Roy Keane named underrated Spurs midfielder as his favourite footballer ever

Roy Keane named underrated Spurs midfielder as his favourite footballer ever. Roy Keane revealed who his favourite player of all time was during an episode of The Overlap. And despite having greats of the game like Diego Maradona, Pele and others to choose from, the former Manchester United captain selected someone who he admired growing up.

Keane himself enjoyed an excellent career, especially while at Old Trafford. Guiding United to seven Premier League titles and a special treble during the 1998/99 campaign, the Irishman is fondly remembered as one of the club’s greatest ever captains.

He played alongside some brilliant players, including Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Eric Cantona. But the player-turned-pundit snubbed all of them in favour of someone who played for another English team.

Keane Named Glenn Hoddle as Favourite Player Former United captain said he was a Spurs fan because of him Close

On The Overlap, Keane and the crew were joined by former England manager and Tottenham star Glenn Hoddle. Brought through the ranks in north London, the former midfielder went on to play 435 times for the senior side, guiding them to back-to-back FA Cups and a UEFA Cup in 1984.

But having him in the studio was extra special to Keane, who admitted early on in the episode that Hoddle had been his favourite player growing up. Greeting him, the Irishman said:

“We have a proper player! Spurs, ey? Spurs through and through.”

Hoddle proceeded to ask if that meant Keane was a Tottenham supporter, to which he replied: “Yes, because of you!” It was Gary Neville who then revealed that the Spurs icon had been United skipper’s favourite player.

Hoddle was an elite footballer during his playing career, earning plaudits from other fantastic former professionals such as Johan Cruyff. During his 12-year senior career at White Hart Lane, the midfield maestro was greatly admired for his skill in possession and his attacking capabilities, as he scored 96 times.

That translated into international football too, with Hoddle still regarded as one of the most skillful players in Three Lions history. Making his England debut in 1979, he went on to be a key cog in the squads for the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, as well as the 1980 and 1988 European Championships.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Only six players have made more appearances for Tottenham than Hoddle – Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Cyril Knowles, Pat Jennings, Gary Mabbutt and Steve Perryman.

Glenn Hoddle’s Career

Club

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Trophies

Tottenham

435

FA Cup (1980/81, 1981/82) UEFA Cup (1984)

Monaco

Ligue 1 (1987/88)

Swindon Town

N/A

Chelsea

N/A

Keane Turned Down Tottenham Trial United legend expressed his admiration for the club in 2015

It’s not the first time that Keane has admitted to supporting the Lilywhites. Despite going on to captain United through one of their most dominant eras, he admitted at a charity event back in 2015 that he was not a fan of the Red Devils.

Elaborating on his affinity for Spurs, the Irishman doubled down on his admiration for Hoddle as a youngster. But Keane even revealed that before joining Nottingham Forest, he turned down the chance to move to north London.

“Just because I played for Manchester United didn’t mean I was a fan of the team,” he said, per the Manchester Evening News. “When I played for Rockmount, one of my teammate’s fathers used to take me to training and he supported Tottenham.

“That’s where it started, I liked their players, the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Clive Allen. But after I’d come back from trial at Nottingham Forest, Spurs offered me a trial.

“I turned it down because Forest had been good to me, I liked the club and felt some loyalty to them. I had a soft spot for Spurs, and still do.”

The chance to join Spurs never seemingly cropped up again for Keane, whose career at United is well-known by all now. Had the Premier League hardman decided to join Tottenham, who knows just how different the Premier League landscape might have looked.