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Robbie Keane is only 21 years old, but he has a wealth
of experience beyond his years.
After making his international debut in 1998, the lively
forward has gone on to earn 30 caps for the Republic
of Ireland, establishing himself as a team leader for
coach Mick McCarthy's side.
With the high-profile expulsion of team captain Roy
Keane from the World Cup, Ireland, now more than ever,
will rely on Robbie Keane for leadership on the pitch.
Slight of stature but quick of foot, Keane will have
to supply a steady stream of goals if Ireland is to
advance out of Group F and into the second round.
In less than five years, Keane has developed a high
profile in the European soccer landscape as the subject
of three major transfer deals totalling a whopping 32-million
pounds. As a star forward for Leeds United of the English
Premier League, he has played in the Champions League
and the UEFA Cup, European soccer's two premier club
competitions.
Born on July 8, 1980, he made his pro debut at age
17 for English club Wolverhampton Wanderers. He earned
his first international cap against the Czech Republic
in March 1998, and was a member of Ireland's national
under-18 side that won the European Championship later
that summer.
Wolverhampton sold him to Coventry City for seven-million
pounds at the beginning of the 1999-2000 season, and
he went on to score 12 goals for the Premier League
club. Keane caught the eye of Inter Milan, and the Italian
giants brought him to the San Siro for the 2000-01 campaign
after shelling out a massive 13-million pound transfer
fee.
Keane, then only 20, never caught on in Italy, as he
was given very few first-team opportunities. He returned
to England by the end of the year on a loan to Leeds
United, which eventually became a 12-million pound transfer
last summer.
Since the move, Keane has become one of the hottest
young players in England, helping Leeds United reach
the semi-finals of last year's Champions League. He'll
be hoping to lead Ireland to a similar impressive run
in the World Cup.
Irish coach Mick McCarthy has taken heart from Keane's
progress of late, particularly in international play,
and has a feeling that Keane might earn a real name
for himself -- all the more so with his namesake getting
jetted back to Ireland.
"We have relied heavily on Robbie, and it is nice
for him that he is coming to the peak of his form when
we are off to the World Cup," McCarthy said. "If
he is physically and mentally right he will show what
a good player he is, on the biggest of stages."
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