Mick McCarthy on Robbie Keane: ‘He's a street footballer who just loved playing’

Mick McCarthy, the manager who gave Robbie Keane his debut as a 17-year-old in 1998 has described the striker as “a street footballer who just loved playing”. 

McCarthy, who was captured on camera looking on from the sideline in first disbelief and then delight as Keane scored a late equaliser against Germany at the 2002 World Cup, said yesterday: “He was a joy to manage. He is a terrific footballer and at the age of 18, he used to light up the place in training. Whether we played home or away, he still played with the same joy.

“He was like a street footballer that just loved playing. He wasn’t just a street footballer that juggled the ball. He had such a quick brain and he was terrific.”