Kevin Keegan dies aged 75
Kevin Keegan, one of the most popular figures in English football, has died aged 75 after being diagnosed with cancer. 'King Kev' had an illustrious playing career and built one of the most popular teams of the Premier League eras at Newcastle United.
In a statement, his family said:
It is with immense sadness that we announce that Kevin Keegan has passed away at the age of 75. The former England player and manager had been battling cancer and was surrounded by his wife and daughters in his final moments. "Kevin, a double Ballon D’or winner, was a much loved husband, father and grandfather. The family would like to thank Kevin’s incredible medical team for all their support. This is a hugely difficult time and they are requesting space and privacy."
He leaves his wife of 51 years Jean and their children Laura Jane, 47, and Sarah Marie, 43.
In a statement, Newcastle said:
We are devastated to learn of the passing of Kevin Keegan, one of the most iconic, influential and deeply loved figures in our club’s history. "Kevin was more than a legendary footballer and manager. He was the beating heart of Newcastle United for generations of supporters. "As a player, he brought world-class talent, ambition and belief to St. James’ Park, helping to transform perceptions of what Newcastle United could be. "As a manager, he ignited our city. Kevin gave supporters hope and pride, and led a team whose style, spirit and passion captured the imagination of football fans around the world . He was so much more than an Entertainer. "Kevin forged an extraordinary bond with Newcastle, built on the roots of his father, Joe. He understood our people. He embraced the North East with a passion that was genuine and unwavering, and in return, he earned his rightful place in the hearts of millions. "Kevin’s impact will not be measured by appearances or results. It will live on in the memories he created with club and country, the dreams he inspired, and the generations of supporters around the world who fell in love with football because of him. "At this profoundly sad time, we send our love and deepest sympathy to Kevin’s wife Jean, his family, friends and all who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him. "Today, we mourn the loss of a true giant of our history, and at the appropriate moment, we will carefully consider how we shape a lasting tribute to Kevin’s remarkable life and legacy. "Rest in peace, King Kev."
Fellow Toon icon Alan Shearer simply added:
My hero. My manager. My friend. Sleep easy boss.
Former Liverpool supersub David Fairclough said:
He made you feel fantastic. I was room mates with him for a number of games, and it was invaluable. There are not enough great things to say about Kevin Keegan. He was awesome.
One of the England legend's last appearances was on Tyneside in May where he told the audience:
They said we have a top doctor with this new way of fighting what you have got, which is stage-four cancer. "He was a Liverpool supporter so I went to meet him. I knew I wouldn’t be walking alone, if you know what I mean."
Keegan first revealed in January that he had cancer. After a 'really tough time,' he felt well enough to commit to this appearance at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle, the city that he loved and where the fans adored him. He joked that he couldn't form a dream strike partnership with Peter Beardsley and Chris Waddle as he "wasn't very fit at the moment."
Liverpool, for who Keegan made 323 appearances during the 1970s, said:
Liverpool FC is deeply saddened and mourning the passing of the legendary Kevin Keegan. "The former Reds No.7, who appeared 323 times and scored 100 goals for the club across six seasons, died at the age of 75 on Monday after being diagnosed with cancer last year. "The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Kevin's family and friends at this hugely difficult time.
One of just four Englishmen to win the Ballon d'Or, Keegan also represented Scunthorpe United, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle United during a playing career in which he was regarded as a hero wherever he went. Keegan also received 63 caps for his country – 31 as captain – and netted 21 times. He then moved into management with spells at Newcastle (two), Fulham, Manchester City and the England national team.
Keegan's association with Liverpool began when he arrived from Scunthorpe as a 20-year-old in May 1971 .He endeared himself to fans soon after joining, scoring on his debut in the 1971-72 league opener against Nottingham Forest at Anfield. A forward partnership for the ages with John Toshack would blossom, and with it came success for the second of Bill Shankly's great Liverpool teams.
He was the standout performer again in the 1974 FA Cup final with a double at Wembley to down Newcastle, where in the future he would be known as 'King Kev'. The 1975-76 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award came on the back of another league and UEFA Cup double for the Reds.
Keegan had signalled his intention to move abroad ahead of 1976-77, shocking the footballing world given his status. He signed off at Liverpool in the best way possible, though, by firing in 20 strikes en route to earning a third league winner's medal and lifting the club's first European Cup. He won the Ballon d'Or in two of his three seasons at Hamburg and then returned to his homeland for the remainder of his time in football.
'Liverpool made me, not just as a footballer but as a person',Keegan said in 2011.
'The people I met – Shanks, Tommy Smith, Ian Callaghan, Ron Yeats – all these people you take something from. '
'The fans made me. When they started singing my name… what am I, five foot seven with Cuban-heeled boots? But [because of them] I was six foot six'.
The official England account added:
We are incredibly saddened by the news that Kevin Keegan OBE has passed away. Kevin earned 63 international caps and scored 21 goals between 1972 and 1982, before managing the Three Lions from 1999 to 2000. "Our thoughts and condolences are with Kevin's family, friends and former clubs."
Manchester City said:
Everyone at Manchester City is devastated to learn our former manager Kevin Keegan has passed away, aged 75. Kevin was a transformative manager who brought optimism and vibrancy to City during his four-year spell in charge.
The promotion campaign in 2001/02 will never be forgotten, and Kevin then established us once again as a top Premier League side in the years that followed. Our thoughts are with Kevin’s family and friends at this very difficult time.
