robbie keane - fact file

Born on 8th July 1980 in Tallaght, Republic of Ireland.

Height : - 1.85 m (5' 9")

Weight : - - kgs (11st. 10lb)

Robbie Keane's arrival at White Hart Lane was a long time coming. He was first supposed to arrive from Wolverhampton Wanderers, his first club, where Spurs lined up a move for him in 1999, but that never came to fruition. Instead, having scored 24 goals in 67 starts for Wolves, he moved across the Midlands to Coventry City, where he cost them £6 million.

The Sky Blues got a good deal, as Robbie was again in the headlines for scoring frequently, with two on his debut and 11 for the season in 31 matches. So impressive had he been in that first season at Highfield Road, that Internazionale of Milan came knocking and Coventry needing the money, took £13 million in return for the Irishman's services.

Having knocked around at struggling Inter for a few months without managing to establish a place in the side, Robbie chose to return to England with Leeds, where he made an immediate hit. Beginning the deal on loan and then signing a permanent transfer at the end of 2000-2001, he cost the Yorkshire club £12 million. His goals got the fans on-side, but manager David O'Leary preferred the pairing of Viduka and Alan Smith, leaving Keane out in the cold and benched for much of the season. He recovered to have a fantastic World Cup in Japan with the Republic of Ireland and that put his skills on display for potential suitors. With financial pressure closing in on his club, they had to sell players and Spurs cannily waited until the day of the August 2002 transfer window to make a deadline steal for £7 million.

Although he has moved around a fair bit since his entry into football, you know what you are getting with a player like Keano. Someone how is bright, never stops running and will always get you a goal out of nothing. His ability to score and provide goals is his strength, but he is also shrewd in knowing when the ball should be played and when to move into space. More than just a goal-scorer, he stayed with Tottenham during periods out of the side, but has been vice-captain for the team and looks set to be at White Hart Lane for the foreseeable future.

Scored his 100th goal for Tottenham against Sunderland at White Hart Lane, after coming on as a substitute, on 19th January 2008.

Despite signing a new extension to his contract to take him through to 2012, comments by Rafael Benitez on the club's website started a campaign to sign the player, having put the thought into his mind and a complaint to the FA by Tottenham ended up with it being withdrawn as the player was released to join Liverpool for £19 million (with an extra £1.3 million depending on conditions being met) and an apology about the tapping up and a donation to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation by the Merseyside club on 28.07.08.

After a disappointing 189 days on Merseyside, during which he didn't seem to be wanted by the manager, rumours of his return to Tottenham were met by questions being answered in the media by Harry Redknapp and Rafa Benitez claiming that Spurs were "tapping up" their former striker. However, on transfer deadline day 2nd February 2009, the Irishman came back to White Hart Lane in a straight cash deal, rather than a swap for Aaron Lennon, as some sources hinted might be the case. In returning to Tottenham, he became the third most paid for player in football history at that time with transfer fees totalling £73 million.

NICKNAME : Keano

Career Record

Club Signed Fee Debut Apps Goals

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1st August 1997 - 9th August 1997 v Norwich City 88 29

Coventry City 18th August 1999 £6,000,000 ?? 31 12

Internazionale (Italy) 1st August 2000 £13,000,000 ?? 6 0

Leeds United 20th December 2000 - 20 May 2001 Loan ?? 6 0

Leeds United 21st May 2001 £12,000,000 ?? 46 13

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 31st August 2002 £7,000,000 v West Ham United (Home) 15th September 2002 (won 3-2) 254 107

Liverpool 28th July 2008 £19,000,000 + £1,300,000 ?? 23 + 5 as a sub 7

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2nd February 2009 £19,000,000 (cond.) - - -

- ?? ?? ?? ?? ??

Career Record
Wolverhampton Wanderers
67 + 7 as a sub League appearances; 24 goals
3 + 2 as a sub FA Cup appearances; 2 goals
7 + 2 as a sub League Cup appearances; 3 goals
0 other appearances; 0 goals
Coventry City
30 + 1 as a sub League appearances; 12 goals
3 FA Cup appearances; 0 goals
0 League Cup appearances; 0 goals
0 Other appearances; goals
Internazionale (Italy)
4 + 2 as a sub League appearances; 0 goals
0 European appearances; 0 goals
Leeds United (loan)
12 + 6 as a sub League appearances; 9 goals
2 FA Cup appearances; goals
0 League Cup appearances; 0 goals
0 Other appearances; 0 goals
Leeds United
16 + 12 as a sub League appearances; 4 goals
0 FA Cup appearances; 0 goals
2 League Cup appearances; 3 goals
6 Other appearances; 3 goals
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
158 + 39 as a sub League appearances; 80 goals
15 + 4 as a sub FA Cup appearances; 11 goals
14 + 5 as a sub League Cup appearances; 7 goals
15 + 4 as a sub European appearances; 9 goals
Liverpool
16 + 3 as a sub League appearances; 5 goals
1 FA Cup appearances; 0 goals
0 + 1 as a sub League Cup appearances; 0 goals
6 + 1 as a sub European appearances; 2 goals
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
- League appearances; - goals
- FA Cup appearances; - goals
- League Cup appearances; - goals
- European appearances; 9 goals
- -
- League appearances; - goals
- FA Cup appearances; - goals
- League Cup appearances; - goals
- European appearances; 9 goals

