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Roy Keane is widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s greatest and most combative midfielders.
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After retiring he had mixed success as a manager before turning to punditry.
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His standing in the game ensured that he built up a huge net worth.
Born on August 10th 1971 in Cork, Ireland, Roy Keane grew up in a sports-mad family, and his talent for football was clear from an early age.
Nottingham Forest scouts spotted his potential as a mobile, energetic box-to-box midfielder and what followed was a glittering playing career, most notably for Manchester United, where he would become one of the Premier League’s most decorated footballers.
He also won 67 caps for his country. His aggressive playing style, desire to win and plain talking have ensured that he has courted plenty of controversy during his football career while accumulating a large net worth.
How Much Is Roy Keane Worth?
Roy Keane is thought to have a net worth of £45m. This is understandable considering the hugely successful career he has had on and off the pitch.
When he moved to Manchester United for a British record fee in 1993, he was paid just £350,000 a year initially, but this wage increased significantly over the following decade, peaking at £90,000 per week.
He took a significant pay cut as a manager, earning £20,000 a week as Celtic manager, and £500,000 per annum as Ireland assistant manager. But like other ex-players, a career in punditry has proved very lucrative indeed.
Add his property dealings into the mix, and he has done very well indeed, selling his Cheshire mansion for a profit of £6.3m in 2018.
He has also had two best-selling autobiographies published, bringing in further millions while the publicity surrounding the release of both further raised his profile.
Roy Keane Clubs
As a player, Keane represented four clubs during his 18-year career, beginning with Cobh Ramblers, an Irish club based in County Cork.
Keane would only play there for a year before a Nottingham Forest scout spotted his potential and he would make 114 appearances for Forest. When Brian Clough’s side were relegated in 1993 Manchester United snapped him up for £3.75m.
Keane would spend 12 highly successful years at United, winning everything there was to win. Premier League betting odds suggest they could do with him still.
As time caught up with him, Keane ended his playing career at Celtic, making just ten appearances before announcing his retirement.
He went on to manage Sunderland and Ipswich Town with mixed results, before becoming an assistant manager for the Republic of Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, his last post ending in 2019.
Those with an interest in betting would be wise to wager on him returning to management at some point.
Roy Keane Wife
Roy Keane is married to Theresa Doyle, having tied the knot in 1997, in Mayfield, Cork.
They have five children together: Shannon, Caragh, Aidan, Leah and Alanna. The couple first met when Keane was at Nottingham Forest in 1992, when Theresa was a dental assistant.
Roy has since spoken about the first time they met in a Nottingham nightclub, and how Theresa initially ignored him, as she was in a relationship at the time.
After bumping into each other numerous times around the city, they would eventually date and fall in love.
Both are notoriously private about their personal lives, but Roy has described her as his “rock”. She has accepted his imperfections, and “had to bite her tongue” on many occasions.
When Roy was without employment briefly, he has since joked that Theresa and their children were keen for him to get back into work as soon as possible.
Roy Keane Red Cards
Considering Keane’s style of play, it will come as little surprise to learn he has picked up plenty of red cards during his career. It was this aggression that saw him named in 2007 as the 11th “hardest” footballer in history by The Times.
Keane received his first red card for Manchester United for a stamp on current England manager Gareth Southgate in an FA Cup semi-final victory, the first of many.
Keane jointly holds the record for the most red cards received in English football, having been dismissed a total of 13 times in his career, while his 11 cards for Manchester United is a record for the club.
His combative style would occasionally lead to ill-discipline, and if he played in the modern era, football odds would favour him topping every season’s disciplinary charts.
However, over a long and otherwise distinguished playing career, an average of less than one red card per season is not as bad as many assume.
Roy Keane Haaland
Roy Keane’s tunnel bust up with Patrick Vieira may live long in the memory, but his feud with Alf-Inge Haaland is the most notorious of all, and the subject of much misunderstanding.
The story revolves around a 2001 Manchester derby, when late in the game Keane was sent off for a knee-high foul on Haaland.
The following year Keane confirmed in his autobiography that it was an act of revenge for an incident in a previous match. This admission would earn Keane further punishments, including a five-match ban.
Haaland never played a full game again due to injury, but it is a misconception that Keane ended his career. The foul in the 2001 game impacted on Haaland’s right knee, while it was injuries to his left knee that ended his career.
Keane’s subsequent absence would not derail United, who secured another Premier League trophy that season.
Roy Keane Instagram
Early in 2021 Keane surprised many and embraced technology, setting up his first Instagram account, under the user-name officialkeane16.
The number refers to the shirt he wore at Manchester United, one that will be worn by new signing Jadon Sancho in the 2021/22 season. Many Premier League predictions tip Sancho to be a worthy heir to that shirt number.
Not surprisingly his account immediately proved popular and he had soon picked up over 1.5 million followers. His Instagram feed is a wonderful way of showcasing the less serious side of Roy’s life.
He is not a prodigious poster by any means, but in the first six months of posts we still get to see a varied selection of photos from his playing career, family life and from his younger days.
You can tell that Roy is a proud father, and grandfather too, and his account gives fans a rare insight into his personal life.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Jon Super / AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 13th August 2021