Hamburg, where Keegan won both of his Ballon d'Or crowns, posted:
Rest in peace, "Mighty Mouse".
Another of Keegan's former clubs, Southampton, posted:
Kevin signed for the club in 1980 as the holder of the Ballon d’Or and brought great joy to fans at The Dell and across the football world. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
Fellow Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher added:
One of the greatest players this country has ever produced; trophies and goals galore. Double Ballon d'Or winner shows he was an absolute giant of the English game. One of the most important men in making LFC what it is today.
The son of a Geordie-born miner, he was a pioneer of the modern game, negotiating his own contracts, appearing in TV ads and moving abroad to further his career at the peak of his fame with Liverpool in the 1970s. Keegan won the three League titles, two UEFA Cups, and the FA Cup, moving to Hamburg after winning the European Cup with the all-conquering Merseyside giants in 1977. He was then twice voted European footballer of the year.
In a 2013 interview, at the launch of his Soccer Circus business in Scotland, he said:
I have never been scared to do something new. I did the adverts, I did the record, I moved abroad, I have always been one of those people who say, 'Why not?' rather than 'Why?'.
I am very lucky in that I enjoy meeting people, it is a great help in life, not just business.
It made him a hugely popular figure during his playing career, as England captain, and later as a manager, even as the national side struggled under his leadership. With typical honesty, he stepped down after admitting that he did not think that he was good enough. He had stints in charge of Fulham, and Manchester City, but it was his two spells at Newcastle which defined his managerial career.
In the late 90s, he managed a United side nicknamed 'The Entertainers' because of their fearless brand of attacking football. As a player, he was equally fearless, and famous for his Brut adverts with Henry Cooper, pop singles, curly perm, and an episode of the TV show 'Superstars', filmed in Bracknell in 1976, where he fell in a bike ride but got back on again despite being injured.
In his 2018 autobiography 'My Life in Football', dedicated to his wife Jean and former Liverpool boss Bill Shankly - 'two people who have given me so much' - he wrote:
It never ceases to amaze me how many people think that my lifetime achievements consist of, in rough order: the time I crashed off my bike in television's Superstars, my perm, and my top-40 record with Head Over Heels in Love.
He met Jean in 1970 while riding the waltzers in Doncaster; he told her that he worked at the steelworks as he thought saying he was a footballer would sound 'too flash'. They married in 1975 after his £35,000 transfer to Liverpool.
Born in Armthorpe, near Doncaster, in 1951, his grandfather, Frank, was a hero who saved lives in the 1909 West Colliery mining disaster in Co Durham. His family kept a photo of the 30 survivors; Kevin bore a striking family resemblance to Frank.
From humble beginnings in Yorkshire, he went on to become a sporting hero to millions of football fans. His dad Joe and uncle Frank loved Newcastle and told young Kevin all about their favourite players of yesteryear, Hughie Gallacher and Jackie Milburn.
Kevin was born at his aunt's house because it had electricity, making childbirth safer; his dad bought his first football boots after winning a bet on horses. At 15, he and two friends ran 50 miles from Nottingham to Doncaster, which he said prepared him for the physical demands of football. He worked as an office clerk at Pegler Brass Works before a first professional football contract with Scunthorpe United as a 17-year-old.
Three years later, legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly spotted his undoubted talent, signed him and converted him into a striker. Forming a lethal partnership with Welsh striker John Toshack, Keegan scored 100 goals in 323 games before a British record £500,000 transfer to Hamburg. He was their top scorer with 17 league goals when they claimed the Bundesliga title in 1978-79. He was European Footballer of the Year in both the 1977-78 and 1978-79 campaigns during his three-year spell.
Keegan moved to Southampton in 1980. He was the PFA Player of the Year in 1981-82 before making the switch to Newcastle in 1982, retiring as a player two years later. He scored 21 goals in 63 appearances for England and captained his national side 31 times, making a late appearance in the 1982 World Cup in Spain after struggling with a back injury.
Joining Newcastle as manager in 1992, he led the club to the second-tier title and promotion into the Premier League in 1993. In 1996, his side let a 12-point lead slip before he famously said,
I would love it if we beat them, in an emotional live TV outburst during the tense run-in with Alex Ferguson's Manchester United . Keegan said friends had 'love it' as their ringtone and insisted that he was 'comfortable enough in his own skin' to see the funny side.
FIFA boss Sepp Blatter sent a fax to commend the Geordies' attacking football after the epic 4-3 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in 1996. Keegan left United in 1997 and took over at Fulham a year later, before being appointed as England boss in February 1999. He left that role in October 2000 following a 1-0 defeat by Germany in a 2002 World Cup qualifier, the final game at the old Wembley Stadium.
Keegan, though, returned to club management with a four-year spell at Manchester City prior to a short eight-month stint back at Newcastle in 2008. He left, and later successfully claimed unfair dismissal, after falling out with then club owner Mike Ashley. He told how he secretly returned to St James' Park in disguise for a fan's party.
Keegan had the common touch, and that is why he remained such a hugely popular figure throughout his career, even when his stint as England boss came to an untimely end. He said of his approach:
I buy good players and let them play.
His loved ones confirmed his cancer diagnosis. In his life story, the legend of the game told fans:
I want people to dream about their football club. "We should all be dreamers at heart."
This article was sourced from Mirror Sport
