of ’93 from Nottingham Forest. He could have gone to Blackburn Rovers after Kenny Dalglish agreed terms with him. It was just sheer luck that he ended at Old Trafford.

After agreeing terms, Dalglish realized they did not have the necessary paperwork in place. It was a Friday afternoon and the office at Ewood park had been locked up for the weekend. He decided to get Keane’s signature on Monday to make it official. Meanwhile, Sir Alex called up Roy on Saturday to offer him a place at United. That was it. The moment Keane got that call, he knew that Old Trafford was the place where his heart lay. When Keane met Ferguson, he told him that with or without him they would dominate the League but they needed him to win in Europe. He signed for Manchester United for a British Record fee of £3.75 million.

When Keane arrived at Old Trafford, Robson and Ince were already plying their trade in United’s midfield. However, a series of injuries kept Robbo out for most of the season and Roy got a chance to prove himself. He scored twice in his first home game at Old Trafford. However, it was the winner at Maine Road against City that made Keane a fan favourite. United were 2-0 down in the first half. An inspired United performance in the second half saw United equalize through Eric Cantona. Then came the winner. Denis Irwin broke free from the left and delivered a perfect cross to the far post. Roy timed his run perfectly and put it away on the half-volley.

After Eric Cantona’s unexpected retirement, Keane took over as club captain. It was on the field that Keane did the talking. He was a perfect box-to-box midfielder. He could score, tackle, pass and dominate the game in midfield. He always led from the front. If there was a tackle to be won, he would do it. If they was a pass to be made, he would be there.

This was also the glorious period of Manchester United-Arsenal rivalry. With Keane and Vieira always confronting each other, always ready to have a go at each other even physically on the field, these matches used to be very intense and competitive. They were the clubs challenging for top honours during the period.

Who can forget the tunnel incident at Highbury in 2005? Patrick Vieira was having a go at Gary Neville, telling him to stay away from Reyes. Then came Keane, verbally confronting the Gunners’ captain. The incident was broadcast live on Sky Sports with Keane clearly heard telling the match referee to “Tell him [Vieira] to shut his f***ing mouth!”

Another famous incident involving Keano was the Alf-Inge Haaland Incident. Roy Keane never forgets a tackle. United were playing Leeds in a match at Old Trafford. In an attempt to tackle Haaland, Keane injured himself. As he lay on the ground, Haaland stood over Keane, accusing him of feigning injury to escape punishment. Four years later, the duo met again in a Manchester Derby with Haaland playing for City. Five minutes before the final whistle, it was Haaland’s turn to face the whistle as Roy Keane went for a blatant knee-high foul on the Norwegian. He received a red card and was further banned for 3 matches with a £5,000 fine from the FA.

However, it was his performance in the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League where Keane showed the world his leadership. It was that night in Turin, when Inzaghi put Juventus ahead with 2 goals in the first 11 minutes. Keane received a booking early-on in the match for tackling Zidane, which ruled him out of the final if United did qualify. But he was Roy Keane. He was determined to see his team reach the final. It did not matter to him whether or not he would be playing. For him, this was the final. Keane put up an emphatic display on that night, scoring the first goal and inspiring his comrades on the field. His was pulling all strings in midfield, winning every tackle and leading by example. United produced a miracle to win 3-2, coming back from a 2 goal deficit to reach the finals in Barcelona. Without Keane, there would have been no treble.

After the match, Sir Alex Ferguson commented on his captain: “It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field. Pounding over every blade of grass, competing if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose, he inspired all around him. I felt it was an honour to be associated with such a player.”

Keane wanted complete commitment from all his teammates. If he felt that someone was not performing upto his potential, he would make sure that it was never going to happen again. Even the fans were not spared of his wrath during a Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev at Old Trafford, with Keane coining the term “prawn-sandwich brigade” in English football vocabulary.

Keane left Manchester United in 2007 through mutual consent after 12 years of service. He signed for Celtic. A testimonial was played in honour of Keane on 9 May, 2006 at Old Trafford. Fans thronged the arena to watch their captain in action for one last time. The capacity crowd of 69,591 till date remains the largest crowd ever for a testimonial match in England.

His major honors with Manchester United are: 7 Premier Leagues, 4 FA Cups, 1 UEFA Champions League and 1 Intercontinental Cup. He also won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2000. He was inducted in the English Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

On June 2006, when Keane called time on his playing career, even Sir Alex opined about his former captain: “Over the years when they start picking the best teams of all time, he will be in there.”

Even after 8 years, United have struggled to replace Keane with a player of his calibre. There is only one Roy Keane – Captain, leader and legend.