Former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy believes that Robbie Keane will go down in history as one of the best players to every put on the green jersey.
The 36-year-old striker will bring down the curtain on an illustrious international career when he lines out for his country for the last time against Oman next week.
Keane is Ireland’s top goal scorer by a huge margin, with 67 goals in 145 games and is just one goal away from drawing level one 68 goals with German legend Gerd Muller in the all-time scoring charts.
When asked where Keane rates in the list of Irish greats, his former manager McCarthy told RTÉ: “He’s arguably the best. He’s certainly been the most productive in terms of his position and goals he’s scored, 67.
“He’s scored every type of goal, with his head, with both feet, probably with his backside and his knees. He’s got scruffy goals, he’s got wonderful goals and he also helps other score.
“We’ve had some really good players, Paul McGrath and Liam Brady and lots of others, Robbie’s up there with any of them and could end up being the best of all.”
It was McCarthy who handed Keane his international debut and brought him through the ranks of the senior set-up.
Keane's days with the Boys in Green https://t.co/L8sWFLoizY
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 24, 2016
“It’s sounds patronising but he was a lovely young boy,” McCarthy reminisced. “He played like a kid in a playground and he just enjoyed playing. He had a real joy of just being out on the training ground and he lit the place up.
“He had a real humble side to him. He was just an ordinary kid who loved playing football and every one of us took to him.
“He was cocky, confident and swaggered on the pitch but that’s where you want it. Any of us my age would have been happy to have him as a kid.”
And when asked which of Keane’s 67 goals was the most memorable, there was only one choice for McCarthy.
“Against Germany in the last minutes of the game at the World Cup in 2002,” he said. “That’s the one that sticks in my mind.
“You could see by my reaction on the sidelines I thought it had actually hit the post and gone wide and then when it went in the net it was scenes of delirious joy.”
He provided one of the greatest Irish footballing moments of all time. Thank you, Robbie Keane! #COYBIGhttps://t.co/ivgN9XWaKN
— FAIreland (@FAIreland) August 24, 2016
