Roy Keane

Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football manager and former professional football player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies, 17 of which came at Manchester United, in his club career. He is currently the assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team.

In his 18-year-long playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic. Keane was a dominating defensive midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, an attitude that helped him excel as captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure in 2005. Joining the club in 1993, Keane helped United achieve a sustained period of success during his twelve year tenure at the club. He then signed for Celtic but retired as a player less than a year later.

Keane played at international level for much of his career, representing the Republic of Ireland over a period of 14 years, most of which he spent as captain. He played in every Republic of Ireland game at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, although he was sent home from the 2002 World Cup after an incident with national coach Mick McCarthy. Regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation, in 2004 Keane was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. In 2007, The Times placed him at number 11 in their list of the 50 hardest footballers in history.