William leads Tributes to King Kev
England legend Keegan dies aged 75
The Prince of Wales today led the tributes to Kevin Keegan.
He posted on X: “Incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of Kevin Keegan. A truly remarkable footballer and manager who inspired generations with his talent, passion and love of the game. Above all, he will be remembered as a kind and generous man. Our thoughts are with his family and all who knew him. W”
He ended on the man. William is a football man. He knew what he was saying.
England, Liverpool, Hamburg, Newcastle legend Keegan died at 75. His family said in January he was being treated for stage four cancer. His wife and daughters were with him.
He came up the hard way. Starting out at Scunthorpe United. On the way he was twice European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and again in 1979.
He won Sixty-three caps. Scored Twenty-one goals.
Small, quick, and he never stopped running. The perm. Half the boys in England tried emulate him in the garden until it went dark or crashing shots into the garage door. I was one of them.
He took Newcastle United and made them worth watching. Second in 1996. The game would have been better for him winning it.
I met him at Fulham FC. My father Vic was chairman of Southend United and we played his team. I was in awe. He was warm, friendly, totally down to earth.
He went on to be England manager only to resign after defeat in a World Cup qualifier against Germany in the final game at the old Wembley Stadium.
Keegan's plea of mea culpa – "I'm blaming nobody but myself. I wasn't good enough,” he said. HIs players, Tony Adams, Beckham and others wanted him to stay. But he was adamant.
Loved his passion for the game.
God bless him, King Kev.
Thanks Robert. A real legend to many I know, as I’m married to a Geordie. I was in Kevin’s fan club in the early 70’s during his days as a Liverpool player. It was run by his brother Mike. He used to send signed photos and little, chatty handwritten letters, it was well before the days of the internet. My younger brother tried to give himself the Keegan perm (using a product called Twink) but it went disastrously wrong. He hid in the bathroom until our older sister could get home and come to the rescue. Ah the memories of those days. Rest well Kevin, you brought so much joy.
This tribute by Prince William will be a source of comfort for the family at such a difficult time.