Roy Keane

Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most decorated Irish footballer of all time alongside Denis Irwin and Ronnie Whelan, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 during his time at Manchester United. Widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive midfielders of all time, one of the best players of his generation, and one of the greatest players in Premier League history, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players in 2004.

In his 18-year playing career, Keane played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic. He was a dominating box-to-box 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. Keane helped United achieve sustained success during his 12 years at the club, winning seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and the UEFA Champions League. He then signed for Celtic, where he won the Scottish Premier League and Scottish League Cup before retiring as a player in 2006.

Keane played at the international level for the Republic of Ireland over 14 years, most of which he spent as captain. At the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he played in every Republic of Ireland game. He was sent home from the 2002 FIFA World Cup after a dispute with national coach Mick McCarthy over the team's training facilities.

Keane began his management career at Sunderland shortly after his retirement as a player and took the club from 23rd position in the Football League Championship, in late August, to winning the division title and gaining promotion to the Premier League. He resigned in December 2008, and from April 2009 to January 2011, he was manager of Championship club Ipswich Town. In November 2013, he was appointed assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national team by manager Martin O'Neill, a role he held until 2018. He also had brief spells as assistant manager at Aston Villa in 2014 and Nottingham Forest in 2019. Following his departure as manager of Ipswich, Keane began a career in the media working for British channels ITV and Sky Sports as an in-studio football analyst. He was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021.