Robert David 'Robbie' Keane Biography | Robert David 'Robbie' Keane News

Crumlin United
Keane started his football career with South Dublin schoolboy side Crumlin United where his talent was recognised at an early age[5]. He moved on to Wolverhampton Wanderers where he began his professional footballing career and it wasn't long before the premiership scouts were clambering for his signature.

Wolverhampton Wanderers
 
Robbie Keane with Wolverhampton WanderersHowever, he turned down Liverpool to join Wolverhampton Wanderers, reasoning that he had a greater chance of breaking into the first team at the First Division side. Keane progressed through their youth ranks and made his professional debut aged 17 on August 9, 1997, where he scored twice against Norwich City. He went on to be the club's leading scorer in the following season as his profile rose.

Coventry City
Just weeks into the 1999-2000 season, he was sold to Premier League club Coventry City for £6m, a then-British record for a teenager. After a successful season at Coventry, where he scored 12 goals in 34 games, he had become one of the hottest properties in English football, and was being courted by many of the biggest clubs in football.

Inter Milan
In the end, he was signed by Marcello Lippi of Internazionale for £13m, where he teamed up with the likes of Ronaldo and Christian Vieri. (Coincidently, this was Coventry City F.C.'s last major sale in the English Premier League, as the next season, they were relegated after 34 years of top flight football).

However his dream move to Italy soured when Lippi was sacked soon after Keane arrived, and Lippi's successor, Marco Tardelli deemed Keane to be surplus to requirements. Keane's ambition refused to let him stagnate in Italy, and, in December 2000, he was loaned out to Leeds United.

Leeds United
His Leeds career got off to an impressive start, scoring 9 goals in 14 starts before the Leeds manager, David O'Leary, made his loan deal permanent in May 2001 at a cost of £12m. The following season was not so bright, and he found himself dropping down the pecking order. His form suffered and he only managed 10 goals in 36 appearances. Meanwhile, Leeds's financial troubles were forcing the club to sell many of its players, and Keane joined the exodus when he was sold to Tottenham Hotspur just before the 2002-03 transfer deadline for a fee of £7m.

Tottenham Hotspur
 
Robbie Keane, about to take a penalty at White Hart LaneOn signing him for Tottenham, manager Glenn Hoddle said that Keane was ideally suited to Tottenham and could make White Hart Lane his "spiritual home" for years to come. Keane had an impressive debut at Spurs, winning a penalty during a 3-2 win over West Ham. Keane's first goal for Tottenham came in a 2-1 win against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Although Spurs finished in a disappointing 10th place, Keane was their success story of the season, finishing as Tottenham's top scorer with 13 goals, including a spectacular hat-trick in a win over Everton at White Hart Lane.

In the 2003-04, Spurs battled with relegation, but Keane's goals played a major part in helping secure Tottenham's Premiership status. A hat-trick against Wolves and a last minute penalty to equalise in the North London derby against Arsenal were highlights as Keane once again ended the season as Tottenham's top scorer with 16 goals.

His third season, 2004-05, was more frustrating. Despite finishing with his highest return of goals in a season for Tottenham, 17, he played second-fiddle to the likes of Jermain Defoe, Fredi Kanoute and Mido for much of the season. The frustration culminated in Keane storming from the dugout towards the end of a game against Birmingham City in April 2005 after all the substitutes had been used, meaning he would not get a chance to appear. He was fined £10,000 and forced to train with the reserves after the outburst and his future at the club was thrown into doubt.

He knuckled down after this incident but the 2005-06 season started as the previous one had ended, with Defoe being preferred to partner Mido in Tottenham's strikeforce. However, Defoe's strike-rate continued to disappoint and Keane's persistence paid off in November when manager Martin Jol eventually gave Keane a chance to replace Defoe and stake his claim.

He grabbed the chance with both hands, started playing some of the best football of his career and by March had overtaken Mido as the top goalscorer at the club. Keane would go on to finish the season with 16 league goals - making him the Premier League's joint fourth top goalscorer that season. He had also been made the vice-captain, taking the captaincy on those occasions when Ledley King was not available.

