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Like the iconic Michael Jordan buzzer in 1989 that went down in history as ‘The Shot’, Roy Keane in Alf-Inge Haaland in 2001 could forever be known as ‘The Tackle’.
Or like Muhammad Ali’s ‘Phantom Punch’ about Sonny Liston in 1965, it’s one of those moments that goes beyond the limits of its own sporting time and takes on a life of its own.
Neil Leifer – ‘Boxing. 60 years of struggles and fighters’
Ali stepped on his opponent and prodded
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And Keane did the same
All three events took place before YouTube was invented in 2005, and yet a modern audience, many of whom were probably not alive when they happened, have viewed them millions of times.
The facts quickly become blurred with myths, legends and fantasies as the stories travel through generations.
We imagine that iconic Neil Leifer shot of Ali standing over Liston in his glorious prime, but we forget that the fight was clouded by controversy over whether the punch even landed or his victim was correctly counted.
Former Manchester United captain Keane’s knockout video of former City Haaland midfielder is titled ‘Roy Keane ends Haaland’s career at the Manchester Derby’, but that’s not true.
Haaland did not come out after the challenge, playing half of a friendly against Norway four days later and making 68 minutes of City’s next league game.
Darling
The ball was nowhere to be seen and Haaland was lucky his leg was not planted.
While it’s possible the tackle had a side effect and he underwent surgery that summer, Keane targeted his right knee and the operation was on his left.
Also, this is a moment that doesn’t need hyperbole. Just looking at it is enough to feel nauseous and shocked like a horror movie.
The facts are as follows: With five minutes remaining in a Manchester derby, Keane made a disgusting tackle on Haaland, designed to hurt the player rather than win the ball.
When referee David Elleray brandished the red card, Keane stepped on his opponent and goaded him: “Don’t ever stop again by making fun of false injuries. And tell your friend Wetherall that there are some for him too.
It’s no secret that the challenge was motivated by revenge, even if Keane has backtracked on it.
In 1997, when in Leeds, Haaland stood over Keane during a match against Man United, complaining to the Irishman for faking an injury when in fact he had just torn his ACL.
In his controversial 2002 autobiography, Keane said: “I had waited long enough. I hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that, shit. And never stand in front of me mocking fake wounds. “
While the original offense gave Keane a £ 5,000 fine and a three-match suspension, comments in his book gave him an additional £ 150,000 fine and a five-match ban for suggesting it was intentional and profited from it. .
Those accusations hurt Keane, who moved to clear things up in another autobiography in 2014, though he still refuses to show remorse for the tackle.
The former Man United captain wrote: “[He] pissed me off, shooting her mouth. He was an absolute idiot to play against. Annoying, sneaky.
“I wanted to catch him and let him know what was going on. I wanted to hurt him and stand next to him and say, ‘Take that, shit.’
“I don’t regret that. But she had no desire to hurt him. It was action; it was soccer. He was dog eat dog.
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Keane’s entry into Haaland took years to prepare
“I have kicked a lot of players and I know the difference between hurting someone and hurting someone. I didn’t go to hurt Haaland. When you play sports, you know how to hurt someone.
“There was no premeditation. I had played Haaland three or four times between the game against Leeds in 1997 when I injured my crusader and the game when I tackled him in 2001 when I was playing for Manchester City.
“If he had been so mad looking for revenge, why would he have waited years for a chance to hurt him?
“Have I been hanging around for years thinking, ‘I’m going to catch it, I’m going to catch it’? No. Was it in the back of my mind? Of course it was.
“As was Rob Lee, as was David Batty, as was Alan Shearer, as was Patrick Vieira. All these players were in the back of my mind: ‘If I get the chance, I’m going to hit you, of course I will.’
“Haaland finished the game and played four days later, for Norway. A couple of years later he tried to claim that he had had to retire because of the tackle. He was going to sue me. It was a bad tackle, but he was still able to play four days later ”.
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Alf-Inge has quite a famous son, we’ll get to that …
True, Haaland tried to suggest that the tackle ended his career before backing down when Keane published his second autobiography.
The Norwegian told the Daily Mail in 2003: “Did that tackle end my career? Well, I never played a full game again, did I?
But then he told the BBC in 2014: “I don’t blame him for kicking me in other games or in that particular game. What worried me and worried me is that he said, in his first book, that he wanted revenge. And I don’t think that’s an integral part of football.
“I do not blame him. I never actually said my degree ended. It was my last full game in England so maybe it had something to do with it. “
Why are we bringing this up now, you ask? Well, you may have heard that Alf-Inge Haaland has a pretty famous son.
As Keane resurfaces as a cultural phenomenon on our television screens and, erm, on Instagram, that approach could also become very relevant again in a few months.
Erling Haaland, the 20-year-old superstar at Borussia Dortmund, is considered by many to become the best striker in the world one day and will probably already be there.
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Haaland already has 20 goals in 14 Champions League games
Alf-Inge, who not only played for United’s fiercest rivals Leeds and Manchester City, but also has all of that with Keane, has a huge influence on his son’s future.
Erling himself was born in Leeds and current whites star Stuart Dallas revealed that the forward sang ‘Marching On Together’ in his ear during an international match recently.
Simply put, there are many reasons why Erling and his father would not want him to go to Old Trafford this summer. And there are many reasons why they would want to go to Man City, which are also believed to be interested.
The youngster turned the Red Devils out in favor of Dortmund when he left Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020, and now United face competition from all the big clubs in Europe when Erling finally leaves Germany.
Having his son snub United twice, denying them exactly what they need, would surely taste good to Alf-Inge.
Erling Haaland Instagram
Erling Haaland was trained by Solskjaer in Molde
However, Erling maintains a good relationship with United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after their time together at Molde, and if Alf-Inge’s comments in 2019 are something to follow, he would not envy his son’s move.
The Norwegian told Danish media TV2: “It would be good. It is important to distinguish between being a supporter and a job.
“So I have a very relaxed relationship with that. It’s a little different when it comes to something serious. Yes, I think most players dream of being in the Premier League at one point or another.
“It is the league that receives the most attention and has very good quality teams. There is no doubt that the Premier League attracts him ”.
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This is just the beginning for Haaland
Manchester United has even been told to sell one of its star men in an attempt to fund a move for Haaland, who has now set an impressive Champions League record, reaching 20 goals in just 14 games, 10 faster. than the previous headline Harry Kane.
“Haaland is going to be in high demand. You probably won’t get it for less than $ 300,000 a week, “former Chelsea ace Jason Cundy told talkSPORT.
“You know what United should do, they should move David De Gea and release those salaries, they have Dean Henderson.”
Given Haaland’s current shape and track record, that could be a cut.
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