August 2002

Rejected by every big club he approached, when Roy Keane was finally given a chance at Nottingham Forest by Brian Clough he seized it and has never let go. As the inspirational captain of the most famous football (soccer) club in the world, he's been the driving force behind Manchester United's unprecendeted run of success that includes back-to-back doubles, the treble and the World Club Championship. In a team of world-class players, Keane's influence cannot be overstated.

In 1994, he travelled to the World Cup in America where as a young player in an experienced team him domination of the midfield helped Jack Charlton's Ireland beat finalists Italy. Years later, as captain of the national side, Keane was crucial to his team's qualification for the 2002 World Cup from a group few predicted they could survive. And then it all went catastrophically wrong when, days before the tournament began, he was sensationally sent home - his unflagging, uncompromising will to win had led to his undoing.

Keane's passion, forthrightness, honesty and resolve have led to confrontation on the pitch and controversy off it, but they are what make him the player he is. From a Cork childhood to the heights of the English Premiership, the European Champions League and the World Cup, this is the story of football's fiercest competitor - from the man himself.