Roy Keane has opened up on the admiration that he has for one team and the Manchester United legend was even linked with them in his remarkable career.
The 53-year-old former Manchester United captain had a sensational impact at Old Trafford after his £3.75m transfer from Nottingham Forest in 1993.
Roy Keane was a skilled box-to-box midfielder during his legendary playing career and the United legend equally excelled as a leader in the Red Devils team.
The Irishman became United captain after Eric Cantona’s sudden retirement in 1997 and was a key figure under former Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
During his prolific spell at Old Trafford, Keane lifted seven Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy and four FA Cups with the Red Devils.
The former United and Nottingham Forest midfielder fell out with Sir Alex Ferguson towards the tail end of his time with the Red Devils.
Keane was axed by the Premier League club in 2005 and the Irish hardman went on to sign for Scottish side Celtic before he retired from football in 2006.
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TV pundits Ian Wright and Roy Keane are seen pitch side prior to the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Manchester United and Leicester Cit...
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Keane admires European heavyweight
Roy Keane’s legendary captaincy at Manchester United included the Red Devils’ iconic continental treble win in the 1998-99 season under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The former Celtic and Nottingham Forest player was a key part of the treble-winning squad and made a real impact for United in the 1998-99 campaign.
Keane is widely admired for his remarkable United performance in the Red Devils’ 3-2 comeback win over Juventus in the Champions League in 1999.
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Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, the Sky Sports pundit admitted that Serie A outfit Juventus was a team that he “always” had a “soft spot” for.
Keane also shared his enjoyment of Napoli when the Serie A side had Diego Maradona, who is the United legend’s pick for the best player of all time.
Responding to Ian Wright, the ex-United skipper said on The Overlap: “Do you know you’re on about growing up watching teams? But the team I have a soft spot [for] is Juventus. I like Juventus.
“Obviously, when [Diego] Maradona was at Napoli it was amazing. I always had a soft spot for Juventus.”
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Keane could have signed for Juventus
Keane was suspended for the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich after he picked up a booking against Juventus in the semi-finals.
United had played out a 1-1 draw against the Old Lady in the first-leg clash at Old Trafford before Ferguson’s men travelled to Turin in April 1999.
Filippo Inzaghi scored a brace inside the opening 15 minutes before Keane pulled United back into the tie and Dwight Yorke scored the equaliser in the 34th minute.
United legend Andy Cole sealed the winner for United in the second half and the Red Devils later went on to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 at the Camp Nou in the final.
Keane previously revealed that Juventus was one of the two elite European heavyweight teams that tried to sign him in his illustrious playing career.
“I agreed a deal, yeah, obviously my contract was up a couple of times when I did my cruciate and then came back and I had opportunities to go on a free,” he said on the Stick to Football show in 2023.
“And a part of me is jealous when I see other lads now going abroad because it’s a great experience for a family and maybe, but again, I was really happy at United and content.
“If I knew how it was going to end and look back now with loyalty and all that type of talk with Ferguson, I probably should’ve definitely gone abroad and experienced a different league.”