He is a firm fans' favourite, and is regarded as a great professional. Hoddle once said of Keane's personality, "He's such a bubbly lad that anyone who meets him loves him." Edgar Davids and Keane were involved in a training ground fight in December 2005, but the pair subsequently made up publicly and were seen encouraging each other on the pitch. Davids claimed that this incident inspired Tottenham into a new togetherness, firing their push for European qualification, though Davids has since left Spurs, after apparently falling out with manager (and fellow Dutchman), Martin Jol.

In February 2006, Inter's owner and president, Massimo Moratti, admitted his regret at letting Keane go some five years earlier, saying Keane was now playing "perfect" football. Keane signed a new four year contract in March 2006, keeping him at the club until 2010.

Keane was said to be one of ten Spurs squad members to be struck down by norovirus, a form of viral gastroenteritis, on the evening of 6 May 2006 before their crucial final game of the season against West Ham United.

Keane had a slow start to the 2006-07 season which was further set back by a knee ligament injury that Keane suffered against Middlesbrough on December 05, 2006. His return from injury marked the beginning of a return to form and a lethal partnership with Dimitar Berbatov. Keane and Berbatov were jointly awarded the FA Premier League's Player of the Month Award for April 2007. Keane finished the season with a total of 22 goals in all competitions - the highest ever season tally of his career - scoring 15 goals in his last 15 appearances of the season.

Keane started in his 200th appearance for Tottenham in the final game of the 2006-07 Season against Manchester City scoring the first goal in a 2-1 victory that saw Tottenham secure 5th place in the league.

He signed a new five year contract with Tottenham on May 28, 2007 that would have kept him at the club until 2012. On December 26, 2007, he became only the 13th player in the history of the league to score 100 Premiership goals. 2007 proved to be a remarkable year for the striker with a total of 31 goals and 13 assists from just 40 starts. His tally of 19 league goals in the calendar year was the highest of any player in the Premier League throughout 2007.

He scored his 100th competitive goal for Tottenham in the 2-0 win against Sunderland on January 19, 2008. He is the 15th Tottenham player to achieve this feat.

On February 24, 2008, he won his first senior honour as a player as his Tottenham side won the first League Cup Final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium, beating Chelsea 2-1 after extra time. On April 12, 2008, Keane made his 250th appearance for Spurs in the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough. Keane finished the 2007-08 season equal top scorer for Spurs with Berbatov, with 23 goals in all competitions. His 15 Premiership goals making him the first Spurs player to score double figures in the Premier League in 6 consecutive seasons.

Keane in his Tottenham career won the player of year three times (2003, 2005'06 & 2007'08), the only player so far to do so.

Liverpool
Liverpool publicly announced their interest in Keane on 1 July 2008. Amid accusations that Liverpool had unsettled the player, Tottenham Hotspur filed a complaint to the Premier League regarding the club's conduct. However, on 28 July 2008 Tottenham confirmed the sale of Keane for £19 million (plus a potential £1.3 million in performance based compensation). Keane agreed terms with Liverpool shortly afterwards, signing a four year contract with the Merseyside club. Following the transfer, Tottenham withdrew their official complaint against Liverpool after the club made a donation to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and apologised for their behaviour prior to the deal. Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy publicly stated his dissatisfaction, saying he had been forced into transferring the player due to Liverpool's interference.

In his first interview as a Liverpool player, Keane expressed no regret over the move and revealed he would wear the number 7 shirt; a number previously worn by Liverpool heavyweights Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan.

Crumlin United
Keane started his football career with South Dublin schoolboy side Crumlin United where his talent was recognised at an early age[5]. He moved on to Wolverhampton Wanderers where he began his professional footballing career and it wasn't long before the premiership scouts were clambering for his signature.

Wolverhampton Wanderers
 
Robbie Keane with Wolverhampton WanderersHowever, he turned down Liverpool to join Wolverhampton Wanderers, reasoning that he had a greater chance of breaking into the first team at the First Division side. Keane progressed through their youth ranks and made his professional debut aged 17 on August 9, 1997, where he scored twice against Norwich City. He went on to be the club's leading scorer in the following season as his profile rose.

Coventry City
Just weeks into the 1999-2000 season, he was sold to Premier League club Coventry City for £6m, a then-British record for a teenager. After a successful season at Coventry, where he scored 12 goals in 34 games, he had become one of the hottest properties in English football, and was being courted by many of the biggest clubs in football.