Honours
Republic of Ireland international
85 full caps; 35 goals (as of 02.02.2009)
Debut : March 1998 v Czech Republic (Olomuc)
1 B cap
Under-21 caps; goals
UEFA U-19 European Championship winners medal 1999
League Cup Winners medal 2007-2008 (THFC)

Milestones
100th Spurs goal - Home v Sunderland on 19th January 2008
350th League career appearance - Away v Wigan Athletic on 19th April 2008

2006

Dream strike partner : Alan Shearer
No longer does his trademark goal celebration, which he started as a kid, because of a back injury and a broken hand.
Favourite match : Republic of Ireland v Germany (World Cup 2002)
Best Manager in career : Martin Jol, then Gordon Strachan
Favourite goal for Spurs : First goal - Home v Blackburn (5th March 2006)
Best game for Spurs : Home v Everton (12th January 2003) when he scored a hat-trick with all his family at the game and it was one of the last games his Dad saw him play.
If he could be anyone for a day, it would be the Invisible Man.
Toughest opponent : John Terry.
Fastest opponent : Rio Ferdinand.
The Joker of opponents : Teemu Tainio.
Greatest inspiration : His family

2007

Record goal-scorer for the Republic of Ireland international - 29 in 72 games.
Drove a Porsche 911 Turbo.

2008

Supported Liverpool as a boy
First match attended : Manchester United v Sheffield Wednesday 1993
First record : Killing me Softly - Fugees
Hobby when a child : Football
First crush : Kylie Minogue
First foreign holiday : England
First boots : Black and white moulded Gola boots
First team played for : Fettercairn United
First job : Newspaper boy
First time in a newspaper : Playing for Crumlin as man of the match in an All-Ireland cup match, aged 12 or 13
First professional goal : On Wolves debut against Norwich City - a 20 yard left foot volley
First time in hospital : Cut head when a youngster
First car : Green/blue Fiat Brava
First medal in the game : Playing for Crumlin
First film seen : Home Alone maybe
First international call-up : Republic of Ireland Under-15s

2008

His Range Rover Sport was seized by police on 23rd April 2008 for not displaying a valid tax disc, after he was stopped for doing 54 m.p.h. in a 40 m.p.h. zone in Loughton, Essex.

On 7th June 2008, Robbie married 25-year-old Claudine Palmer, an Irish model, in the St. Alphonsus and Columba church in Ballybrack, Dublin in front of 150 guests.
The couple had been together for six years and were joined by many well-wishers, who were kept at bay by security guards. After the wedding, the couple and their guests attended a marquee reception at the Ritz Carlton at Powerscourt, which they had booked out and where Chris De Burgh entertained the wedding party.
Among those who attended the wedding were Shay Given, Damien Duff, Gary Kelly, Ian Harte, Gary Breen and Richard Dunne, as well his current and former team-mates at Spurs, Jonathan Woodgate, Michael Carrick, Jermaine Jenas, Stephen Carr, Jamie Redknapp (accompanied by his wife Louise) and Ledley King.

2008

2009

Do you enjoy travelling ? Yes if I am going on holiday, but going away with the team can get tiresome
Favourite country visited : Ireland; Dublin especially
Favourite holiday destination : Sardinia
Favourite journey : Going home after a game when we have won
Favourite car : Range Rover that I have now
Favourite magazine : Icon, the lifestyle magazine by Jamie and Louise Redknapp
Do you read when travelling : Maybe a magazine if there is one around, but I have never really had the time to get into reading books
Do you listen to music on the go or prefer radio/TV : I always listen to some Irish music on the way to games. When I am at home I like to watch the soaps.
How many CDs have you got ? : About 50, but a lot of my music is on my iPod
Moat played CD : The Irish ones, but I do like Mary Black.
Favourite track : Too many to choose from
Most embarrassing CD : I bought them all, so there is nothing embarrassing in there.
Do you watch DVDs on the coach ? : Yes, I do, if they are on. The last one I watched was taken with Liam Neeson.
Whose dance steps did you copy as a youngster : It can only be Michael Jackson
Whose poster was on your bedroom wall ? : Mostly the Republic of Ireland team of the time, including Paul McGrath and John Aldridge
First footballing memory : My first game that I went to see - Manchester United v Sheffield Wednesday 1993. It was the one where Steve Bruce scored the two late goals to give them the win.
Who was the best player when you played with your mates ? : Probably me, but Jason Gavin went on to play for Middlesbrough and St. Pats
What trick did you practice over and over ? : Catching the ball on the back of your neck
What other sports did you do at school ? : Gaelic football
Had you been to White Hart Lane before you signed ? : Yes, I played for Coventry City there and lost 2-3, but I scored. I remember how close the fans were to the pitch and how good the playing surface was.
What makes a house a home ? : The people who are in it
If your house was on fire and your family was safe, what would be the first thing you would save ? : Wilson, my labrador
What talent would you like to have ? : To sing better
Do you prefer town or country ? : Definitely the country, but not anywhere too remote. Where we live now on the edge of London is ideal. I couldn't live in the city centre, as I have no patience with traffic.
Prized possession ? : My League Cup winners medal from last season - my first major honour in the game
Couldn't live without ? : My family and my football
Most proud of ? : To play football at the highest level and represent my country
Who would be your all-time favourite airline companion ? : Either Diego Maradona or Paul Gascoigne. both are fantastic footballers and have some good stories to tell a bout their careers and lives.