Roy Keane was considered one of the most feared players in world football during his prime, but there was another side to the Manchester United icon.
Roy Keane is still regarded as one of the toughest guys in football (Image: YouTube/Stick to Football podcast)
He was ferocious, aggressive and, on the downside, brutal in the tackle. But Roy Keane also has a softer side. The Manchester United midfielder has traded studs for scratching an opponent’s attacker’s knee for verbally abusing players and managers as a pundit.
But if anyone has seen a softer side to Keene, it’s his future son-in-law, Taylor Harwood-Bellis. The Southampton defender had the chance to make the Irishman even happier after defeating arch-rivals Manchester City in this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final.
Harwood-Bellis got engaged two years ago and plans to marry Keene’s daughter Leah later this year. The one-cap England international got to know a softer, gentler side of the former midfielder.
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In an interview with The Sun newspaper, the defender said: “He’s one of those people, apart from my immediate family, and I know he actually only has my interests in mind. The advice he gives me, I know he has my interests at heart. So he helped me make decisions.”
Asked if Keane regularly goes to see him play at St Mary’s, Harwood-Bellis added: “He’s been to a few games. He’s got his own life, so he’s not going to sit around and watch me too much. He shows me a lot of support and doesn’t really say well done unless I do something special.”
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Keane may find himself among the first to head to Wembley this weekend to watch Harwood-Bellis and his team-mates take on City. But if the former Red Devil decides he wants to see his future son-in-law go to City, he will get his own ticket.
On a recent episode of the Stick to Football podcast, Keane was asked by Gary Neville, Ian Wright and others if he was going to ask the Saints defender to buy tickets for him, to which he replied: “Do you think I’m going to let him arrange for tickets? There’s no chance of that.”
The former Premier League star proposed to Leah in Italy last year (Image: Instagram/tayhbellis_)
Keane had a similar sense of humor when Harwood-Bellis first played for England. Harwood-Bellis had one of the best starts in memory, scoring a headed goal on his debut as the Three Lions won 5-0 against Ireland at Wembley Stadium in the Nations League.
At the time, he had just proposed to Leah. Mr Keane, who was on punditry duties at the time, jokingly suggested the Saints defender might withdraw his blessing after facing his country.
“It’s not over yet and it’s not even dusted yet. Things can change quickly in the Keene family! It’s nice for him to make his debut and it’s good to be able to make his debut. He’s a really good kid and his family has done a great job.”
Harwood-Bellis and Leah also announced they were expecting their first child in August last year, making Keene a grandfather for the fourth time.
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