Roy Keane has opened up about his short stint at Celtic, describing it as an “embarrassing” period in his career and one where he believes he should have retired instead of continuing to play.
Keane joined Celtic in 2005 after a well-publicised fallout with Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford. However, his time at Parkhead was marred by physical struggles and a lack of form. He managed only 10 appearances for Celtic before retiring due to medical advice.
Reflecting on his time at Celtic, Keane acknowledged that he was not at his best during this period. He cited ongoing issues with his hip, requiring painkillers for training, and recurrent hamstring injuries as significant factors that hindered his performance. Additionally, the commute to Glasgow added to the challenges he faced.
He said: [Football Scotland]
“I was commuting. I still had a year left on my contract and I rang Gordon. I went to see the hip specialist who said the longer you play on, the worse damage… he was talking about when I retire, about quality of life.
“I rang Gordon Strachan about what do I do. I had gone up there and kind of embarrassed myself, I wasn’t really doing the business.
“I’d said I am finished but losing sleep before I rang him, as soon as I put the phone down I had closure on my career.
“I had no hesitation, I wouldn’t say relief, but something lifted off me. When you have had injuries it beats you up.”
This candid reflection from Keane offers insight into the challenges faced by professional athletes, particularly when dealing with injuries and the decision to retire. His experience at Celtic, though brief and by his own admission not up to his standards, is a poignant chapter in the career of one of football’s most iconic figures.
I’ll bet you he still banked his wages though, if he really was that embarrassed he should’ve paid that money back. He won’t have been on peanuts up here either now we don’t the ins and outs of his contract but I’m assuming it wasn’t a pay as you play deal if he still had a year left on his contract. Surely he was just stealing a wage at Celtic I loved Keane as a player but he was done by the time he came to us.
Still angry at him and Ian Wright, came up with big reputations and I know Wright was on big wages, memory isn’t so sure I knew Roy was on big wages, and offered nothing. Gotta say though, that quote softened my stance on Roy. Wright should have retired rather than sign too tbh, hurt their legacies and our bank balances. HH