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The former England manager Kevin Keegan has been diagnosed with cancer.
Keegan, who also played for England, Scunthorpe, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle before later managing Newcastle (twice) as well as Fulham, Manchester City and the national side was recently admitted to hospital for evaluation of ongoing abdominal symptoms.
Tests have confirmed the 74-year-old has an undisclosed form of cancer and he will now undergo treatment.
A statement from Keegan’s family, shared by Newcastle, revealed the diagnosis and said: “Kevin is grateful to the medical team for their intervention and ongoing care. During this difficult time the family are requesting privacy and will be making no further comment.”
To describe Keegan’s playing career as successful is something of an understatement. After helping Liverpool to three English league titles, while also lifting the European Cup, two Uefa Cups and the FA Cup, the man variously dubbed “King Kev” and “Mighty Mouse” won the Bundesliga with Hamburg.
His individual talent was recognised by the collection of two Ballons d’Or that saw him crowned European footballer of the year in 1978 and 1979. He also won 63 England caps, scoring 21 goals during an international career that took him to the 1982 World Cup and saw him captain the national side 31 times.
After a mini post-playing retirement largely spent playing golf in southern Spain, Keegan began the first of his two spells in charge of Newcastle in 1992. Having immediately paid for the fumigation of the club’s rundown training ground and swiftly secured promotion to the top flight, Keegan built a thrilling team on Tyneside.
Known as “The Entertainers”, they topped the Premier League table for much of the 1995-96 Premier League season but eventually finished runners-up as Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United overtook them in an extraordinary title race.
A stint managing Fulham followed his resignation from Newcastle in January 1997 before Keegan succeeded Glenn Hoddle as England manager from 1999 until his resignation in 2000.
It would prove a difficult interlude epitomised by some disappointing performances at the 2000 European Championship. Keegan departed the job that autumn after losing to Germany in the final game played at Wembley Stadium before its reconstruction.
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Four often happier years at Manchester City followed before a brief return to Newcastle’s St James’ Park in 2008 where he would endure difficult relationships with the then owner, Mike Ashley, and the then director of football, Dennis Wise.
When Keegan left Manchester City in March 2005 he had initially announced his retirement from football and subsequently seemed to regret being tempted to make an emotional return to Newcastle in 2008.
This time his Tyneside tenure stretched to only eight months and was punctuated by boardroom tensions. In 2009 an independent Premier League arbitration tribunal upheld his case for constructive dismissal from St James’ Park and awarded Keegan £2m in damages.
