World Cup rival experts team up to help end Roy Keane’s feud with Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer recently shared that two of his fellow pundits have tried to help him sort out his long-running feud with Roy Keane.
The Newcastle legend and the outspoken Irishman have never really seen eye to eye, mostly because of their fierce rivalry when they played. Keane was a key player for Manchester United, who ruled English football in the 1990s. Shearer, on the other hand, was part of Blackburn Rovers when they shocked everyone by winning the Premier League in 1995.
Shearer later joined his hometown club Newcastle, who also gave United a real fight for trophies, especially in the 1997 Premier League title race and the 1999 FA Cup final.
One of their most famous clashes came in 2001 during a thrilling 4-3 Newcastle win at St. James’ Park. In the final minute, Keane threw the ball at Shearer’s head after he blocked a quick throw-in. Keane then shoved Shearer and tried to slap him, even knocking the referee’s yellow card out of his hand. Keane was sent off, much to the home crowd’s joy, while teammates like Gary Neville and David Beckham stepped in to calm things down.
So it’s no surprise that even after 25 years, Shearer and Keane still don’t exactly get along. “Me and Keane have never had the best relationship,” Shearer said during a Q&A in New York. “I don’t really know him. But two of my best pals in football, Micah Richards and Ian Wright, both say he’s a great guy. I just went head-to-head with him on the pitch. He didn’t like me, and I didn’t like him. But that’s fine. You’re not meant to like your opponents. You’re supposed to compete.”
It looks like they won’t be making up anytime soon. Keane is working with Ian Wright for ITV at the World Cup, while Shearer and Richards cover the tournament for the BBC.
When asked about that famous incident, Keane made light of it. “I lost my temper, we were losing 4-3 in the last minute. If you’re going to get sent off, the worst thing is that I just pushed him. If you’re going to get sent off, you might as well punch him properly because the punishment’s the same. That’s what I was thinking afterwards. It was just a push. It was silly.”