Childhood and Early Career
Keane was born into a working class family in the Mayfield suburb of Cork. His father, Maurice, took work wherever he could find, which led to jobs at a local knitwear company and a Murphy's Irish Stout brewery, amongst others. His family were keen on sport, football especially, and many of his relatives had played for junior clubs in Cork, including Rockmount A.F.C. Keane took up boxing at the age of nine and trained for a number of years, winning all of his four bouts in the novice league. During this period he was developing as a much more promising footballer at Rockmount, and his potential was highlighted when he was voted Player of the Year in his first season.
Keane supported Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur as a child, citing Liam Brady and Glenn Hoddle as his favourite players, but as time progressed, Manchester United's Bryan Robson became the footballer he most admired due to the all-action, box-to-box style for which 'Captain Marvel' had become famous.
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