Robbie Keane

Robert " Robbie " David Keane (born 8 July 1980 in Tallaght, Dublin) is an Irish footballer, currently playing for Liverpool . He is also the Republic of Ireland 's current captain and record goalscorer. He began his professional career at Wolverhampton Wanderers , playing first for the youth team then progressing to the first team. He earned his first team debut aged 17 and impressed, scoring two goals against Norwich City . The following season he was the club's leading goalscorer. During this time he excelled in the international youth tournaments, winning both the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship with the Republic of Ireland. His precocious talent attracted attention and Coventry City bought the teenager for a record breaking £6 million. In his first and only season with club he scored 12 goals in 34 games, resulting in a £13 million transfer to Inter . After a change of manager at the Italian club, Keane fell out of favour and played infrequently. Dissatisfied, he sought a change and was sent on loan to Premier League side Leeds United . The loan spell was so successful that Leeds manager David O'Leary agreed to sign the Irishman on a permanent deal for £12 million. However, Keane's performance in the 2001-02 season was disappointing as he only managed to score 9 goals in 33 games. Furthermore, Leeds suffered a financial crisis and the cash-strapped team were forced to sell the player. Tottenham Hotspur signed Keane just before the 2002-03 transfer deadline for a fee of £7 million. At the London club he returned to his prolific ways, finishing his debut season with 13 goals, making him the team's top scorer. He repeated the feat the following season, this time with 16 goals. Keane suffered in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons as new manager Martin Jol favoured playing Jermain Defoe and Mido as strike partners. In spite of this, he soon affirmed his place in the starting line up as the club's most consistent striker with 16 Premiership goals in the 2005-06 season. The following season Keane suffered from injuries. However, Keane returned in strong form, partnering with new signing Dimitar Berbatov for the second half of the season. Keane scored an impressive 15 goals in 15 games and finished the season with 22, the highest goal tally of his career. The 2007-08 season was the most fruitful of his career, beating his previous goal record and finishing as joint top scorer with 23 goals. In the season he scored a landmark 100th competitive goal for Tottenham and won his first senior honour, the Football League Cup. His consistency and strike-rate attracted the attention of Premier League rivals Liverpool. Despite initial resistance to the sale and accusations of misconduct, Tottenham agreed to a £20.3 million deal for the player, allowing Keane to join the team he supported in his childhood.