GOALDEN MOMENTS
Keane finally calls time on playing career Striker regularly delivered on the big occasions
IF Mick McCarthy ever had the choice of marking either Niall Quinn or Robbie Keane during his playing career, he’d have taken Quinn every time.
‘At least with Niall, I could have had a scrap with him. With Robbie, I’m not so sure how I’d have done,’ observed the newlyappointed Republic of Ireland manager.
After Keane, 38, hung up his boots yesterday, McCarthy recalled how he threw the striker in at the deep end, aged 17, in his first stint in charge of Ireland.
‘I had no worries putting Robbie in that day in Olomouc. A few of the boys made their debuts from memory,’ recalled McCarthy.
‘As a manager, Robbie was a joy to have around. He had tremendous natural ability, wonderful movement, a sixth sense for being in the right place. You’re thinking, “How has he done that?”
‘He was bright, eager and he always loved playing, it was like he was out on the street with his mates.
‘When he came into the senior side, he always wanted to improve, and he pushed himself. I could see him developing into a leader and, of course he went on to captain the side,’ he added.
McCarthy has two stand-out goal moments in his first act as manager — Jason McAteer’s winner against Holland in Dublin and Keane’s last-gasp goal to draw with Germany in Ibaraki.
‘The World Cup goal against Germany stands out as one of my career highlights because it meant so much to the team,’ he said.
‘It was very late in the game and the draw meant we were in with a terrific chance of qualifying through our group as we had to play Saudi Arabia. It is one of my favourite goals and it was typical Robbie. I felt Robbie’s partnership with Niall was terrific.’
Among all the Keane numbers, the 883 career games and the 393 goals, 68 of them for the Republic of Ireland, there is one sequence which is the most remarkable.
In the 2002 World Cup finals, the Dubliner scored in successive games against Germany, Saudi Arabia and Spain.
It was a feat of the ages, one which only a select few have ever achieved, including Geoff Hurst and Eusebio (1966 finals), Jairzinho (1970), Gerd Muller (1974) Mario Kempes (1978) and Ronaldo (2002).
Ironically, Pele, the greatest of all, never managed it.
It was also proof that Keane thrived on the big stage, when it mattered most for Ireland.
Against Holland in Rotterdam, Italy in Bari, France in Paris, all huge World Cup qualifiers on the road, he turned up and delivered.
For 19 consecutive years with Ireland, from 1998 until 2016, he scored in every calendar year, just as he did in his club career which spanned from 1997 to 2018.
Keane wasn’t tall, particularly strong or pacey, but he could sniff out openings and found space in the most crowded of penalty boxes.
He learnt his skills on the streets of Tallaght and became a master poacher, adept at scoring with either foot.
Whether he was 20 yards out from goal, or six, it didn’t matter, he knew where the onion sack was.
Goals were his passport as was his personal ‘machine-gun’ celebrations, in a front-line career which that embraced Wolves — where he scored twice on his English League debut — Coventry City, Inter Milan, Leeds, Spurs, Liverpool, Celtic, West Ham, Aston Villa, LA Galaxy and ATK in India.
At every stop-off point, he scored, including 126 goals in 349 Premier League appearances — 91 of them for Spurs — where he was often captain. ‘The club will always hold a special place in my heart,’ he said yesterday.
For LA Galaxy, Keane bagged an impressive 104 goals in 165 games and lapped up the glitzy life-style in California. He also got to meet President Barack Obama at the White House.
At Galaxy, the striker gathered three MLS Cup honours to add to his League Cup success with Spurs in 2009.
After retiring from Ireland duty in September 2016, Keane raged against the dying of the light when he hooked up with Teddy Sheringham at ATK in Kolkata.
Despite injuries, he got to experience a new role as player-manager for a few games.
Keane might have squeezed a final short-term playing contract in the January transfer window if the Ireland gig had not presented itself, but once the coaching role with McCarthy and Ireland was confirmed, his time was up.
McCarthy is convinced he will be a huge assest to him as manager for the forthcoming Euro 2020 challenge.
‘Robbie hasn’t lost an ounce of his enthusiasm for the game and he’ll bring to that role with us now as a coach.
‘He’ll be watching players and providing feedback.
‘At training, he’ll have half a foot in both camps as he has a greater affinity with the players than I would have, as he played with a number of them.
‘He’ll be pushing them on and I can see a role for him with Ireland for a long time to come,’ said McCarthy.