Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Cartwheels in Hollywood - The Robbie Keane story

"Well, watch this and see movement and finish of the highest order. Robbie Keane (written) all over this goal is. It's just a brilliant, brilliant goal, from start... to finish" Andy Gray describing Robbie Keane's goal against Manchester City in an FA Cup replay in 2004.

Spurs went on to lose that game 3-4, leading 3-0 at the half. Robbie Keane's career seems to have taken a similar nosedive over the last few years.

Keane started off playing for an Irish schoolboy team called Crumlin United, when Merseyside giants Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers came to him with a professional contract. Keane chose the first division side over Liverpool and went on to become one of the most celebrated footballers from Ireland. By August 2008, Keane had 84 International caps and had played 197 games for Tottenham scoring 80 goals and amassing a fanfare reserved for legends.

In came Liverpool again and Keane signed for the club of his dreams. It seems like Keane lost all his Lucky Charms on joining the Reds and a journeyman career that followed has made its latest stop at that famous footballer’s-retirement-ground, the MLS.

Keane is the latest recruit in Hollywood as a 2 year deal worth $3.5 million was signed between Robbie and table topping LA Galaxy.

Keane joins the likes of teammate David Beckham and the man he replaced in LA - Juan Pablo Angel as well as former teammate Teemu Tainio, German legend Torsten Frings, Barca star Rafael Marquez and a player he knows all too well, Thierry Henry in a growing list of erstwhile famous names that are playing in the MLS in an effort to prolong their playing career.

With games coming like Homer Simpson in a Lamborghini – thick and fast – and Keane needs to find his shooting boots soon. He netted on his debut making a trademark run to latch onto Beckham’s pass, round the keeper and score. Cue that classic Cartwheel-Tumble-Machine-Gun celebration and for a player unfairly fallen from grace, we hope there are many more to come.

Until then, Joga Bonito.

Did You Know: On Saturday 4th June 2011 Robbie Keane joined the elite '50 club' when he scored his 50th and 51st international goals in Skopje against Macedonia in a Euro 2012 qualifier. In achieving this feat he joined the ranks of the likes of Ferenc Puskas, Pele, Ronaldo and Thierry Henry as one of only 15 players to do so in the history of the sport.

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