A former Liverpool star discussed his time at Anfield after failing to reproduce his Tottenham Hotspur form
Robbie Keane playing for Liverpool
Robbie Keane spoke about his experience of playing for Liverpool(Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Robbie Keane previously hinted that Rafa Benitez had shown him a lack of respect during his time at Liverpool. The Irishman signed for the Reds as a prolific striker from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 but failed to have the same impact in his short spell at Anfield.
Liverpool splashed out £19million for Keane, who was unveiled as Fernando Torres’ new striker partner shortly after his 28th birthday. While he may have been entering his prime years, Keane struggled to replicate the form he had shown at Spurs, who Liverpool host in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
The Republic of Ireland international scored seven and assisted five goals across his 28 appearances for Benitez’s side. However, the ex-Spurs talisman initially went 11 league games without a league goal and found the net just once while sharing the pitch with Torres.
There were brief glimpses of what Keane could produce in a Liverpool shirt but the striker’s time with the Reds soon came to an end. He rejoined Tottenham in February 2009 and later insisted that he would have fared better for Liverpool under a different manager.
“Of course I wish it had gone differently, but I have no regrets,” he told Icon magazine in 2009. “I do believe with a different manager it would have worked for me, but different managers have different methods and some have different ideas than those you are used to or believe in.
“People have their own opinions of Benitez. I have nothing against him and will leave people to make their own minds up about him.
“When you've been around for a while as a player, all you want is a bit of respect and to be treated the way you feel you deserve to be.”
Robbie Keane and Rafa Benitez
Robbie Keane struggled during his time playing under Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez(Image: ANDREW YATES / AFP via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Keane moved back to Tottenham for an initial £12m as Liverpool opted to offload the forward despite being in a Premier League title race with rivals Manchester United. He ended the campaign with five goals in 14 games for Spurs, matching his league tally for Benitez’s side.
The 46-year-old had claimed to be a boyhood Liverpool fan upon signing for the Reds. However, Keane flourished most as a player for Spurs and shared his affection for the club ahead of lining up against the north London side for MLS All-Stars during his time with LA Galaxy.
“This is a special one for me because it’s against Tottenham, my club, the club where I felt I made my name and had a big impact,” Keane told Spurs’ website in 2015. “Everyone knows Spurs is a club that’s very close to my heart, so this is a big deal for me.”
Across his eight-and-a-half seasons with Spurs, Keane scored 122 goals in 306 games. After retiring in 2018, he has since moved into coaching and was most recently in charge of Ferencvaros, where he won the Hungarian Cup last season.