In February 2008, Robbie Keane stood up on the winners podium at Wembley Stadium, drenched in sweat and adulation, holding aloft the Carling Cup that his six years at the club had culminated in. Having scored 117 goals for the club, the Irish national sides all-time record scorer looked set for the long haul at White Hart Lane, striving to win even more silverware for the North London outfit. Six months after an emotional speech to the Spurs faithful, during which he said as much, it all counted for nothing, as he held aloft a Liverpool scarf at the Melwood training ground. In a shock deal worth £20.3 million, Liverpool pounced for the former Wolves hit-man, with the 28 year old agreeing terms on a four-year contract worth around £80,000 p/wk. A prolific Premier League striker with a proven track record, it looked to be a sensible signing, if a little costly, with the Liverpool board effectively forcing boss Rafa Benitez to abandon attempts to sign Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry as a result.
''I would specifically like to thank chairman Daniel Levy for understanding that, as a fan, joining Liverpool is a lifelong dream of mine and one I couldnt let pass me by. I hope one day the Spurs fans, who have been brilliant to me, can understand this too. - Robbie Keane, July 2008.
Keane and Spurs definitely did not seem like a marriage that could be broken up, but how could the Irishman turn down one of his many dreams?
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
