Mirror chief sportswriter Andy Dunn has paid tribute to Liverpool and Newcastle icon Kevin Keegan, who has died aged 75.
Kevin Keegan, pictured during his time as England manager, dies at the age of 75 (Image: Owen Humphries/PA Wire)
In my memory, there is no more irresistible person in football than Kevin Keegan. It’s very simple. A joy to see, a joy to be around. Contagious, funny, passionate, and never takes themselves too seriously.
Considering he was a two-time Ballon d’Or winner and the proliferation of elite footballers who take themselves very seriously, this was worthy of the highest praise.
And as a player, Keegan was truly elite. But as strange as it may sound, it was hard to escape the feeling that Keegan’s contribution to football has been, and continues to be, slightly undervalued.
He should have been a national treasure. He would have been knighted now for what he achieved as a player and for his warmth and generosity.
But for many of us, and our parents, he was a national treasure. His place in Liverpool’s history books is murky, but he was a treasure at Anfield.
Although he is certainly one of the best players in the club’s history, he left the club of his own accord and joined SV Hamburg in 1977 in search of a new challenge and a higher salary.
Keegan not only collected a number of medals during his time at Anfield, but also defined his individual performance by winning three league titles, two UEFA Cups, one FA Cup and one European Cup.
One of these was when he beat Berti Vogts, then recognized as one of the world’s best defenders, in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach in Rome in the 1977 European Cup final.
It was one of the great plays in the European Cup final. Vogts would later pay homage to Mahatig Mouse, the Magic Mouse.
Keegan occupies a delicate place in Liverpool’s history (Image: Mirrorpix)
Ironically, another of his great individual performances came in the 1974 FA Cup final against his beloved Newcastle United, where he scored two goals as Bill Shankly’s side won 3-0. He was truly a talismanic player.
Can you imagine the uproar in this era if an English player won the Ballon d’Or twice in two years, as Keegan did in Germany in 1978 and 1979?
For more than five years, Keegan was the Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo of his time, but incredibly down-to-earth. He always told us interesting stories, even when he did not have a notepad at hand and the voice recorder was switched off.
He told how he was almost late for his Liverpool debut when a police officer outside Anfield failed to notice his £33,000 new contract. One of his favorite laughs was when he fell off his bike on the TV show “Superstars.”
Relations with Keegan came under scrutiny for his lax regime at the team’s home base in Belgium during Euro 2000, when England failed to qualify for the group stages.
However, Keegan was a relaxed type of manager who would treat his players to fish, chips and beer after a good win. But he never cared about our harsh criticism of England’s performance against us in the tournament.
Keegan was an excellent player for England and later coached his country (Image: Peter Robinson/EMPICS Sport/PA Wire)
And of course, he gave the media a truly memorable moment in 1996 when he yelled “I’ll Love It” at Sir Alex Ferguson as his Newcastle United team surrendered a 12-point lead in the title race.
Later generations of fans will remember Keegan for more than just his brilliance on and off the field. And let’s not forget that as Newcastle manager, Keegan shaped one of the most entertaining English clubs in decades.
He was a player and manager who belonged to a bygone era, in the best sense of the word. When soccer seemed more fun.
Ahead of the Schoolboy Cup final, this correspondent felt compelled to get a curly perm thanks to Keegan’s appearance on Top of the Pops, yes, Top of the Pops, a few days earlier.
His song “Head Over Heels” remained at number 31 on the charts. King Kev reigned as number one in English football for a while and was an irresistible figure who will be greatly missed.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
