Kevin Keegan: Liverpool legend revered by Newcastle who won the Ballon d'Or twice | OneFootball

‘Mighty Mouse’ or ‘King Kev’ left an enduring legacy in the game, both as a player and manager

When Kevin Keegan turned out for Doncaster pub team Lonsdale Hotel on a Sunday morning, little did he know it would be the start of a journey to football’s elite.

Joseph Kevin Keegan, who has died aged 75 following treatment for stage four cancer, was born in Armthorpe, South Yorkshire on February 14, 1951.

His father Joe, who had served in the jungles of Burma, was a miner at the local colliery and a staunch fan of Newcastle – where Keegan himself would later be revered, first as player and then manager.

Keegan – who had suffered from bronchitis, with his parents told he would never be able to play sport – attended St Peter’s School in Cantley.

Despite his sporting prowess, Keegan, who also played rugby and captained the school cricket team, left with only two O-Levels, in art and history, and faced an uncertain future, his dreams of becoming a footballer seemingly shattered after being rejected following a trial at Coventry for being too small.

During the summer of England’s 1966 World Cup triumph, a 15-year-old Keegan took up a job at Peglers Brass Works in Doncaster.

Football still consumed his time off, his performances for Sunday league side Lonsdale leading to a trial at Scunthorpe where manager Ron Ashman offered him apprentice forms.

Aged 17, Keegan made his debut against Peterborough and, scouted by Liverpool, signed for the Anfield giants in May 1971.

Keegan won a plethora of major silverware at Liverpool, including the FA Cup in 1973/74

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Keegan was almost late for his debut against Nottingham Forest when he was held up in traffic around Anfield and his Ford Cortina stopped by a police roadblock, the officer not convinced by the young Yorkshireman’s tale of being Liverpool’s latest recruit.

Some 12 minutes after kick-off, Keegan had scored his first of a century of goals for the Reds and everyone knew his name.

Playing along Wales frontman John Toshack, Keegan helped fire Bill Shankly’s side to the 1972-73 league title and the UEFA Cup.

The Reds went on to win the 1974 FA Cup, with Keegan scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Newcastle.

A return to Wembley for the Charity Shield against Brian Clough’s Leeds saw Keegan, earlier punched in the face by Johnny Giles, dismissed following a brawl with Billy Bremner. The fracas resulted in both being fined £500 and handed two-month bans by the Football Association.

Liverpool won the First Division title in 1975-76 and 1976-77 and Kop idol Keegan was an advertiser’s dream, promoting the likes of Brut aftershave alongside boxer Henry Cooper. He also made a memorable appearance on the BBC’s ‘Superstars’ TV show, picking himself up after a bike crash to go on and win the episode.

Another UEFA Cup triumph followed in 1976 before Bob Paisley’s men were crowned 1977 European Cup winners with a 3-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach in Rome. It was to be Keegan’s 323rd and last appearance for Liverpool, his mind made up to move abroad.

He headed to the Bundesliga with Hamburg, while one Kenny Dalglish settled into Anfield as his replacement.

Kevin Keegan is the only British player to have won the Ballon d’Or more than once

Crowned the European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979 – the only British player to have won the award more than once – Keegan helped Hamburg claim a long-awaited domestic title before reaching the 1980 European Cup final, where they were beaten by Clough’s Nottingham Forest.

Keegan made his senior England debut in 1972 in a World Cup qualifier against Wales at Ninian Park. Don Revie’s side, however, failed to reach the World Cup in both 1974 and 1978.

When Keegan did finally play at the tournament in Spain in 1982, he had been recovering from a serious back injury and the campaign ended at the second group stage.

Keegan was overlooked by England’s new boss Bobby Robson as he finished his international career with 63 caps, scoring 21 goals.

He returned to English football with Southampton and was voted the PFA Player of the Year in 1981-82. Relations with manager Lawrie McMenemy, though, cooled over a lack of signings to push the squad on and ahead of the new season, Keegan joined Newcastle, his father’s club.

Keegan helped drive the Toon Army back into the top flight in 1984 before retiring at the end of the season following a benefit match against Liverpool, which saw him flying off the pitch in a helicopter and waving a final goodbye to the Gallowgate End, later starting a new life in Marbella.

He found himself in the headlines again in 1991 after pulling over to sleep following a long drive back from Spain. His Range Rover was broken into, the windows smashed with a baseball bat in a robbery and brutal assault which left Keegan knocked unconscious, needing eight stitches to a bloody head wound.

After playing for and captaining England, Keegan later spent 20 months as manager of his country

PA

In early 1992 Keegan received an unexpected call which would again change the course of his life – an invitation to become the new manager of Newcastle, struggling in the second tier, following the departure of Ossie Ardiles.

After Keegan kept the Magpies up, the backing of chairman John Hall saw Newcastle look towards the newly-formed Premier League.

With club-record signing Andy Cole brought in, Keegan’s men were promoted as Division One champions before finishing third in the top flight.

In January 1995, Cole was sold in a shock transfer to rivals Manchester United, with Keegan left to defend the club’s decision to angry fans.

At the start of the next campaign, Newcastle, boosted by the marquee signings of David Ginola and Les Ferdinand, were irresistible and by January had opened up a 12-point lead.

Manchester United’s relentless pursuit, though, finally got to Keegan during a live post-match TV interview after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Leeds when he delivered his famous “I will love it we beat them” rant in response to comments from Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

It was Ferguson and his side who kept their heads to take the title as Newcastle drew their final two matches to finish four points adrift.

The world-record £15million transfer of Alan Shearer from Blackburn during the summer lifted spirits on Tyneside, but Keegan resigned in January 1997.

Keegan remains an iconic figure at Newcastle, where he is known affectionately among fans as ‘King Kev’

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He returned to the game eight months later as chief operating officer at Division Two club Fulham.

The Cottagers were promoted as champions at the end of the 1998-99 campaign, by which time Keegan was installed as England manager.

He guided England to Euro 2000 but his team failed to reach the quarter-finals. His tenure ended in resignation later that year following defeat by Germany at Wembley, the last match at the national stadium before it was rebuilt.

Keegan got the Manchester City job in 2001, guiding them to the Division One title, before an unexpected return to Newcastle in January 2008 following the departure of Sam Allardyce.

Tensions grew with the board over the club’s structure under owner Mike Ashley and after fans protested at the ground following rumours he had been sacked, Keegan resigned in September 2008.

He was later awarded £2m in damages, plus interest, after winning his case for constructive dismissal.

Keegan did occasional punditry work and some personal appearances, but remained largely out of the spotlight.