Roy Keane’s horror tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland did not end his career – but Erling Haaland can still avenge his dad when Man City host Manchester Unite

10/01/2022 04:00 PM

Like Michael Jordan’s iconic buzzer-beater in 1989 going down in history as ‘The Shot’, Roy Keane on Alf-Inge Haaland in 2001 might forever be known as ‘The Tackle’. Or like Muhammad Ali’s ‘Phantom Punch’ on Sonny Liston in 1965, it is one of those moments which goes beyond the boundaries of its own sporting time and takes on a life of its own. This is one of the most iconic moments in Premier League historyGetty Images - Getty All three of those events took place before YouTube was invented in 2005 – and yet a modern audience have watched them millions of times over. Fact quickly becomes blurred with myth, legend and fantasy as stories travel through generations. We picture that iconic Neil Leifer photograph of Ali standing over Liston at his glorious best, but forget that the fight was marred by controversy over whether the punch even connected or if its victim was properly counted out. The video of former Man United captain Keane’s own knockout blow on ex-City midfielder Haaland is titled ‘Roy Keane Ends Haaland’s Career In Manchester Derby’ – but that’s not true. Haaland was not substituted after the challenge, played half of a Norway friendly four days later and featured for 68 minutes of City’s next league game. The ball was nowhere to be seen and Haaland was just lucky his leg wasn’t plantedSky While it is possible the tackle had a collateral effect and he did undergo surgery that summer, Keane targeted the right knee and the operation was on his left. Besides, this is a moment that doesn’t need hyperbole. Just watching it is enough to nauseate and shock like a horror film. The facts are these: with five minutes remaining of a Manchester derby, Keane produced a disgusting tackle on Haaland, designed to hurt the player rather than win the ball. As referee David Elleray brandished the red card, Keane stood over his opponent and goaded: “Don’t ever stand over me again sneering about fake injuries. And tell your pal Wetherall there’s some for him as well.” It is no secret the challenge was motivated by revenge, even if Keane has backtracked on that. Back in 1997, when at Leeds, Haaland stood over Keane during a match against Man United, moaning at the Irishman for faking injury when he had actually just ruptured his ACL. Speaking in his controversial 2002 autobiography, Keane said: “I’d waited long enough. I f***ing hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you c***. And don’t ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries.” While the original offence got Keane a £5,000 fine and three-match suspension, the comments in his book got him a further £150,000 fine and five-match ban for suggesting it was intentional and profiting via sales. Those allegations hurt Keane, who moved to clear things up in another autobiography in 2014, although he still refuses to show any remorse for the tackle. The former Man United captain wrote: “[He] pissed me off, shooting his mouth off. He was an absolute p**** to play against. Niggling, sneaky. “I did want to nail him and let him know what was happening. I wanted to hurt him and stand over him and go: ‘Take that, you c***.’ “I don’t regret that. But I had no wish to injure him. It was action; it was football. It was dog eats dog. Keane’s tackle on Haaland was years in the makingGetty Images - Getty “I’ve kicked lots of players and I know the difference between hurting somebody and injuring somebody. I didn’t go to injure Haaland. When you play sport, you know how to injure somebody. “There was no premeditation. I’d played against Haaland three or four times between the game against Leeds, in 1997, when I injured my cruciate and the game when I tackled him, in 2001, when he was playing for Manchester City. “If I’d been this madman out for revenge, why would I have waited years for an opportunity to injure him? “Was I going around for years thinking: ‘I’m going to get him, I’m going to get him.’? No. Was he at the back of my mind? Of course he was. “Like Rob Lee was, like David Batty was, like Alan Shearer was, like Patrick Vieira was. All these players were in the back of my mind: ‘If I get a chance I’m going to f***ing hit you, of course I am.’ “Haaland finished the game and played four days later, for Norway. A couple of years later he tried to claim that he’d had to retire because of the tackle. He was going to sue me. It was a bad tackle but he was still able to play four days later.” Alf-Inge has a rather famous son, we’ll get to that…Getty Images It’s true, Haaland did try to suggest the tackle ended his career before backtracking when Keane released his second autobiography. The Norwegian told the Daily Mail in 2003: “Did that tackle end my career? Well, I never played a full game again, did I?” But then he told the BBC in 2014: “I don’t blame him for kicking me in other games or that particular game. What I was concerned and worried about is that he said, in his first book, that he wanted to take revenge. And I don’t think that’s part and parcel of football. “I don’t blame him. I never actually said he finished my career. It was my last full game in England, so maybe he had something to do with it.” Why do we bring this up now, you ask? Well, you may have heard that Alf-Inge Haaland has a rather famous son. As Keane reemerges as a cultural phenomenon on our TV screens, that tackle has suddenly become very relevant ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday. Haaland has made a stunning start to life at the Etihad StadiumGetty Erling Haaland, Man City’s 22-year-old superstar, is already a Premier League sensation, with 11 goals in his first seven games since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Alf-Inge, who not only played for United’s fiercest rivals Leeds and Manchester City but also has that whole thing with Keane, holds great influence over his son and works as a representative. Erling himself was born in Leeds and current Whites star Stuart Dallas revealed the striker sang ‘Marching On Together’ in his ear during an international match recently. Long story short, there are a lot of reasons why Erling, and his dad, would love to get one over on United. The youngster famously rejected the Red Devils in favour of Dortmund when he left Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020 – and recently said United were not on his list of clubs to join in the summer window. Getting his son to snub United twice, denying them exactly what they need, must have tasted pretty sweet for Alf-Inge. The Manchester derby on Sunday gives the Haaland family yet another reason to make United miserable. As if they needed one.