Roy Keane
Royston Maurice "Roy" Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football manager and former professional football player. He is the assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team. In his 18-year-long playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic. Keane was a dominating defensive midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, an attitude that helped him excel as captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure in 2005. Joining the club in 1993, Keane helped United achieve a sustained period of success during his twelve year tenure at the club. He then signed for Celtic but retired as a player less than a year later. Keane is regarded by many football players, managers and critics as the greatest captain in English football history. He played at international level for much of his career, representing the Republic of Ireland over a period of 14 years, most of which he spent as captain. He played in every Republic of Ireland game at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, although he was sent home from the 2002 World Cup after an incident with national coach Mick McCarthy. He was appointed manager of Sunderland shortly after his retirement as a player and took the club from 23rd position in the Football League Championship, in late August, to win the division title and gain promotion to the Premier League. Keane's arrival was cited as the key catalyst in Sunderland's recovery. He managed to keep Sunderland from relegation in the 2007–08 season but in his second season as a top-flight manager he left his position with Sunderland in the relegation zone. In April 2009, he was appointed as manager of Ipswich Town but was sacked after 20 months in January 2011 due to the club's position of 19th in the Championship. In November 2013, he was appointed assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team by manager Martin O'Neill. Keane also served as a studio analyst alongside Ian Wright, Lee Dixon and Gordon Strachan, fellow contemporary footballers of his time, for ITV's football coverage up until 2014.