Roy Keane

Roy Maurice Keane (born in Cork, 10 August 1971) is the manager of Sunderland A.F.C. in England’s Coca-Cola Championship league. He is a former Irish international footballer, Irish team captain, Manchester United team captain and Celtic player.

He began his career at Rockmount F.C. in Cork, Ireland before moving to Cobh Ramblers FC. He was quickly spotted by Nottingham Forrest who in turn signed him for a nominal fee. He then made his name at Nottingham Forest before moving to Manchester United for a British record transfer fee of £3.75 Million in 1993. With United, he won the FA Premier League seven times and the FA Cup four times, and played a major role in helping the team win the UEFA Champions League in 1999.

During his time at United, he was known for his inspirational leadership, excellent tackling and distribution abilities. He is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders to ever play in the modern era. Additionally, ex-player and BBC pundit Alan Hansen is of the opinion that Keane is the best player to have played in the Premier League since its inception in 1992. Manager Alex Ferguson regards him as his best player ever during his 20-year reign at Manchester United. [1]. Keane has led United to nine major honours during his captaincy from 1998 to 2005, making him Manchester United’s most successful skipper.

Although Keane attracted praise as a player, he also had disciplinary problems, being sent off eleven times in his career, and notably suspended twice for the same foul on Alf Inge Haaland, once for the foul and again after admitting in his autobiography that the foul was deliberate. (From Wikipedia)