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Robbie Keane retires.... finially

Donki

Has a "Massive Member" Member
May 14, 2007
14,451
18,966
Just heard it on SSN, loved him and Berby up front and BMJ. Great season, sadly his kick up about his move tarnished his rep with many of us fans. He always did like to talk and his statement does go on a bit lol.

Today, after 23 wonderful years, I am formally announcing my retirement as a professional footballer.

From Crumlin United around the world to the likes of Milan, London and Los Angeles, I could never have imagined the path my football life would take. It has exceeded all the hopes I had as a football-mad boy growing up in Dublin.

Leaving home at 15 years of age to pursue my professional career in England seems a lifetime ago now. I was a street footballer full of hope armed with huge ambitions and a determination to succeed. All I needed was that one chance.

I would like to pay a special thanks to Wolverhampton Wanderers for believing in me and giving me that chance when I made my professional debut in 1997, at the age of 17, against Norwich City. I will never forget that day, and was fortunate enough to score both goals in a 2-0 win. That feeling of euphoria drove me to the heights I reached during my career.

From Wolves, my professional career followed a path that took me far and wide, giving my family and I the opportunity to meet and work with so many wonderful people and experience several different countries and cultures.

I have always wanted to test myself and strive to be the best that I could be, so I embraced new challenges be it at Coventry City, Inter Milan, Leeds United and then possibly the most successful period of my club football career with Tottenham Hotspur. I had the great privilege to represent and captain Tottenham over 238 games. I had many wonderful times there and I will look back on my days at White Hart Lane with great fondness. The club will always hold a special place in my heart.

There were shorter times spent at Glasgow Celtic and Liverpool, two truly iconic global institutions, and then West Ham United, before Los Angeles became our home away from home. We spent five hugely successful and rewarding years, both on and off the field, with LA Galaxy.

After a spell with Aston Villa, my playing career concluded with an exciting few months with ATK, a club which also gave me my first experience of management.

Playing and captaining my country has been the highlight of my career. I enjoyed every moment of the most incredible journey with the Ireland team over an 18-year period and as I have said many times before, words cannot express how proud I am to be Irish. I hope I have made the fans proud wearing the green jersey and armband.

It was always an honour to play for my country. Representing my country in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and two UEFA European Championships Finals are particular memories I will cherish forever.

I would also like to acknowledge the fans. It was always important for me to have a good connection with the fans of the teams I have played with – and their full support was vital to me, on both good and bad days, and was always greatly appreciated.

I would like to thank the teammates I have played with and the managers and staff I have worked with. I was honoured to work and learn from you all – you were invaluable to my development as a player.

I would also like to thank my agent and advisers Struan Marshall, Ciarán Medlar and Damien O’Donohoe for all your support to me and my family.

Thanks to my parents Anne and my late father Robbie Snr, my brother Graham and sisters Natasha and Amy for everything they have given me and who have always helped me throughout with their absolute support and advice. You can never know how much your love and support has meant.

Finally, I want to thank my wife Claudine and my two sons Robert and Hudson - who are always there for me - for all their love, support and encouragement. I am so incredibly grateful for all you have done for me since you came into my life, for the many sacrifices you have made so that I could pursue my career. Your love and inspiration has motivated me every day across each new adventure we have embraced around the world, and I have no doubt there will be many more to come.

I take great pride in having scored 325 goals in 737 club appearances and 68 goals in 146 international appearances for the Republic of Ireland. But for me, it was about making my family proud and the friendships that this wonderful game has given me. It is difficult to summarise a 23-year career but I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to do something I love every day.

With the closing of one chapter comes an exciting new adventure. I am incredibly proud, honoured and excited to now be working alongside Mick McCarthy, Terry Connor and the Irish international team over the next number of years. This is a role I have massive passion, energy and enthusiasm for and I hope to use my experiences to contribute towards a bright future in Irish football.

To all those who believed in me, supported me and picked me up when I needed a hand, you can never know how much that has all meant. It was an honour to represent you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Robbie Keane
 

JCRD

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2018
19,153
30,013
One of my favourite players. I hate him for going to Liverscum but ill forgive him for that - seems like a great bloke.

