Kevin Keegan

In 1909, his grandfather Frank, an inspector, heroically saved lives in the West Stanley Pit disaster.

His father Joe and uncle Frank were Newcastle United fans, describing their favourite players as Hughie Gallacher and Jackie Milburn.

His father moved to Armthorpe in Doncaster (then in the West Riding of Yorkshire) to work in a colliery, where he married Doris and they had three children: Mary, who was two years Keegan's senior, Kevin, and Michael.

His father never saw Keegan play for Newcastle.

Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager.

Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Keegan was recognised for his dribbling ability as well as his finishing and presence in the air.

Keegan was born in February 1951 at his aunt Nellie's house in Elm Place in Armthorpe, as she had electricity that made it safer for childbirth.

Keegan attended St. Peter's High School in nearby Cantley.

Keegan was given his first football by his uncle Frank and his first pair of football boots by his father after he won betting on horses.

They were a second-hand pair of Winit boots bought from a sports shop run by former Doncaster Rovers centre forward Ray Harrison.

Keegan played football at Hyde Park using his baby brother Michael's pushchair as a goal post.

As a boy he supported Doncaster Rovers.

His favourite player was Alick Jeffrey, a player once described by Matt Busby's assistant, Jimmy Murphy, as the English Pelé, and once described by Jackie Milburn as "the best young player he had ever seen".

As a schoolboy, Keegan had a trial for Coventry City under manager Jimmy Hill.

Despite being one of two players kept on for an extra six-week period, the club did not offer Keegan a contract.

They did offer apprenticeship terms to the right-back Brian Joy, who went on to have a 15-year career in football.

Keegan had another trial with Doncaster Rovers arranged by his father, but when Keegan arrived he found out he had the wrong information—the trial was earlier in the day and at a different place.

Keegan participated in various sports, such as cross country running, rugby, and football, and served his school's cricket team as captain.

He also boxed at his local club, run by the former British Heavyweight champion Bruce Woodcock.

Keegan began his playing career at Scunthorpe in 1968, before Bill Shankly signed him for Liverpool.

There he won three First Division titles, the UEFA Cup twice, the FA Cup and, in his final season, the European Cup.

Having begun his career at Scunthorpe United, he moved to Liverpool in 1971 and then to Hamburger SV in 1977, enjoying great success at both clubs.

During this period, he was a regular member of the England national team.

After leaving Hamburg, where he was affectionately known as 'Mighty Mouse', Keegan played for Southampton and Newcastle United before retiring.

Keegan gained his first England cap in 1972.

He moved to Hamburg in the summer of 1977 and was named European Footballer of the Year in both 1978 and 1979.

Hamburg won the Bundesliga title in 1978–79 and reached the 1980 European Cup Final.

Keegan left Hamburg and played at Southampton for two seasons before transferring to Newcastle United in the Second Division in 1982.

He helped Newcastle secure promotion in his second season, and retired from playing in 1984.

He scored 204 goals in 592 appearances in his club career, adding 21 goals in 63 caps for the English national team.

Keegan returned to football in 1992 as manager at Newcastle.

He later managed Fulham and Manchester City.

All three clubs he managed won promotion as champions in his first full season there.

Keegan moved into management at Newcastle in 1992, and the team won promotion to the Premier League as First Division champions in his first full season, the following year.

Newcastle finished second in the Premier League in 1995–96, after leading for most of the season.

He managed the England national team from 1999 to 2000.

After managing Fulham for two seasons, he took charge of the England team in February 1999, but resigned in October 2000 following a 1–0 loss against Germany in qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

In 2001, he became manager of Manchester City for four years until he resigned in 2005.

Keegan had been out of football for almost three years when he returned to Newcastle United for a second spell as manager in January 2008, but this lasted only eight months, as he resigned on 4 September 2008 following speculation about a dispute with the club's directors.

Keegan's paternal ancestors arrived in Newcastle from Ireland.