Robert David Keane’s footballing journey started out in Tallaght, a working class suburb on the south side of Dublin.  As we settle into the meeting room, Keane recalls those very early days.  Never too far away from a ball as he was growing up, one member of his family spotted his potential from a very early age.

“My granddad always said he could see me as a footballer because as a kid I always wanted to have a football around me and he said that I could kick with both feet.  He said that when I was two he reckoned I’d be a footballer.” 

As with most Irish boys, Keane played his share of Gaelic football and hurling, the country’s traditional sports, as he grew up but soccer was always his first love.  His bedroom walls were covered in posters of Ian Rush, John Aldridge and other Liverpool heroes of the time and any spare moment was filled with a kick-about.

“I just loved football, you know.  Always back from school, uniform off, straight out to play on the road till I got called in.  We had these two gas boxes outside that were facing each other, so I played one v ones with my brother on the road every day.  We used to play road against road matches.  Things like that were great.  That’s where it all starts off. You could really enjoy your football – not that you don’t enjoy it now, of course you do - but just playing against your mates and that, it was great.”

These humble beginnings to Keane’s football journey will no doubt sound familiar, particularly to those readers older than Keane for whom, back when there were fewer cars on the road, streets and pavements played host to classic encounters on a daily basis.

Gas boxes and street corners were never going to suffice as a platform for Keane’s footballing talents, however.  At eight years old he began playing for local side Fettercairn, although he has his brother Graham, four years his senior, to thank for that.

“When Fettercairn started off, there were so many kids over there that they had to pick a few, move them to one side and tell the rest to come back another day.  I was one of the lads who got left out, and this was before training had even started, so when the manager turned his back my brother pushed me in to the group where the lads had been picked!”

This may be the first example of Keane’s family's influence on his football career, but it is certainly not an isolated example.  It is obvious from our conversation how important Keane’s family is to him and how invaluable their support for him has been, particularly in those early days.  When asked who his biggest influences were as a young footballer, he doesn’t hesitate for a second.   “Family’s always the most important because they were the ones who always get you the boots and that” he says. “I come from a background where we didn’t have a lot of money or anything like that you know.  My mother had to work hard to get me some trainers and boots to play in.” Keane’s uncle also played a part in his early development.  Taking over as manager at Fettercairn, he moved his nephew up from the position he held at right back to his now more customary forward role.  Robbie Keane the right back?  I have to ask about this. Surely it was more fun playing up front? “Oh yeah!” The tone of voice says it all - Robbie Keane was never meant to be a defender.  “I just started off there [at right back] ‘cos the team had just started but I was still top goal scorer.  I was taking penalties and everything so when my uncle took over he moved me up front.”

Not surprisingly, it didn’t take long for Keane the centre forward to get noticed.  At the age of 12 he moved a few miles down the road to a bigger local team, Crumlin United.  This was a good move for the young man as, in Keane’s own words, “you get recognised” when you play for Crumlin.   The club has proved a breeding ground for local talent over the years and a number of its players have gone on to play Premier League football in England.

“It was a good club, a step above” Keane says but, despite this, he still stood out. “In the last season we won the double and I got 60 goals which beat the league record.  I’m not sure if anyone’s beaten it since.”

With the stories of his exploits at youth football becoming more and more impressive, I ask at what age he began to think that he had what it took to go a long way in the game.  “I’ve always been confident in my own ability.  I think you have to be as a footballer if you want to make it to the top.  I don’t think there was a specific time when I thought ‘I’m going to be a footballer’.  I always wanted to be but you can’t visualise it.”

“But I knew from an early age that’s what I wanted to do and football was my life.  I went to great lengths to make it happen.  It was hard as a young lad from Dublin to leave home at 15 years of age.”

There were a number of clubs keeping tabs on Keane at Crumlin but it was Wolverhampton Wanderers who secured the teenager’s signature.  “It was tough leaving home but it wasn’t a tough decision joining Wolves.  They were the first club I went to and they looked after me tremendously.”

“I’d never really heard of Wolves. In Dublin it was either Man United or Liverpool, so when I went there and saw the stadium I thought it was just amazing.  The people were fantastic, particularly Chris Evans [Wolves youth team coach at the time] who I still consider a good friend to this day.  They all really looked after me.  I just had this feeling for Wolves which I didn’t have for other clubs. When I went there I knew I was going to be looked after and just felt more of a calling for the club.”

After a couple of seasons in the youth team, Keane made his first team debut as a 17 year old on the opening day of the 1997/98 season.  Scoring both goals in a 2-0 victory at Carrow Road, the wiry teenager immediately won the hearts of Wolves' supporters. The Molineux faithful still hold Keane dear to this day and it is clear from our conversation that the feeling is mutual. “Even to this day I go back and it’s great.  It’s very rare that happens now in football I think.  No matter what you’ve done at a club, a lot of the time people just boo you [when you go back], but with Wolves it’s different.  I scored a hat-trick against them for Tottenham and they still gave me a standing ovation when I went off!”