Inter Milan
In the end, he was signed by Marcello Lippi of Internazionale for £13m, where he teamed up with the likes of Ronaldo and Christian Vieri. (Coincidently, this was Coventry City F.C.'s last major sale in the English Premier League, as the next season, they were relegated after 34 years of top flight football).

However his dream move to Italy soured when Lippi was sacked soon after Keane arrived, and Lippi's successor, Marco Tardelli deemed Keane to be surplus to requirements. Keane's ambition refused to let him stagnate in Italy, and, in December 2000, he was loaned out to Leeds United.

Leeds United
His Leeds career got off to an impressive start, scoring 9 goals in 14 starts before the Leeds manager, David O'Leary, made his loan deal permanent in May 2001 at a cost of £12m. The following season was not so bright, and he found himself dropping down the pecking order. His form suffered and he only managed 10 goals in 36 appearances. Meanwhile, Leeds's financial troubles were forcing the club to sell many of its players, and Keane joined the exodus when he was sold to Tottenham Hotspur just before the 2002-03 transfer deadline for a fee of £7m.

Tottenham Hotspur
 
Robbie Keane, about to take a penalty at White Hart LaneOn signing him for Tottenham, manager Glenn Hoddle said that Keane was ideally suited to Tottenham and could make White Hart Lane his "spiritual home" for years to come. Keane had an impressive debut at Spurs, winning a penalty during a 3-2 win over West Ham. Keane's first goal for Tottenham came in a 2-1 win against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Although Spurs finished in a disappointing 10th place, Keane was their success story of the season, finishing as Tottenham's top scorer with 13 goals, including a spectacular hat-trick in a win over Everton at White Hart Lane.

In the 2003-04, Spurs battled with relegation, but Keane's goals played a major part in helping secure Tottenham's Premiership status. A hat-trick against Wolves and a last minute penalty to equalise in the North London derby against Arsenal were highlights as Keane once again ended the season as Tottenham's top scorer with 16 goals.

His third season, 2004-05, was more frustrating. Despite finishing with his highest return of goals in a season for Tottenham, 17, he played second-fiddle to the likes of Jermain Defoe, Fredi Kanoute and Mido for much of the season. The frustration culminated in Keane storming from the dugout towards the end of a game against Birmingham City in April 2005 after all the substitutes had been used, meaning he would not get a chance to appear. He was fined £10,000 and forced to train with the reserves after the outburst and his future at the club was thrown into doubt.

He knuckled down after this incident but the 2005-06 season started as the previous one had ended, with Defoe being preferred to partner Mido in Tottenham's strikeforce. However, Defoe's strike-rate continued to disappoint and Keane's persistence paid off in November when manager Martin Jol eventually gave Keane a chance to replace Defoe and stake his claim.

He grabbed the chance with both hands, started playing some of the best football of his career and by March had overtaken Mido as the top goalscorer at the club. Keane would go on to finish the season with 16 league goals - making him the Premier League's joint fourth top goalscorer that season. He had also been made the vice-captain, taking the captaincy on those occasions when Ledley King was not available.

He is a firm fans' favourite, and is regarded as a great professional. Hoddle once said of Keane's personality, "He's such a bubbly lad that anyone who meets him loves him." Edgar Davids and Keane were involved in a training ground fight in December 2005, but the pair subsequently made up publicly and were seen encouraging each other on the pitch. Davids claimed that this incident inspired Tottenham into a new togetherness, firing their push for European qualification, though Davids has since left Spurs, after apparently falling out with manager (and fellow Dutchman), Martin Jol.

In February 2006, Inter's owner and president, Massimo Moratti, admitted his regret at letting Keane go some five years earlier, saying Keane was now playing "perfect" football. Keane signed a new four year contract in March 2006, keeping him at the club until 2010.

Keane was said to be one of ten Spurs squad members to be struck down by norovirus, a form of viral gastroenteritis, on the evening of 6 May 2006 before their crucial final game of the season against West Ham United.

