Kevin Keegan’s illustrious career in professional football has marked him out as one of the most charismatic, talented and decorated men in the history of the sport. As a player, he is best known for a legendary 1970s spell at Liverpool under Bill Shankly then Bob Paisley. In six seasons Keegan played a pivotal role in Liverpool winning three First Division titles, two Uefa Cups, a European Cup and an FA Cup. He was a vibrant and potent cutting edge in one of the most iconic teams in English football. At the very top of his game, Keegan left Merseyside to challenge himself on the Continent in Hamburg. He left an indelible mark on the club and their fans by winning the Bundesliga and European Cup in his three years there. He also won the highly coveted Ballon D’Or, twice, while in Germany.Keegan finished his playing career with spells at Southampton then Newcastle, immediately establishing himself on Tyneside as a club icon. His ten-year England career, in which he captained his country 31 times, brought 63 caps and 21 goals, but only one, brief World Cup finals appearance. Keegan returned to Newcastle, and further bolstered his legendary status in the north-east, in a five-year spell as manager at St James’ Park during which the club were promoted to the Premier League then finished runners-up in the top flight not once but twice. Spells as manager at Fulham, England and Manchester City followed, and Keegan called time on his managerial career after a short-lived second tenure at Newcastle.Written with the Guardian and Observer’s chief football writer Daniel Taylor, twice named Football Journalist of the Year, My Life in Football will embrace the great clubs he has been part of, the triumphs and despairs he has experienced, plus the team-mates and rivals he has encountered, the managers he has played under and the players he has managed, producing a deeply-absorbing and multi-layered memoir from a genuinely cross-generational legend of the sport.
Kevin Keegan’s illustrious career in professional football has marked him out as one of the most charismatic, talented and decorated men in the history of the sport. As a player, he is best known for a legendary 1970s spell at Liverpool under Bill Shankly then Bob Paisley. In six seasons Keegan played a pivotal role in Liverpool winning three First Division titles, two Uefa Cups, a European Cup and an FA Cup. He was a vibrant and potent cutting edge in one of the most iconic teams in English football. At the very top of his game, Keegan left Merseyside to challenge himself on the Continent in Hamburg. He left an indelible mark on the club and their fans by winning the Bundesliga and European Cup in his three years there. He also won the highly coveted Ballon D’Or, twice, while in Germany.Keegan finished his playing career with spells at Southampton then Newcastle, immediately establishing himself on Tyneside as a club icon. His ten-year England career, in which he captained his country 31 times, brought 63 caps and 21 goals, but only one, brief World Cup finals appearance. Keegan returned to Newcastle, and further bolstered his legendary status in the north-east, in a five-year spell as manager at St James’ Park during which the club were promoted to the Premier League then finished runners-up in the top flight not once but twice. Spells as manager at Fulham, England and Manchester City followed, and Keegan called time on his managerial career after a short-lived second tenure at Newcastle.Written with the Guardian and Observer’s chief football writer Daniel Taylor, twice named Football Journalist of the Year, My Life in Football will embrace the great clubs he has been part of, the triumphs and despairs he has experienced, plus the team-mates and rivals he has encountered, the managers he has played under and the players he has managed, producing a deeply-absorbing and multi-layered memoir from a genuinely cross-generational legend of the sport.