Robbie Keane is back in Crumlin and he looks around the place like it was just yesterday.
He sits gazing out at the lanes, the fields, the schools where it all began and the memories come rushing back to him.
Memories of jogging through the streets and hopping fences to save himself 15 minutes on his way to training. Memories of kicking ball in the dark. Memories of a young lad with a dream.
In some sense, he’s still that same kid. He’s still that kid that started with Crumlin United intent on making it. He’s still got that same enthusiasm for the game that has shaped his life.
And, as he returned back to the starting point almost laughing off suggestions of his retirement, he recognises these streets and this journey like the back of his hand.
“I would get off the bus stop here and I remember going through that little alleyway there and jumping over the gate. At night time sometimes we would train down at Crumlin school and I just remember that; you still get that little feeling in your stomach that you had when you were that little kid and you were trying to make it over to England.”
That’s why retirement talk frightens him. Keane has never gotten sick of what he’s doing. He’s never taken it for granted.
“I’ve still got that buzz,” he said. “And I certainly still have that buzz when I put the jersey on, whether it’s the Galaxy jersey or the Ireland jersey.
“I look at people over the years – people like Teddy Sheringham who I’ve played with – people who played for a long time. Ryan Giggs played for a long time. Depending on injuries and stuff, I certainly see myself playing for that long. As long as I look after myself and keep myself fit.
“There are a few players – I’m not mentioning names – but they’ve certainly regretted that they stopped when they did when they definitely could’ve carried on for a few more years. The mental side of the game as well for certain players can be tough. Players feel like they’ve played for a long time and think ‘oh, you know, I think I’ve done enough now’ when the reality is that you’re finished a long time.
“So certainly from speaking to players with that experience, what I’ve gotten from that has kept me on. Even if I didn’t speak to those players, for me I just love what I do and I can’t imagine myself… I’ll regret that day that I have to hang up the boots.”
But international football isn’t something that will carry on forever. Keane will willingly serve his nation as much as he’s required to because, for him, it’s never really a question. But, at 34, the Republic skipper’s position is no longer the automatic default it was for over a decade and he admits that, should Martin O’Neill lead the country to France in 2016, that could – maybe – be his final bow with Ireland. Maybe. Possibly.
“I’ll continue to play for as long as I can,” Keane said before dismissing talk that putting right what happened in Poland at the last European Championships was an incentive. “It’s not something I think about a lot, to be honest. I mean, the Euros in 2012 is something you’d probably want to forget about so I don’t think about it too much. Listen, I just want to do the best I can for the country and if that’s getting to another Euros, well great. Of course the whole country wants that and that’s why we play the games, to play in these tournaments. It’s certainly something that, if we get there, it would be great. And for me to finish off on that would be fantastic.”
So could that be Robbie Keane’s last stand for the Republic of Ireland?
“Possibly, yeah. I can’t guarantee it but there’s certainly a chance that would be the case.”
The Tallaght man left Ireland when he was 15 and, by his own admission, he still hasn’t gotten used to it. He knows he’ll return one day to his home but not until business is taken care of. And, by the sounds of things, that could be a long time yet.
“For me, it’s just about the hunger,” he said. “Having that hunger to still play and that drive to still do well and score goals and still wanting to compete at the highest level. That, more than anything, motivates me.
“In my case, I have to be on my game as much as I can because a lot of people rely on me in the team to be that guy and, especially when you’re a designated player, there’s an added pressure on you. You have to kind of produce more often than not. That’s a challenge in itself and it’s something I enjoy. It motivates me to do well.
“Eventually, yeah [he’ll move back to Ireland]. Certainly not at the moment.”
Why would he? He’s out doing what he loves. He’s out doing what he used to dream about. He’s out doing what he used to work towards when he was just a kid running through alleyways in Crumlin.
And, sure, whenever that “regretful” day does come – if it ever does – he’s got five-year-old Robert junior to look towards. And this Keane’s a leftie.
Robbie Keane is an ambassador for CMRF Crumlin, the fundraising arm of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and was present alongside his LA Galaxy teammates at the handover of a cheque to the value of $50,000 from LA Galaxy and their sponsors Herbalife to CMRF Crumlin. For more see www.giveitup.ie.
