Man Utd legend Roy Keane reveals he turned down European superpowers to join Celtic

Manchester United legend and former Celtic man Roy Keane has revealed he turned down Real Madrid before agreeing to make the move to Celtic Park. The Irish former midfielder spent 12 years at Old Trafford in all, racking up 326 league appearances and winning all there is to win along the way.

By the time he left United in 2005, Keane found himself searching for a club where he could end his career, already 34 years of age and retired from international football after 14 years and 67 caps with the Republic of Ireland.

Keane then joined Celtic, where he would make just 10 league appearances, winning the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish League Cup before hanging up his boots. But it could have been very different, with Keane now revealing that he rejected Real Madrid and other European giants to pen terms with the Hoops.

He said on The Overlap: “Do you know, I always had a soft spot for Juventus. And they offered me a deal but I remember the deal, at the time, thinking it wasn’t amazing.

“I was looking for an amazing deal. And the club that offered me the most amazing deal ever was Bayern Munich. And then when I left United, I went up to Celtic but I could have gone to Real Madrid for a year and a half. They offered me a year and a half. And I was like, Celtic was emotional, which is fine. I don’t mind making them kinds of decisions. And I was 34, I just thought, ‘would I go to Madrid and have an impact?’”

Gary Neville then jumped in and said: I didn’t know you turned down Real Madrid.” Keane added: “I know."

Speaking previously about his time at Celtic, Keane has said: “I didn’t kick a ball at Celtic – I was injured all the time. What I did enjoy – for all my comfort zone at Manchester United, and I loved every minute of my time at United – was that it was good to be in another dressing room for six months. The Celtic lads, there were one or two idiots but generally speaking, they are great lads. I mixed with different lads, different dynamics, and I really enjoyed my time at Celtic.”