Roy Keane was very honest when asked if he would ever ‘forgive’ and make up with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Sir Alex Ferguson seemed to reach out to Roy Keane in his recent memoir, but it’s unclear if the former Manchester United captain is ready to let bygones be bygones.
Last month, Ferguson’s new book, Games of My Life, praised Keane’s performance against Juventus in 1999, saying it “deserves to be passed down through the generations.”
Keane, who played 480 matches for United between 1993 and 2005, has been very open about his long-running feud with Ferguson. Near the end of his time at Old Trafford, Keane caused a stir with a fiery MUTV rant after United’s 4-1 loss to Middlesbrough in 2005, leading some to say he betrayed his teammates.
Since then, Ferguson and Keane have barely spoken. When asked if he would ever forgive Ferguson for how things ended and the critical comments in the book, Keane gave a careful answer. At a 2014 book launch, he said, “Football is a small world and eventually you will cross paths with people again. Whether it’s at a game or a conference, we will meet again.”
He added, “We worked together a long time and had our disagreements, which I don’t mind. But it’s what came afterward — Alex criticizing me and others who brought joy to fans — that was just wrong. He’s made millions, has a stand and a statue named after him, so why do that? People here have told lies about me, and you have to stand up for yourself. Enough is enough.”
When asked if he’d meet Ferguson again, Keane said, “Will I forgive him? I don’t know. We’ll see if we cross paths again. I’m sure we will… cross paths, I mean.”
Keane’s 2005 MUTV rant called Kieran Richardson “lazy” and questioned why Scots rave about Darren Fletcher. He also criticized Edwin van der Sar and took a jab at Rio Ferdinand, saying, “Just because you’re paid £120,000 a week and play well for 20 minutes against Tottenham doesn’t mean you’re a superstar.”
United chose not to air Keane’s outburst, and Ferguson, who rarely aired his players’ dirty laundry, was reportedly furious. Wayne Rooney recalled in the ‘Tony Bellew is Angry’ podcast that Ferguson even jumped over his desk during a heated meeting with Keane.
Rooney said, “Roy had gone after some players on the club’s TV, so Fergie called a meeting. Roy said, ‘Let’s all watch it together,’ so we did — coaches, Alex, the whole team. Roy asked if anyone had a problem, and no one did. It wasn’t that bad, mostly Roy and the manager had history.
“But then things blew up, and I saw Ferguson jump over his desk — I thought ‘wow, this is crazy.’ They had to hold him back, and it finally calmed down. The next day, Roy showed up to training, but about 30 minutes later, we saw him drive off — and that was it.”