Roy Keane has gained a reputation for being tough and outspoken during his time on and off the pitch. But away from the drama, there is a softer side to the Cork man.

Roy Keane is a name that resonates with football fans worldwide. Known for his determination, leadership and uncompromising style of play, the 52-year-old has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest midfielders in the history of the sport.

He has gained a reputation for being tough and outspoken during his time on the pitch, and in his current career as a football pundit.

The Cork man has been involved in a number of heated moments over the years, such as his infamous tackle of Alf-Inge Haaland in 2001, and his 2005 tunnel spat with Patrick Vieira.

In recent days, Keane and fellow Sky Sports commenter Micah Richards were involved in a confrontation with a member of the public during Arsenal’s match against Manchester United on Sunday. An investigation is now underway after the football fan allegedly aimed a headbutt at Keane.

But away from the drama, there is a softer side to the former Manchester United captain. He’s a doting husband and family man.

Happy marriage to ‘brilliant’ wife

Keane first met his now-wife Theresa Doyle at a club in 1992, when he was still at Nottingham Forest. While Keane was instantly interested, it became clear that Doyle wasn’t impressed by his superstar footballing status alone.

Theresa and Roy Keane pose before the Annual United For Unicef charity dinner, The Midland Hotel, Manchester on 24 September, 2003. (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)

He previously told the Mirror: “I spotted a beautiful girl in a club in town. Her name was Theresa Doyle but she blanked me. She was in a steady relationship and didn’t seem at all impressed by Roy Keane, the great footballer. In fact, I think my reputation was as a downer for all kinds of reasons. From time to time we ran into each other around Nottingham. I knew some of her friends, who told me Theresa was a dentist’s assistant. Eventually, after her relationship broke up, she relented and we went out together. I was in love.”

However, their first date wasn’t exactly out of a fairytale and they ended up having a bit of a lovers’ tiff about where they should go.

During an episode of The Tommy Tiernan Show on RTE, Keane left viewers in tears of laughter after admitting things went “very badly”, ending with Theresa slamming a car door in his face.

Roy Keane appearing on the Tommy Tiernan Show (Image: RTE)

To the great amusement of the studio audience, Keane remembered: “We met, I picked her up, and I’d met her [before] when I had a few drinks so the chat was slightly different. We went for a spin and I said, ‘Do you fancy going to the pictures?’ Because at least at the pictures you can just watch the movie, you don’t have to chat too much. And she said, ‘No, I went last night with my friends’. So I said, ‘Do you want to go for a drink?’ She said, ‘No’.

“I literally drove back to the car, this is all within 10 or 15 minutes. She said, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘Well, you don’t want to go for a drink, you don’t want to go to the pictures, what else can we do?’ She got out [of the car] and I said, ‘Might see you next week’ and she said ‘I don’t think so’ and slammed the door. That was my first date.”

Fortunately, that wasn’t the end of the road for Keane and Nottingham-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 Theresa. The couple tied the knot in 1997, during a private ceremony at the Church of Our Lady Crowned in Keane’s hometown of Mayfield, Cork, and have been by each other’s sides ever since.

Roy shows off his garden on Instagram (Image: Instagram)

Opening up about their marriage in a Sunday Times interview back in the early 2000s, Keane described her as his “rock”. He said: “I don’t really mention her in public, but in fairness to her, she has been a rock in my life. Just brilliant. She reads me better than I read myself. I wouldn’t say Theresa likes every part of the package. She knows I haven’t got a halo over my head. Actually, that’s what she likes about me. She also knows I am not the nastiest person in the world.”

Doting dad-of-five

Keane and Theresa have five 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren named Shannon, Caragh, Aidan, Leah and Alanna. The famous former footballer would often bring them out onto the pitch with him during his days in the Premier League.

In his autobiography, Keane admitted that he “longed to go home to Theresa and the kids” after winning the 1999 Champion’s League, rather than celebrate with teammates.

Roy Keane’s garden has a full-sized pool (Image: Instagram)

He wrote: “My plan when I first stopped was, we’re going to go on some family trips, we’re going to be like the Waltons. We’re all going to spend time together, go walk in the park, and after a month or two they didn’t have the same plan as me so I think they were kind of missing me going to work. I got offered the job at Sunderland and I was away on a family holiday and my family were looking at me… Not saying it directly but going we kind of enjoy your company but not too much of it so when the job came back up they were saying you should go for it.”

Roy Keane (Image: Instagram/Roy Keane)

The couple also have two grand𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, with Keane previously delighting fans after sharing a picture on Instagram of his adorable lookalike grandson. In the photo, shared during Keane’s first week on Instagram back in 2021, Keane and his then-𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 grandson could be seen wearing similarly unimpressed expressions, with the hilarious caption, “just like his grandad, always smiling.”

Roy Keane and his grandson (Image: Instagram/ Roy Keane)

In another post shedding light on Keane’s life as a devoted grandad, the Match of the Day pundit opened up about a cinema trip to see Sing 2,. He joked: “After arguing with him about whether to watch Scream or Sing 2. I finally won. Sing 2 was brilliant.”

Roy Keane at the cinema (Image: Instagram/ Roy Keane)

Keane has since deleted his Instagram, much to the disappointment of fans. Explaining his decision during an appearance on Newstalk’s Off The Ball, Keane said: “I’m sure people will get over it and survive! I’ve said it before, I done it for a bit of fun. With Covid, my youngest daughter was insistent I did it for a bit of fun. But it’s moved on now, a bit of closure on it.”

Other passions

During an interview with a former teammate on The Overlap, Keane was asked about his non-football related passions. He said: “Family, dogs – that’s it.”

He continued: “When you say passion, I love watching other sports. I’ve been to the last couple of Super Bowls. I wouldn’t go out on a Saturday night but I’d go into maybe Altrincham at 6 o’clock for tea, just for a bit of privacy.”

Roy Keane (Image: Instagram/Roy Keane)

The sports ace bought an apartment in Ireland’s most expensive apartment development in Dublin earlier this year. There are 215 properties that range in price from €825,000 to an eye-watering €6.5 million.

He also owns a sprawling pad in Cheshire, where he put down roots while playing for Manchester United. In 2010, he put his home in Hale on the market for £9.5million and he’s now believed to live in a 9.500 sq ft mansion in Hale, where he regularly shares pictures of his pool and stunning gardens.

Roy Keane gardening (Image: officialkeane16/Instagram)

It appears that Keane enjoys a spot of gardening, with a picture shared on his now-deleted Instagram showing the sporting legend watering plants in the property’s spacious gardens.

Roy Keane (Image: Instagram)