How Super Kev fought the battles for modern football’s multi-millionaires | Barney Ronay


It is 40 years since Kevin Keegan’s groundbreaking move to Hamburg, one that blazed a trail for economic freedom, celebrity and today’s superstars

“A limousine whisked me off for an appearance on Match of the Day. Then I went to the Sportsman Club for dinner with a sheikh who wanted to name a racehorse after me ... I set off for the NEC in Birmingham for a personal appearance at a toy fair; then it was straight back to London for talks with a film producer ...”

Just how big was Kevin Keegan when Kevin Keegan was big? The answer to this question is simple: Keegan was very big. Toy fairs big. Sheikhs big. So big that even daring to ask that question here speaks to a familiar kind of footballing amnesia, a tendency to see only the bright lights of the present. So much so that, you know what, I’ve kept quiet about this. But when you say that about a man like. When you hear the. When you. Well, you went down in. Down in my. Down.

Related: The Saturday interview: Kevin Keegan

Related: When Kevin Keegan went to Hamburg

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