Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has delivered a classy tribute to former iconic English football figure Kevin Keegan following news of his passing.
Keegan dies
On Monday, Keegan’s family released a statement announcing his death at the age of 75 after a short battle with illness.
At the start of the year, Keegan was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer, having been admitted to hospital with abdominal problems.
He is survived by his wife Jean and their two daughters, Laura, aged 48, and Sarah, aged 44.
Considered among the true greats of his generation, Keegan’s glittering career saw him make almost 750 club appearances, lift the First Division trophy three times with Liverpool, and secure consecutive Ballon d’Or awards in 1978 and 1979 while starring for Hamburg.
As a manager, he took charge of Newcastle, Fulham, England and Manchester City. When Keegan first took over the reins at Newcastle in 1992, the Magpies were on the brink of relegation to Division Two. Against the odds, he kept them afloat before leading them to the Premier League in his very first full season at the helm.
The 1996 campaign saw Newcastle come agonisingly close to ending their wait for a top-flight crown. At one point, they sat 12 points clear of Sir Alex’s United and were firm favourites. But what followed was a collapse for the ages. Sir Alex worked his magic, United snatched the title, and Newcastle were left to rue what might have been.
Keegan famously said, ‘I will love it if we beat them’ in a TV outburst aimed at Ferguson as Newcastle collapsed.
Speaking on Track Radio, Sir Alex hailed his fierce rivalry with Keegan, while also revealing that weeks after the rant, the pair met and made up.
Sir Alex’s tribute
Sir Alex said, “I had the utmost respect for him. We had many duels when he was manager of Newcastle, but I have to say the job he did at Newcastle was fantastic.”
“He re-energised that club and he brought that enthusiasm and fanaticism that great supporters can give. That’s the job he did.”
“And he also brought three great players to the club – [David] Ginola, [Faustino] Asprilla, Philippe Albert – and added a bit of class to the team, and I must say the challenges we had with Newcastle at that time at United were huge.”
“Kevin carried the love of the game on his sleeve, there’s no question about that, and that carried right on to the fans, to the players. That period at Newcastle was of emotion, it was excitement. They brought these great players to the club too and they added to it, and it gave Newcastle – I think – their best ever team.”
On Keegan’s outburst, Sir Alex recalled, “The great thing about him, he held no grudges. That was a fantastic quality he had and we had a great night.”
“All aside whatever happened in previous weeks, that was soon forgotten. I really respected him for that.”
Messages of condolence continue to pour in for Keegan, whose indelible mark on the game will never be forgotten.
Featured image Jamie McDonald via Getty Images
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