According to the report, Joseph Kevin Keegan, who had been treated for stage four cancer, has died at the age of 75. He was born in Armthorpe, South Yorkshire, on Feb. 14, 1951. His father, Joe, a former soldier who served in Burma and later worked as a miner, was a lifelong Newcastle supporter — a club where Keegan would later be revered as both player and manager.
Keegan battled bronchitis as a child and attended St Peter’s School in Cantley, where he played rugby and captained the cricket team. After being rejected at a Coventry trial for being too small and leaving school with two O-Levels, he took a job at Peglers Brass Works in Doncaster. Performances for Sunday-league side Lonsdale Hotel led to a trial at Scunthorpe, where manager Ron Ashman offered him apprentice forms. Keegan made his senior debut at 17 against Peterborough.
Scouted by Liverpool, Keegan signed for the club in May 1971. He nearly missed his debut against Nottingham Forest when held up in traffic and stopped by police, but arrived to score 12 minutes after kickoff — the first of 100 goals for the Reds. Playing alongside John Toshack, he helped Bill Shankly’s side to the 1972-73 First Division title and a UEFA Cup. Keegan scored twice in Liverpool’s 3-0 1974 FA Cup victory over Newcastle and featured in successive league triumphs in 1975-76 and 1976-77.
Keegan’s Liverpool career included a 1974 Charity Shield brawl with Leeds that led to a fine and two-month bans for those involved, an appearance on the BBC’s “Superstars” show, and European success with a 1976 UEFA Cup and the 1977 European Cup win in Rome. His 323rd and final outing for Liverpool preceded a move to Hamburg, where Kenny Dalglish took his place at Anfield.
Keegan was crowned European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979, the only British player to win the award more than once. He helped Hamburg win a long-awaited domestic title and reached the 1980 European Cup final, where they lost to Nottingham Forest. Internationally, Keegan debuted for England in 1972 against Wales, earned 63 caps and scored 21 goals, and played at the 1982 World Cup while recovering from a serious back injury. He later returned to English football with Southampton and was named PFA Player of the Year for 1981-82.
