Legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to Kevin Keegan after it was announced on Monday that Keegan had died at the age of 75 following a battle with cancer.
Ferguson recalls rivalry and respect
Keegan first revealed his stage four cancer diagnosis back in January. The popular Yorkshireman won the Ballon d'Or twice as a player, but it was during his time as manager that he and Ferguson locked horns.
The Scot paid tribute to his former adversary during an interview with Track Radio, saying: 'I had the utmost respect for him. We had many duels when he was the manager of Newcastle, but I have to say, the job he did at Newcastle was fantastic. He energised that club.'
Keegan's legacy at Newcastle
'And he brought that enthusiasm and fanaticism that great supporters can give. That is the job he did. And he also bought three great players to the club: Ginola, Asprilla and Philippe Albert.'
'They added that a bit of class to the team, you know? And I must say, the challenges we had with Newcastle were huge. He created that atmosphere in Newcastle that could never be sort of beaten.'
'An entertaining team, I think it's always something to be, you know, that Newcastle fans, they loved Kevin Keegan. The job he did for them can never be forgotten. I mean, if you look at Newcastle's history over the years, it's good, it's not great. The period of Kevin Keegan was the best ever.'
Emotion and no grudges
'Kevin carried the love of the game on his sleeve, there's no question about that. And that carried on to the fans, to the players. And that period at Newcastle was all emotion, it was excitement. They brought these great players to the club, too, and they added to it. And it gave Newcastle, I think, their best ever team.'
When asked about Keegan's famous 'I will love it if we beat them' rant in the 1995/96 season, Ferguson said: 'That was Kevin's emotions, you know? He was all emotion in a lot of his job, and he brought that emotion to the team, too. They played for Kevin Keegan, there's no question about that.'
'The interesting thing about that, I heard from Kevin about two weeks after that season finished, I was playing at Wentworth Golf Club with two of my friends, and the barman said there was a great bar up the road, with nice food up there.'
'So we went up there, and who walks in? Kevin Keegan. And we spent the rest of the night on the piano. The great thing about him, no grudges. That was a fantastic quality he had. We had a great night, and he put aside whatever had happened in previous weeks. I really respected him for that.'
Manchester United's statement
United released a club statement reacting to Keegan's death, saying: 'We are profoundly saddened by the loss of Kevin Keegan. A giant of English football, he was a cherished figure at the very highest levels of the game.'
'Our condolences go to Kevin’s family, loved ones and all those he inspired as a manager, player and person, on and off the pitch. Rest in peace, Kevin.'
