Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: Roy Keane, Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Patrick Vieira, Manchester United, England, Football, Premier League
Adnan Riaz
Topics: Roy Keane, Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Patrick Vieira, Manchester United, England, Football, Premier League
Manchester United legend Roy Keane has been voted as the best Premier League captain of all time ahead of Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard.
The Irish hardman, 50, built a legendary reputation at Old Trafford and lifted seven Premier League titles, a Champions League and four FA Cups at United.
Keane, who is regarded as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders of all time, ascended to the United captaincy after Eric Cantona’s shock retirement in 1997.
The ex-United captain, who made 471 appearances during his spell at Old Trafford, played a key role in his side’s historic treble-winning feat in the 1998-99 season.
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SPORTbible took to Twitter and asked fans to vote for the best Premier League skipper in our readers’ poll.
With 24,921 votes cast, Keane came out on the top spot in the star-studded list and secured the lion’s share of the vote with 39.7 per cent.
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Gerrard, who was captain for both England and Liverpool, came a distant second with 26.8 per cent of the vote.
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Chelsea legend John Terry took home third place with 20.7 per cent of the vote, while Arsenal hero Patrick Vieira came fourth with 12.8 per cent of the vote.
Keane left Old Trafford in 2005 after an infamously explosive interview on MUTV and a troubled relationship with legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The former Republic of Ireland skipper went on to play for Scottish side Celtic for a single season before hanging his boots up in 2006.
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United legend Ryan Giggs insisted that Keane was a “top leader,” but he added that his former club teammate was also an exceptional footballer.
“I think we all talk about what a captain and leader he was but he was a brilliant player,” he told Sky Sports in 2020.
“He very rarely gave the ball away. He changed his game from being an attacking midfielder to being that one that sat a bit more but he could control a game, control the tempo of the game as well.
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“He was always in a covering position, he would be all over the pitch.
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“As you know and as everyone knows that when someone needed telling he would tell them but that would motivate you as a player.
“As you see here, he was always in the right position, He had the athleticism but he didn’t always need it because his positioning was so good. He was a brilliant player as well as a top leader and a great captain.”