Keane had a slow start to the 2006-07 season which was further set back by a knee ligament injury that Keane suffered against Middlesbrough on December 05, 2006. His return from injury marked the beginning of a return to form and a lethal partnership with Dimitar Berbatov. Keane and Berbatov were jointly awarded the FA Premier League's Player of the Month Award for April 2007. Keane finished the season with a total of 22 goals in all competitions - the highest ever season tally of his career - scoring 15 goals in his last 15 appearances of the season.

Keane started in his 200th appearance for Tottenham in the final game of the 2006-07 Season against Manchester City scoring the first goal in a 2-1 victory that saw Tottenham secure 5th place in the league.

He signed a new five year contract with Tottenham on May 28, 2007 that would have kept him at the club until 2012. On December 26, 2007, he became only the 13th player in the history of the league to score 100 Premiership goals. 2007 proved to be a remarkable year for the striker with a total of 31 goals and 13 assists from just 40 starts. His tally of 19 league goals in the calendar year was the highest of any player in the Premier League throughout 2007.

He scored his 100th competitive goal for Tottenham in the 2-0 win against Sunderland on January 19, 2008. He is the 15th Tottenham player to achieve this feat.

On February 24, 2008, he won his first senior honour as a player as his Tottenham side won the first League Cup Final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium, beating Chelsea 2-1 after extra time. On April 12, 2008, Keane made his 250th appearance for Spurs in the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough. Keane finished the 2007-08 season equal top scorer for Spurs with Berbatov, with 23 goals in all competitions. His 15 Premiership goals making him the first Spurs player to score double figures in the Premier League in 6 consecutive seasons.

Keane in his Tottenham career won the player of year three times (2003, 2005'06 & 2007'08), the only player so far to do so.

Liverpool
Liverpool publicly announced their interest in Keane on 1 July 2008. Amid accusations that Liverpool had unsettled the player, Tottenham Hotspur filed a complaint to the Premier League regarding the club's conduct. However, on 28 July 2008 Tottenham confirmed the sale of Keane for £19 million (plus a potential £1.3 million in performance based compensation). Keane agreed terms with Liverpool shortly afterwards, signing a four year contract with the Merseyside club. Following the transfer, Tottenham withdrew their official complaint against Liverpool after the club made a donation to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and apologised for their behaviour prior to the deal. Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy publicly stated his dissatisfaction, saying he had been forced into transferring the player due to Liverpool's interference.

In his first interview as a Liverpool player, Keane expressed no regret over the move and revealed he would wear the number 7 shirt; a number previously worn by Liverpool heavyweights Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan.

Robbie Keane has already achieved much in the international arena. He was part of the "Golden Generation" of Republic of Ireland youth football of the late 1990s. Under the guidance of Brian Kerr, the unfancied Republic won the UEFA U-16 and U-18 European championships in 1998, and Robbie was part of the victorious U-18 side. In 1999, he played at the World Youth Cup in Nigeria, where the Republic reached the last 16 before going out on penalties to the hosts.

He made his first senior appearance for the Republic of Ireland against the Czech Republic in Olomouc in March 1998, scoring his first senior goal against Malta in October that year. He won his 70th cap in the Republic's 5-0 defeat of San Marino, scoring a hat-trick along the way.

Keane is now the Republic's top goalscorer at international level; his 33 goals in 81 games surpasses Niall Quinn's record of 21.

He was part of the 2002 World Cup campaign in South Korea and Japan, scoring three goals in the Republic of Ireland's four games. His most famous goal to date is arguably the injury-time equaliser against Germany in the 2002 World Cup (the only goal to be scored against Germany in the competition until the final), although his last-minute equaliser against Spain from the penalty spot was equally as dramatic.

Although the Republic of Ireland failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Keane scored four goals in the Republic's eight matches and remains their most prolific goalscorer.

Following Steve Staunton's appointment as the manager of the Republic of Ireland, Keane was appointed captain. In their first game under Staunton, Keane scored the second goal in the 3-0 victory against Sweden at Lansdowne Road, and celebrated the final match at the Lansdowne Road stadium, against San Marino, with a hat trick. Giovanni Trapattoni who took over from Staunton confirmed his confidence in Keane's leadership by handing him the captain's armband ahead of the Republic of Ireland's match against Serbia on May 24 2008 which ended in a 1 - 1 draw. On May 29th 2008 Robbie Keane scored his 33rd international goal in their 1-0 victory over Colombia at Craven Cottage in London, which he subsequently dedicated to his friend Georgios Samaras who will be playing for Greece this summer in Euro 2008.

