Kevin Keegan

English footballer and manager who won the Ballon d'Or twice, starred for Liverpool and Hamburg, and became a legendary figure in English football

Joseph Kevin Keegan was born on 14 February 1951 in Armthorpe, near Doncaster, to Joe and Doris Keegan. His father and grandfather had both worked in the coal mines, and the family's mining heritage — his grandfather Frank had once helped save lives in a 1909 pit disaster — instilled a work ethic that would define Keegan's playing style. He grew up idolising Newcastle United's Jackie Milburn through his father's stories, and was given his first pair of football boots, second-hand, after his father won a bet on the horses. Deemed too small by Coventry City, Keegan instead earned an apprenticeship at Scunthorpe United, where Liverpool manager Bill Shankly spotted him and paid £33,000 to sign him in 1971 — a fee that looked extraordinary value within months. Keegan scored just 12 minutes into his Liverpool debut and quickly formed a devastating strike partnership with John Toshack, nicknamed the "Dynamic Duo," as Liverpool embarked on one of English football's great sustained periods of success. Over six seasons at Anfield, Keegan won three First Division titles, an FA Cup, two UEFA Cups, and the European Cup, scoring 100 goals in 323 appearances. His finest hour in a red shirt came in the 1977 European Cup final in Rome, where he tormented West Germany defender Berti Vogts and won the penalty that sealed a 3-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach. He then broke the British transfer record with a £500,000 move to Hamburger SV, where his performances won him the Ballon d'Or in both 1978 and 1979 — a feat matched by very few British players before or since. Keegan later returned to England with Southampton and then Newcastle United, the boyhood club of his father's stories, where his combative, all-action style made him a hero on Tyneside. As a manager, he became famous for his passionate, attacking philosophy — his Newcastle side of the mid-1990s, "The Entertainers," memorably led the Premier League by 12 points before losing out to Manchester United, and his post-match outburst against Alex Ferguson ("I will love it if we beat them!") remains one of English football's most replayed moments. He went on to manage Fulham, England, and Manchester City. Keegan died on 20 July 2026, at the age of 75.

Energetic forward with exceptional work rate, aerial ability and leadership

Transformed from lower league player to European superstar, later successful manager

• European Footballer of the Year 2x
• First Division 3x
• European Cup
• Bundesliga 1x
• UEFA Cup 1973
• UEFA Cup 1976
• FA Cup 1974

Club Career

Club	Period	Apps	Goals
Scunthorpe United	1968–1971	124	18
Liverpool	1971–1977	230	68
Hamburger SV	1977–1980	90	32
Southampton	1980–1982	68	37
Newcastle United	1982–1984	78	48
Blacktown City	1985–1985	2	1
Great Britain	—	63	21