#4 Roy Keane
Irish football fans remain somewhat divided on their opinions of Roy Keane. Some think of him as one of the best players – if not the best – the country has ever seen produced on its shores. Others, though, see him as a trouble-starting traitor (which is a bit harsh if we’re honest).
Before he left the Emerald Isle for England, some of his coaches penned gushing letters to the likes of Chelsea, Luton Town, Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday but none of them jumped at the chance of picking him up.
That level of widespread dismissal must have been tough to take but when he eventually impressed Nottingham Forest, as he always knew he would, he kickstarted a remarkable rise to the top of European football which saw him captain one of the greatest English club sides of all time at Manchester United as well as become a combative, feisty midfielder.
Now – he is the assistant manager of his home country; not a bad story to reflect on for someone who was once just a young boy from the south of a tiny island on the edge of the continent.