Under the new management of Giovanni Trapattoni, Robbie Keane has been identified as the spearhead of the Rebublic of Ireland attack and Giovanni Trapattoni compared Robbie Keane to Italian goalscoring playmaker Francesco Totti due to his postion in behind the striker and his intelligent link up play and runs.

Robbie Keane has already achieved much in the international arena. He was part of the "Golden Generation" of Republic of Ireland youth football of the late 1990s. Under the guidance of Brian Kerr, the unfancied Republic won the UEFA U-16 and U-18 European championships in 1998, and Robbie was part of the victorious U-18 side. In 1999, he played at the World Youth Cup in Nigeria, where the Republic reached the last 16 before going out on penalties to the hosts.

He made his first senior appearance for the Republic of Ireland against the Czech Republic in Olomouc in March 1998, scoring his first senior goal against Malta in October that year. He won his 70th cap in the Republic's 5-0 defeat of San Marino, scoring a hat-trick along the way.

Keane is now the Republic's top goalscorer at international level; his 33 goals in 81 games surpasses Niall Quinn's record of 21.

He was part of the 2002 World Cup campaign in South Korea and Japan, scoring three goals in the Republic of Ireland's four games. His most famous goal to date is arguably the injury-time equaliser against Germany in the 2002 World Cup (the only goal to be scored against Germany in the competition until the final), although his last-minute equaliser against Spain from the penalty spot was equally as dramatic.

Although the Republic of Ireland failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Keane scored four goals in the Republic's eight matches and remains their most prolific goalscorer.

Following Steve Staunton's appointment as the manager of the Republic of Ireland, Keane was appointed captain. In their first game under Staunton, Keane scored the second goal in the 3-0 victory against Sweden at Lansdowne Road, and celebrated the final match at the Lansdowne Road stadium, against San Marino, with a hat trick. Giovanni Trapattoni who took over from Staunton confirmed his confidence in Keane's leadership by handing him the captain's armband ahead of the Republic of Ireland's match against Serbia on May 24 2008 which ended in a 1 - 1 draw. On May 29th 2008 Robbie Keane scored his 33rd international goal in their 1-0 victory over Colombia at Craven Cottage in London, which he subsequently dedicated to his friend Georgios Samaras who will be playing for Greece this summer in Euro 2008.

Under the new management of Giovanni Trapattoni, Robbie Keane has been identified as the spearhead of the Rebublic of Ireland attack and Giovanni Trapattoni compared Robbie Keane to Italian goalscoring playmaker Francesco Totti due to his postion in behind the striker and his intelligent link up play and runs.

Keane is known for his trademark goal celebration, during which he runs towards one of the corner flags and performs a cartwheel and forward roll, finishing by "firing" his hands like a gun. He once swapped the gun mime for a crossbow after scoring a goal for Ireland in the 2002 World Cup against Saudi Arabia and again for Spurs in the 2005-06 season. He stopped performing the celebration for about a year, because the manager at the time Martin Jol thought he would get injured. He brought it back for one more time to celebrate his 100th goal for the club on 19 January 2008.

Keane claimed in a television interview that he would only bring the celebration back should Spurs win the League Cup, a feat they achieved on 24 February 2008 in a 2-1 Victory against Chelsea FC at Wembley Stadium. However, this claim never came to fruition as Keane was not amongst the scorers that day.

Keane is known for his trademark goal celebration, during which he runs towards one of the corner flags and performs a cartwheel and forward roll, finishing by "firing" his hands like a gun. He once swapped the gun mime for a crossbow after scoring a goal for Ireland in the 2002 World Cup against Saudi Arabia and again for Spurs in the 2005-06 season. He stopped performing the celebration for about a year, because the manager at the time Martin Jol thought he would get injured. He brought it back for one more time to celebrate his 100th goal for the club on 19 January 2008.

Keane claimed in a television interview that he would only bring the celebration back should Spurs win the League Cup, a feat they achieved on 24 February 2008 in a 2-1 Victory against Chelsea FC at Wembley Stadium. However, this claim never came to fruition as Keane was not amongst the scorers that day.