Roy Keane, born in 1971, is an Irish football coach and former midfielder.

His career has included stints at Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Celtic, and representing the Republic of Ireland international squad.

Keane is considered one of the most successful Irish players of all time, having won 19 trophies during his career.

The football icon is known for his outspoken opinion during games and to other players. So much so, he is the inspiration behind character Roy Kent in Apple TV+ comedy, Ted Lasso - though Keane notes he’s nicer than the sweary character.

Born and raised in Mayfield, Cork, Keane’s family were all sport-oriented, and he started his football career at local club, Rockmount.

At one point he considered a career in boxing before focusing on football.

After retiring as a player in 2006, he then went into coaching and punditry.

In 2021, he was inducted into the Premier League Hall Of Fame.

He has been married to Theresa Doyle since 1997, and together they have five children.

Keane regularly contributes to podcast The Overlap in association with Sky Sports, which was launched by Gary Neville in 2021.

Find out more about Gary Neville here.

Keane signed for semi-pro club Cobh Ramblers in Ireland in 1989.

While playing in the FAI Youth Cup in February the next year, his skills were noticed by Noel McCabe, a Nottingham Forest scout watching the match.

He was signed for the Under-21s team by the end of that summer, moving him over to the UK for the first time. By the start of the ‘90-’91 season, he had made his professional league debut with Nottingham.

His impressive talent on the pitch was quickly noticed by Premier League teams, with Blackburn Rovers manager Kenny Dalglish at one point starting the process to sign him.

After the transfer collapsed over a clerical error, Sir Alex Ferguson quickly snapped Keane up for Manchester United instead.

Keane joined the team in 1993, and became captain for the team in 1997, taking over from Eric Cantona, but had to sit out most of that season due to an injury.

In 1999, with Keane at the helm, he led Manchester United to a treble victory season, winning the FA Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League.

Keane became known for his rivalries and clashes with opposing players during his time at the club. Most notable was Patrick Viera, the captain of Arsenal during the early 2000s.

He infamously injured Manchester City player Alfie Haaland in 2001 with a high kick to the knee in 2001, in an apparent act of revenge from an incident four years prior, where Haaland accused Keane of faking an injury.

He was also fined £150,000 after elbowing Sunderland’s Jason McAteer during a 2002 match.

In his later years at Manchester United, Keane was vocally critical of his teammates, who he believed had started prioritising wealth over the game.

Keane is considered one of the most successful captains in Manchester United’s history, earning nine major honours during his tenure and leading the team to seven FA Cup finals.

He left Man U in November 2005 by mutual consent, after combined issues including an injury and consistent friction with Sir Alex Ferguson and other members of the team.

He had played for the team for 12-and-a-half years, scoring 55 goals for the team in his career.

Keane was announced as the newest member of the Celtic team in December 2005, and he made his debut for the club in January 2006.

However, just six months after joining Celtic, Keane announced his retirement on medical grounds.

At the time of writing (October 2024), he holds the record for most red cards in an English football career with 13 to his name.

Keane made his managerial debut shortly at Sunderland shortly after retiring from the pitch, signing a three-year deal with the club after the ‘06-’07 season.

Within his first year, he successfully managed to get the club out of the relegation zone and bottom half of the league. The club secured a promotion to the Premier League in 2007.

However, he stood down from the club in 2008, later claiming it came down to friction between major shareholder Ellis Short and club chairman Niall Quinn on his management of the team.

Keane then joined Ipswich Town in April 2009 on a two-year contract, bringing over some players from Sunderland to join the squad. In his first season as manager, it took Ipswich 14 games before a recorded win. He was never fully able to get the team out of a danger zone or close to any promotions, and he was dismissed in January 2011.

In 2013, Keane was announced as the new assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland team, joining Martin O’Neill. Both remained with the team until 2018, leaving at the same time.

Keane spent four months as the assistant manager at Aston Villa, starting in July 2014, but later quit the position in order to focus on his role as assistant manager to the Republic of Ireland.

Finally, from January to June 2019, Keane was assistant manager at Nottingham Forest.