Sir Alex Ferguson has paid a heartfelt tribute to his fierce managerial rival Kevin Keegan after the former Newcastle United manager’s death at the age of 75.
The legendary Manchester United boss, famously on the receiving end of Keegan’s iconic “I’d love it, absolutely love it, if we beat them” rant, expressed his profound respect for the man he credited with building Newcastle’s “best ever team”.
Speaking to Track Radio, Ferguson said: “I had the utmost respect for him. We had many duels when he was manager of Newcastle, but I have to say the job he did at Newcastle was fantastic.
“He re-energised that club and he brought that enthusiasm and fanaticism that great supporters can give. That’s the job he did.
“And he also brought three great players to the club – (David) Ginola, (Faustino) Asprilla, Philippe Albert – and added a bit of class to the team, and I must say the challenges we had with Newcastle at that time at United were huge.
“Kevin carried the love of the game on his sleeve, there’s no question about that, and that carried right on to the fans, to the players.
“That period at Newcastle was of emotion, it was excitement. They brought these great players to the club too and they added to it, and it gave Newcastle – I think – their best ever team.”
That emotion memorably boiled over in April 1996 when, with Ferguson’s United chasing down Keegan’s Premier League leaders Newcastle – they would ultimately snatch the title from their grasp – the former England striker made an emotional outburst during a Sky Sports interview.
However, Ferguson revealed the pair bumped into each other at a pub close to Wentworth Golf Club a few weeks after the season had ended and spent the night around a piano with all thoughts of football rivalry shelved.
Ferguson said: “The great thing about him, he held no grudges. That was a fantastic quality he had and we had a great night.
“All aside whatever happened in previous weeks, that was soon forgotten. I really respected him for that.”
Keegan’s death, which was announced on Monday, has prompted a tide of tributes to the former Scunthorpe, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle frontman from across the football community.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe laid down flowers outside St James’ Park, surrounded by a number of supporters who had congregated at the ground to pay tribute to Keegan.
Sir Trevor Brooking, who played alongside him for England, said in a statement: “I am so very sad to hear the devastating news about my friend and former team-mate Kevin Keegan.
“My friendship with Kevin goes back many decades, to our playing days for England. We were lucky enough to develop a real understanding on the field of play and know what each other was thinking.
“Kevin liked to run and find space on the pitch and I’d try to time my passes to give him the best chance to use his world-class skills to score.
“We roomed together on England duty and Kevin, with his bubbly character, was never shy of making jokes, often at my expense!
“I recently met up for lunch with Kevin and Jean when they were visiting London. Although it had been a while since we’d last seen each other, we picked up our conversation as if it had been yesterday.
“That afternoon, reminiscing about our footballing days, is one I will always treasure.
“Our thoughts and love are with Jean, Laura, Sarah and all of Kevin’s family at this sad time.”