I was in the away end at White Hart Lane that day in December 2003 and it was truly something special.  To hear a group of fans cheering an opponent louder than his own club’s fans was a unique experience.  You couldn't wish for a clearer indication of the mutual respect between Keane, who parked his trademark cartwheel / gunslinger goal celebration that day, and the Wolves fans. 

“You just don’t get that these days” he said.  “People singing your name when you’ve just scored a goal against them?  That was very overwhelming.”

After two successful seasons in the Wolves first team, Keane made a £6m move to Premier League neighbours Coventry City, a British record for a teenager at the time.  This was followed by big money moves to Inter Milan, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur, where he really made his name.

Keane spent six successful seasons at White Hart Lane, scoring over 100 goals and winning three Player of the Year awards.  A regular captain of the side in the absence of Ledley King, Keane got his hands on his first piece of silverware in February 2008, lifting the Carling Cup with King following their 2-1 victory over Chelsea.

After scaling new heights with Spurs, it would have taken a great offer to prize Keane away from north London, but that offer came when Liverpool came knocking.  Having supported the team as a boy, this was a dream come true for the Irishman. 

“It’s ironic how things turn out in life.  Sometimes you feel it’s almost written for you, you know? This is where I’ve always wanted to play.  I’ve always been open about being a Liverpool fan.  I’ve had a great time at my previous clubs but this is the club where I wanted to be.  "There’s Champions League and chasing for titles and I want to be a part of that.  For me as a kid growing up in Dublin, Liverpool was always my team so to be here as a 28 year old is a dream come true."

Having made the dream move though, Keane is in no mood to sit back and just take in the experience.  His football journey is not complete yet.  He is an ambitious man and wants to win things with his new club.  “As a player you want to look back on your career and think ‘I’ve won things.’  You don’t want to look back and say ‘he’s done OK; he’s made this amount of money.’  For me it’s not about the money, it’s about winning trophies and being part of a winning team and that’s the reason I came here.”

Having taken a few games to find his feet, Keane opened his Liverpool account against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League at Anfield in early October, a night on which his captain Steven Gerrard celebrated his 100th goal.   Keane may lie way behind Gerrard in Liverpool’s scoring charts but, despite only finding the net twice so far this season, his contribution to the team has impressed and his work rate and determination have endeared him to the fans.

His side currently sit second in the Premier League after the club’s best start to a season for many a year, are odds on to win their Champions League group and a tie against Keane's previous club awaits in the League Cup.

There is no doubt that this Dublin lad is now a world famous Premier League star, although you wouldn’t guess it from talking to him.  Down to earth, personable and unassuming throughout, he displays no heirs and graces yet speaks warmly about home and his early footballing days, retaining a strong sense of identity to where he’s from.

The boy from Tallaght still keeps close ties with his junior clubs.  In fact, Fettercairn is only running today because of Robbie and his family.  The club folded around ten years ago, so their most famous graduate has recently got them back up and running again “to look after the kids in the area.” Keane's brother is the club secretary and a friend of Keane is the club chairman.

It will be his 85th cap for Ireland, for whom he was made captain in January 2006 - another indication of how far the young lad from Tallaght has come, and something about which Keane is very proud. 

“As a kid growing up you always dream of playing for your country.  You dream of leading them out and scoring for them.”  And how he has scored for them!  With 35 goals he is Ireland’s record goal scorer by a country mile, having surpassed Niall Quinn’s previous record of 21 goals as a 24 year-old. 

“To have the record at a young age is great.  You always want to score but you never think you’ll get it.  You believe in your ability to break the record but when it comes around it’s great.  And hopefully there’s going to be a lot more to come.” 

Few would bet against it.  Just days after our interview, Keane scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Cyprus, continuing their good start to the qualifying campaign. Having the chance to lead his country at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa would be the crowning glory for Keane as a player.  Were this to happen to this hardworking and likeable Dubliner, few could argue it be a just reward.

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All Liverpool FC match images remain copyright of Liverpool FC. Wolverhampton Wanderers image provided courtesy of Action Images.

Back to my roots - more to come!

Every month in the The Club House, we will be taking a current or ex-professional back to their roots and finding out about their experience of the grassroots game. In December's edition of The Club House, we'll be taking the journey with the man described by Alex Ferguson as "undoubtedly this country's top referee over the past ten years."  Yes, Club Website are taking Graham Poll back to his roots!

PLUS... you'll soon be able to catch up on previous interviews, as a brand new "Back to my roots" section will soon be launching at the home of grassroots football - www.clubwebsite.co.uk. We've got some big names in the pipeline, including England legend Ray Wilkins and ex-England and Villa boss Graham Taylor, so keep checking out Club Website and The Club House for the next installment in the series!

If any current or ex-professionals played their grassroots football at your club, let us know and we'll try and get hold of them! Drop us a line at clubnews@clubwebsite.co.uk.