2. He Walked Out On His Country At The 2002 World Cup
In 2002, Roy Keane was generally regarded as one of the finest midfielders in world football. As captain and the midfield engine of the Irish national team, Keane was essential to his countrys hopes at the 2002 World Cup. What would happen, though, is that the always-opinionated Keane would leave the tournament without playing a single minute of action. Upon arriving at the teams Saipan base, Keane was unimpressed with what he saw. Already a believer that the FAI was a bit of a joke in how it took care of its national team, Keane took umbrage with the training facilities and preparation that the Irish team had to deal with. To further Keanes annoyance, the squads training equipment arrived late and he described the training pitch as like playing on a car park. And that was just day one. By the second day, the Irish skipper would fall out with coaches Alan Kelly and Pat Bonner. Keane would then quit the squad. Due to being unable to sort out an immediate flight home, the midfield lynchpin would end up being persuaded to stay with the group by manager Mick McCarthy. With all seemingly repaired and amicable, Keane would then make his thoughts public in a newspaper interview, panning the preparation and training. This would irk McCarthy, who proceeded to confront his captain about his words in front of the whole squad and coaching staff. Roy Keane in typical Roy Keane fashion stuck to his guns, claiming that the Irish fans deserved to know how shoddily the squad were being treated. But Keane wasnt just happy to stop there, deciding to make things a bit more personal. In one of those moments where youd love to be a fly on the wall, Keane fired back at his manager, saying:
Mick, youre a liar youre a f*cking w*nker. I didnt rate you as a player, I dont rate you as a manager, and I dont rate you as a person. Youre a f*cking wanker and you can stick your World Cup up your arse. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country! You can stick it up your b*llocks.
Keane would then finally leave Saipan, walking out on the squad. Some team-mates would actually agree with Keane, although would only do so in private to their captain, whilst others like Niall Quinn and Steve Staunton would publicly back Mick McCarthy. Keane wouldnt play for Ireland again whilst McCarthy was in change. Luckily for Keano, Mick resigned in November 2002. New manager Brian Kerr would later approach Keane about coming back into the international fold, and he would return to the Irish national team in May 2004 against Romania. Upon the team failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Keane officially retired from international football.
