A true superstar... and a terrific man

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"There was no legal way of stopping him!"

21 Jul 2026 - Daily Mail

By GRAEME SOUNESS Keegan’s rival and great friend

IF you wanted an example of a man who became a superstar but never changed as a man, Kevin Keegan would be top of that list.

For everything he achieved in the game — the trophies, two Ballons d’or — his greatest quality was the humility he carried with him through every waking moment.

He treated every person he met in the same way: with utmost respect. To say he was an absolute gentleman seems an understatement. He was a class act.

This was a genuine superstar. If only you could bottle the attitude he had and sell it to the players today.

I was in a restaurant not so long ago when I witnessed a young player, a so-called star, refuse to do a selfie with a fan. That was the absolute polar opposite to Kevin.

Kevin Keegan was a genuinely humble man who recognised he had got lucky in life, but boy did he make the most out of his talent and work hard at it.

He left nothing on the table. He got the absolute best out of himself every time he went out and played football whether training or in a game. His workrate was phenomenal and his enthusiasm lifted everyone around him.

From an early age he became the biggest star in English football. When I faced him for Liverpool against Southampton, there was no legal way of stopping him. He didn’t take kindly to that and gave me a right mouthful. But like all the greats, he didn’t shy away, he just came back for more. But afterwards we became friends.

I got to know him even better in recent years. We used to play golf in Portugal together and he would always make it competitive. He was full of mischief. England v Scotland, he’d say. He was a delight to be around and no matter who asked for a photograph, he’d always stop and make them feel special.

One Friday, a guest speaker for my charity DEBRA had let me down. The dinner was on the Sunday at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh. I rang Kevin and asked if he could step in. He said, ‘Give me five minutes’.

He rang back in three and said, ‘I’ll do it.’ I said, ‘How much do you want?’ and he said, ‘Just my travel expenses please’, because he liked to drive everywhere.

He turned up, enchanted the room, then stayed and listened to the families’ stories. When I went to pay him, he refused and said, ‘Put it in the pot’. It was a mark of the man.

He used to say: ‘I wish for you and your family what you would wish for yourself.’

My heart goes out to Jean and

Kevin’s family.

***

Big hug made me feel at home on England debut

"He made me feel at home with England"

21 Jul 2026 - Daily Mail

By BRYAN ROBSON Keegan’s former England team-mate

I WILL never forget that when I first walked into the England dressing room, it was Kevin Keegan who came over, gave me a hug and said: ‘Enjoy this, son.’

He was the captain, the superstar and reigning European Footballer of the Year but there were no airs or graces, no front, just this fantastic footballer and man who was genuine in his support.

It was my debut against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley, in February 1980. We won 2-0 that day and Kevin scored both goals.

How to lead by example. This great No7. That was Kevin all over. He was a huge influence on me.

He didn’t have to go out of his way to make a fuss of me but he was really welcoming. This big star recognised I just needed a bit of encouragement and him adding normality by saying ‘just enjoy it’. Playing for England.

I took so much from how he went about things. He had loads of energy and worked so hard. That always stood out. You didn’t get to be European Footballer of the Year twice on talent alone. He gave everything in training, not just the games.

I maintain to this day that if Kevin had been fit for the 1982 World Cup, we would have had a great chance of winning it. Instead, a back injury meant he could only play a small part as a substitute that summer in Spain and we went out in the second group stage. But he was that good. He would have made the difference.

He retired at international level after that and I’ve always thought it would have been the most fitting way for him to end his England career to have won that World Cup.

Even when he went into management, his teams had his style. Always attacking, always wanting to entertain, reflecting his great enthusiasm for how to play the game.

As we got older, he moved round the corner from me in Hale and we used to meet up for a coffee. Reminiscing about the old days, mainly those with England, laughing about the characters we knew and the experiences we had.

I used to see him on the after-dinner circuit and his stories were always so funny, a great raconteur. A genuine star, a terrific player but he could back it up as a terrific man.

To lose him is such a shock. It is a sad, sad day.

My condolences go to Jean and their daughters.