Robbie Keane

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Keane progressed through Wolves' youth ranks and made his professional debut aged 17 on 9 August 1997, scoring twice against Norwich City. The following season he excelled at the club, earning praise from both the press and Wolves manager Colin Lee. He went on to be the club's leading scorer, with 16 goals in the 1998–99 season. Keane's performances and goalscoring record with both Wolves and his national team attracted much interest from larger clubs and a move for the young striker seemed imminent given Wolves' finances. However, with three years left on his contract, Wolves sought a high price for their Irish star and managing director John Richards stated his reluctance to sell Keane unless their asking price was met.

Coventry City

Just weeks into the 1999–2000 season, he was sold to Premier League club Coventry City for £6 million, then a British record for a teenager. Keane got off to a great start, scoring two goals on his debut against Derby County. During a successful season at Coventry, he played a major role in a stylish attacking side boasting the likes of Gary McAllister, Mustapha Hadji and Youssef Chippo and formed a productive strike partnership with Cédric Roussel. Keane played in a total of 34 games, scoring 12 goals, all of which came in the Premier League.

Inter Milan

After an impressive first season in the Premier League, Keane was signed by Italian Serie A club Inter Milan for a fee of £13 million in…

Keane was part of the so-called "golden generation" of Irish youth football of the late 1990s. Under the guidance of Brian Kerr, the unfancied Republic of Ireland won the UEFA U16 and U18 European championships in 1998, and Keane was part of the victorious U18 side in Cyprus. In 1999, he played at the World Youth Cup in Nigeria, where the Republic of Ireland reached the last 16 before going out on penalties to the hosts. His first Republic of Ireland cap came against the Czech Republic in Olomouc in March 1998. He scored his first senior international goals against Malta in October that year. Keane was selected by Mick McCarthy as part of the Republic of Ireland squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, scoring three goals in the Republic of Ireland's four games. Keane scored an injury-time equaliser against Germany in the group stage match as the Irish surprised many by holding the former champions to a 1–1 draw. This was the first of only three goals which Germany conceded in the tournament (the other two were scored in the final by Brazil's Ronaldo). In the Round of 16 match against Spain, he scored a last-minute penalty to force the game into extra-time and a penalty shootout after the Irish had gone a goal down early in the first half, but eventually lost 3–2 on penalties. Keane became the Republic of Ireland's leading goalscorer during a match against the Faroe Islands on 13 October 2004 when he scored his 22nd and 23rd goals. The first of these goals…

Early career

In March 2018, Keane was appointed player-manager of ATK after Sheringham and his replacement Ashley Westwood were sacked, with ATK finishing outside the play-offs. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over NorthEast United on his managerial debut, enough to save them from last place. After contesting the final three matches as player-manager, Keane decided to leave the club at the end of the season. In November 2018, Keane agreed to act as the assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, under the management of newly appointed Mick McCarthy. In June 2019, he accepted the dual roles of assistant manager of Middlesbrough in the Championship and the Republic of Ireland national team. His former Leeds and Tottenham teammate Jonathan Woodgate, who had been appointed the manager of the Teesside-based club, offered him the role as part of a refurbished coaching team. On 23 June 2020, Keane left his role as Middlesbrough assistant manager after his one-year contract came to an end during the COVID-19 pandemic. Keane completed UEFA coaching qualifications, receiving the UEFA Pro Licence in 2020. On 3 May 2023, Keane joined the coaching staff of Premier League side Leeds, following the appointment of Sam Allardyce as manager. However, in the aftermath of the club's relegation at the end of the season, both Allardyce and Keane left Leeds by mutual agreement on 2 June.

Maccabi Tel Aviv

On 26 June 2023, Keane was appointed new head coach of…

Robert David Keane was born and raised in Tallaght, Dublin, the son of Anne and Robert Keane. He started his football career with local club Fettercairn before joining Dublin schoolboy team Crumlin United at the age of 10, where his talent was seen and recognised at an early age. He also played Gaelic football until he was 15, before giving it up to pursue a football career. Keane received offers from both Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but decided to go to the First Division side, judging that it would be harder to break into the first team at Liverpool. He moved to Wolverhampton four days before his 16th birthday in July 1996, joining their youth team.