Such an excellent player and will never forget the goal against Blackburn - was sitting in the park lane and looked so good.
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,355
87,827
Love that man. Only Daws and Rafa have come as close since he left, in terms of how much I'd happily bum them.

I can forgive him a bit for the Liverpool shambles. At least he realised his mistake early and came back. And of course:

Keano.jpg
 

scat1620

L'espion mal fait
May 11, 2008
16,285
52,501
He was the first really good signing that we made as we clawed our way back out of the doldrums of the late 90s/early 00s to become the decent outfit that we morphed into (a year or two after Keane arrived) under Santini and then Jol. I'll always remember his arrival as one of those signings that showed we were turning the corner, and he gave us many years of fantastic service after that.

We all dream.
 

Wsussexspur

Well-Known Member
Oct 2, 2007
8,918
10,176
One of my favourite players was the first real signing which showed we were starting to turn the corner from the duldrums of the 90s and early 00’s. Like many others I was really pissed off when he went to Liverpool it was more to do with the mannner it happened. Feel he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for his time with us.
 

NinjaTuna

Well-Known Member
Jul 9, 2017
1,878
7,155
He was the first really good signing that we made as we clawed our way back out of the doldrums of the late 90s/early 00s to become the decent outfit that we morphed into (a year or two after Keane arrived) under Santini and then Jol. I'll always remember his arrival as one of those signings that showed we were turning the corner, and he gave us many years of fantastic service after that.

We all dream.

One of my favourite players was the first real signing which showed we were starting to turn the corner from the duldrums of the 90s and early 00’s. Like many others I was really pissed off when he went to Liverpool it was more to do with the mannner it happened. Feel he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for his time with us.
:cautious:
 

Frozen_Waffles

Well-Known Member
Jan 26, 2005
3,760
9,505
It's strange how I never felt that affiliation with robbie, I remember even before he moved to spurs he chased the money. His move to Liverpool and subsequent boyhood dream annoyed me. We should never have resigned him after it didn't work out.

However he has had a fantastic career and has been brave enough to try it in other leagues and is a legend for his country.

He thrived working of berba and needed players to work off. Great player for one or two seasons and good for the rest.

Remember those days when we had more than one striker though.. Fond memories, strangely I always missed kanoute.

Don't want to moan too much but we can all admit it now, his celebration was absolutely terrible.
 

midoNdefoe

the member formerly and technically still known as
Mar 9, 2005
3,107
3,166
He was the first really good signing that we made as we clawed our way back out of the doldrums of the late 90s/early 00s to become the decent outfit that we morphed into (a year or two after Keane arrived) under Santini and then Jol. I'll always remember his arrival as one of those signings that showed we were turning the corner, and he gave us many years of fantastic service after that.

We all dream.
One of my favourite players was the first real signing which showed we were starting to turn the corner from the duldrums of the 90s and early 00’s. Like many others I was really pissed off when he went to Liverpool it was more to do with the mannner it happened. Feel he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for his time with us.

Change the record, lads!! :LOL:
 

midoNdefoe

the member formerly and technically still known as
Mar 9, 2005
3,107
3,166
It's strange how I never felt that affiliation with robbie, I remember even before he moved to spurs he chased the money. His move to Liverpool and subsequent boyhood dream annoyed me. We should never have resigned him after it didn't work out.

However he has had a fantastic career and has been brave enough to try it in other leagues and is a legend for his country.

He thrived working of berba and needed players to work off. Great player for one or two seasons and good for the rest.

Remember those days when we had more than one striker though.. Fond memories, strangely I always missed kanoute.

Don't want to moan too much but we can all admit it now, his celebration was absolutely terrible.


Haha, Kanoute was great, but his step-overs... :eek: like he practised them on a yoga ball!
 

ChristianBaler

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2010
1,877
1,246
Always wondered why he stop doing the cart wheel celebration?

Got to have lunch with him in 2005 at Spurs Lodge. Great guy and a great player
 
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