Roy Keane Names Alex Ferguson Among His Most Important Football Figures

Hal picked up his MA in Sports Journalism and NCTJ qualification from St Mary's University Twickenham, Hal has since been part of Valnet since late 2021.

He started as a freelance football writer for This Is Futbol and carried that on over to FootballFanCast before becoming their social media editor. He now works as an editor for GiveMeSport, predominantly focusing on Premier League, Champions League, and English football.

He also helps GiveMeSport cover other major sports such as MMA, boxing, darts, tennis, and golf. Key events like the summer and winter Olympics are also highlights when they appear on the sporting calendar.

Hal is an Arsenal and Three Lions fan, but keeps an eye on the All Blacks, his favourite rugby team, having grown up in New Zealand. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account Love him or hate him, Roy Keane ranks among the finest midfielders the Premier League has ever seen. Winning the English top flight seven times with Manchester United, as well as the Champions League in 1999, the Irishman was and remains a hugely important figure at Old Trafford.

His fiery personality on the pitch has translated into his reputation as a pundit in retirement, as he often makes headlines with his withering comments about those who do not please or impress him. His unwillingness to bite his tongue has frequently got Keane into trouble over the years, famously costing him a place in the Ireland World Cup team in 2002, as he left Saipan early after a heated disagreement with manager Mick McCarthy.

Another example came in 2005 when he fell out with Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson, leading to his exit after 12 years with the Red Devils. Despite that clash, Keane has still named the Scottish coach among the most important footballing figures in his career.

Working as a pundit for ITV covering the 2026 World Cup, Keane was asked to name his 'football Mount Rushmore'. Picking four men who influenced him the most, he first brought up Diego Maradona, explaining how he loved watching the Argentine legend when he was younger.

His second pick was Brian Clough, who gave him his big 'break' in football, having signed him for Nottingham Forest from Cork club Cobh Ramblers in 1990. Keane noted how the iconic British manager gave him the 'opportunity to go to England and have a career.'

His third pick was Jack Charlton, the man who gave Keane his first international caps and played him in every Ireland game at the 1994 World Cup. Despite that, the pair often clashed, but the pundit admitted, "I was a bit young to maybe appreciate Jack's messages," as he recalled working with the influential Englishman.

Finally, he accepted that Ferguson had obviously played a huge role in his career, signing him for Man Utd and making him captain as they won 12 major honours together, not counting three community shileds and the Intercontinental Cup. Speaking about the decision to include his old boss, Keane said:

“Obviously still disappointed the way he treated me in the end but that’s life. “I’m not one to hold grudges.”

Keane’s infamous fall out with Ferguson occured in 2005 after a 4-1 loss to Middlesbrough. The club captained tore into his teammated during an MUTV interview, calling out the likes of Edwin van der Sar, John O’Shea, Darren Fletcher, Kieran Richardson, Alan Smith and Rio Ferdinand. On the latter, he said:

“I have seen that happen to Rio before [after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink robbed Ferdinand for the second goal]. It is poor defending. Just because you are paid £120,000 a week and play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham you think you are a superstar."

Keane's opinions were described by those present at the interview as "explosive even by his standards" and the interview was pulled before it aired to the public. Ferguson was furious, and this was the beginning of the end for his captain, who departed after another falling out just two weeks later.

Referring to the MUTV interview, Ferguson later recalled: "It was unbelievable. He slaughtered everyone. Darren Fletcher got it. Alan Smith. Van der Sar. Roy was taking them all down.

"The hardest part of Roy’s body is his tongue. He has the most savage tongue you can imagine."

While it didn't end in harmony, Keane's time at Man United was essentially a huge success, and it's good to know that, despite their fractious past, the Irishman does recognise the role Ferguson played in taking him to the top of English football.