For football’s archetypal hardmen, such as the tough-as-nails Roy Keane, stepping out onto the football pitch could be likened to going into battle with a platoon of teammates they could trust with their life – and the Cork-born 54-year-old, who has turned to punditry in his post-retirement days, was never too far from controversy on the pitch. Fundamentally, he had his fair share of on-pitch rivalries.
Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira is the name that automatically springs to mind when you envisage Keane darting around all four corners of the engine room akin to a man on a mission. Alan Shearer and Alf-Inge Haaland were also two other names that got under his skin. But as was Keane’s approach to the oldfangled game, locking horns in the middle of the park was just part and parcel of how the former Manchester United captain decided to go about his ways for Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering outfit.
Jason McAteer, formerly of Sunderland and Liverpool, was also another figure on Keane’s hitlist – and he recently revealed, while speaking to SPORTbible, the two have privately agreed to put their past behind them for the greater good. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we, to relive what went on between the two Irishmen and how they’ve managed to rectify their relationship.
The Origin of Keane and McAteer’s Long-Standing Feud
The relationship between the two midfielders – who seldom saw eye to eye – was already frosty before Keane’s controversial decision to walk out on the Ireland squad on the eve of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. But that was the trigger of the Irish duo’s relationship breaking down entirely.
Here’s how it all played out. Throughout their respective careers, Keane and McAteer clashed on seven different occasions between 1995 and 2003 – but their elbow-throwing encounter between United and Sunderland in the 2002/03 Premier League season was the most notable of them all.
Both players were left in a heap on the floor when they contested a ball in the middle of proceedings. David Beckham, who cracked a wry smile, and referee Uriah Rennie were forced to separate the duo as McAteer mouthed “F*** off!” in the direction of Keane, who was later sent off for a challenge on his compatriot.
Watch Keane and McAteer’s famous clash at the Stadium of Light below:
In his 2002 autobiography, Keane insisted that McAteer was “too fond of himself for my liking, more interested in hair gel and nightclubs than winning football matches” – a remark that didn’t go down well with the former Anfield star as he claimed he did not lose sleep over the Old Trafford ace’s comments.
In the several years that followed, the boisterous pair went back-and-forth in numerous exchanges. In his autobiography named ‘Blood, Sweat and McAteer’, the ex-Sunderland midfielder revealed they had not spoken for years following their lengthy squabble by writing, “I couldn’t tell you the last time I spoke to him. People ask me if I’d ever want to make up with Roy Keane, but it’s not about that, my hand is open and always has been, and I’m always there for a chat if he wants to engage.
“I was at Wembley for a cup final a couple of years ago, and I held the door open for him. He was working for ITV, and I’d been working in the next box, but I’d finished. As I walked in, I’ve gone through the door, looked behind me and spotted him and I held the door open for him, but he’s just walked through it and straight past me without even acknowledging me. It was an opportunity for him to say hello, but he didn’t want to know.”
McAteer continued: “I’m also an ambassador for the FAI, so I’ve bumped into him in the lounges after games. He comes up and does a bit of speaking on one occaision, about two or three games ago, he came off the stage after finishing and he had to walk past us on the table. He shook hands with Paul McGrath and Ray Houghton but he just blanked me and carried on walking. But listen, he’s got his own reasons.”
McAteer Reveals the Irish Pair Have Settled Their 15-Year Feud
At the time of writing, it’s been over two decades – 22 years, to be precise – since the two competed against one another on the football pitch. In terms of being international teammates, Ireland’s 2-1 loss to the Ivory Coast in May 2002 was the last time they shared the pitch together. And McAteer has now revealed their relationship is back on track after a private get-together saw them sweep their differences under the carpet.
“Yeah, something happened a few months ago and I’d like to think we’re in a, privately, we’re in a better place. You know, I was disappointed that our relationship, it was what it was for 15 years,” he said before adding, “Something happened a few months ago that I was really emotional about.
“I found it really difficult to keep my emotions in check when we came together and something positive came out of it. I just thought 15 years wasted was far too long. I feel I do have a lot in common with him. We shared some really, really good times together. We shared some difficult times together. We shared a rivalry. I feel, on the football pitch, I totally understand where he comes from. He’s a winner. I was a winner. We just did it in different ways.”
McAteer concluded, “We shared a dressing room together. Some of my highlights of my career, qualifying for the World Cup, that took some doing. He was part of that. I hold him in such high esteem as a professional footballer, as an athlete. I’m glad our relationship is, let’s just say it’s in a better place than what it’s been.”