Kevin Keegan was England's First Modern Football Superstar
Kevin Keegan has a very interesting place in English football. Having performed at his prime during the 70s, he was one of the early superstars of football, even enjoying a small singing career on the side. He was also one of the first players to get his own rights and profit from them on business ventures, which slowly became the norm in the sport. Moreover, he was simply an amazing player.Keegan was a once-in-a-generation striker for Liverpool and played a key role in the club's rise in the 70s, laying the foundation for their success in the 80s. Furthermore, he was also one of the first top English players to play abroad as he tried his luck with Hamburg in German football. Therefore, he was not only a phenomenal player, but also a trailblazer on a different scale.
This is the life and career of Kevin Keegan.
Keegan joined Liverpool in 1971 and stayed there for 6 years
Playing Days
Kevin Keegan started his career in 1968 with Scunthorpe United as a midfielder, funny enough. He took his time to make his presence known as a player, although Liverpool manager Bill Shankly eventually sent some of his trustworthy scouts to take a look at him. Keegan managed to convince the Reds about his potential and joined the side in 1971, staying there until 1977."I learned so much from Shanks," Keegan said to The Guardian in 2011. "He used to say: 'If I was a road-sweeper, my street would be the cleanest in the borough.' I took that to heart. Everything I've done I've done with enthusiasm and passion. Everything I turn up to, I think I'm going to enjoy. I never look back, so I don't have regrets."
He really took that to heart since he went on to play as a striker and established himself as one of the best
However, he does share some insights regarding the old days of football and how that might have impacted his legacy.
"In my day, players would smoke in the tunnel before the match. There were stoves in changing rooms and home teams would turn them up to choke opponents before the game. When I was playing, there were only three games on Match of the Day each week, so only 65 of my 100 goals have been filmed. The other 35 are lost forever. Today all goals are filmed. You'll never see some of the best things I ever did."
Be that as it may, Keegan would be the leading man for the Reds, leading to three First Division (Premier League) titles, and also winning the European Cup (UEFA Champions League) in 1977 as well as the UEFA Cup twice (1973 and 1976). It was during this period of his career where he established himself as the world's best player for a couple of years... thus making his transfer to Hamburg in the summer of 1977 all the more surprising.
"Going to Germany, it was a tough one," said Keegan in an interview. "Five or six years at Liverpool and I'd run my race there. I just fancied a challenge, and Germany was my challenge."
It was a shocking signing, having such a coveted player at Hamburg. And while he took his time to adapt, especially with the language, he eventually managed to deliver for the Germans, winning the 1980 Bundesliga with the club. Moreover, he also won the Ballon d'Or twice in a row, in 1978 and 1979, thus cementing his legacy as one of the best English players of all time.
He returned to England in 1980 to play for Southampton and proved that he didn't miss a bit, scoring 30 goals in 48 matches across all competitions during his second season at The Dell. However, he didn't feel that the club didn't match his ambitions and therefor joined Newcastle during the summer of 1982 because he wanted to fulfill a promise to his father.
He was loved by the supporters since he joined them in the Second Division and overall delivered, scoring 49 goals in 85 matches across all competitions during his two seasons there. Keegan decided to retire in 1984 because he felt that he couldn't perform as a striker when Newcastle returned to the First Division.
Keegan's took over as Manager in Newcastle 1992
Managerial Days
While he initially didn't want to manage, Keegan took over as Newcastle's manager from 1992 to 1997, which resulted in him becoming the leading figure to turn the Magpies into regular Premier League contenders. In fact, Newcastle were dubbed "The Entertainers" during the 90s because of the fast-paced, attacking football they were playing under Keegan's guidance.However, it was also during this period, when competing for the league in the season of 1995/96, that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson accused other teams of playing harder against his team rather than Newcastle. In that regard, Keegan went on a rant on Sky Sports regarding that topic, which has become infamous since the Magpies never managed to win the league over them, and these are a couple of quotes from that outburst:
"When you do that with footballers, like he said about Leeds, and when you do things like that about a man like Stuart Pearce. I have kept really quiet, but I'll tell you something, he (Ferguson) went down in my estimation when he said that. We have not resorted to that, but I'll tell you, you can tell him now if you're watching it."
"We're still fighting for this title, and he's got to go to Middlesbrough and get something, and... and... I'll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them, love it!"
Following stints with Fulham, the national team of England, Manchester City, and a short return to Newcastle in 2008, which were all inconsistent and less successful, Keegan then decided to stop coaching altogether.
Kevin Keegan was a trailblazer, a football genius, and someone whose personality and charisma endeared him to a wide variety of generations. A football legend that deserves a lot more recognition.