Roy Keane
Roy Keane has admitted he was left crying in his car after leaving Manchester United following an illustrious 12-year career at Old Trafford.
The former Red Devils captain left the Premier League giants in November 2005 by mutual consent which was sparked by his brutally honest interview with MUTV where he criticised his team-mates after a 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough.
His harsh comments were said to be so severe that the footage was not shown on the club's channel and ultimately led to the breakdown of his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson and his departure from Manchester.
Known for his stoic, aggressive nature on the football pitch, Keane admitted that his exit from United was too much for him to bare emotionally. Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Gary Neville, Ian Wright, and Jill Scott discussed moments during their careers where they had shed tears, which led to the Irishman's revelation.
"When I left United, I did cry that morning. Cried in my car." It wasn't the first time the 53-year-old spoke of his emotional reaction to leaving the club, as he opened up on it during an interview in 2023.
"I think the only time I really cried was when I left United after I had a bit of a disagreement with a few people but other than that you're very much in that bubble," Keane said in a chat with Tommy Tiernan. "You're in the zone. I always say I was in the zone. "I used to say to people, and they didn't quite understand it, I was going to war every week."
Keane has spoken in the past over his relationship with Ferguson as he aired his grievances surrounding the manner of his exit 20 years ago. "I don't see how things could have been different with Sir Alex," he said on a prior episode of the Stick to Football podcast. "It's a silly thing to be thinking about that's not going to happen.
"I get my anger is obviously a long time ago but the worst anger you can have is the justified anger where you feel - again I feel I hadn't done anything wrong. I was 34, I had a broken foot, and my contract was coming up, it was an easy fix for [Manchester] United to go, 'Your days are numbered, alright, cheers, thanks a lot'. I've seen players leave but I could have left in the summer.
"I had no hang ups about leaving in the summer, or going, 'Am I getting another sneaky deal here? Listen, I'm a big boy, I can deal with it'. It was all the way it was done; it wasn't nice that's the bit. Not that I had to leave United, no again, that's life."
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.