Kevin Keegan - Liverpool

Kevin Keegan was born in Doncaster on February 14, 1951. As a player, he was forged at Scunthorpe United, where he made his first-team debut in 1968.

He was picked out by Bill Shankly as Liverpool’s long-term successor to veteran Ian Callaghan and signed for the Reds just before the 1971 FA Cup final. He cost the Reds a transfer fee of just £33,000. To say it was money well spent would be an understatement - he won every major trophy during his spell at Anfield, and eventually moved on for a fee of £500,000.

Keegan was also known during his playing days for his distinctive perm hairstyle, and he remains a beloved figure in English football.

Success with Liverpool: Domestic and European Glory

At the start of the following season, Keegan shone in a pre-season, behind-closed-doors match at Melwood, doing enough to earn a start against Nottingham Forest for the opening game of the campaign. He scored on his debut after just 12 minutes and a glittering career on Merseyside was off to a flying start.

Liverpool performed well that season but suffered last-gasp disappointment as they finished second in the title race behind Brian Clough’s Derby County.

They atoned for that in style in 1972-73 with Keegan claiming his first league title and also scoring twice in the first leg of the UEFA Cup final win over Borussia Monchengladbach. He then played all 61 Liverpool matches in 1973-74 and scored twice in the 3-0 FA Cup final against Newcastle United.

Then came one of Keegan's lowest moments at the start of the 1974-75 season. Having already been sent off in a pre-season friendly against Kaiserslautern, he was again dismissed during the Charity Shield at Wembley after punching Billy Bremner of champions Leeds United. Keegan was the first player to be sent off at Wembley, removing his shirt in a rage as he left the pitch, and a lengthy ban for both players ensued. Liverpool missed him throughout the season and again finished second to Derby in the First Division title race.

Much better was to follow in 1976 when Liverpool won the league title as well as the UEFA Cup, with Keegan netting in each leg of the final versus Club Brugge.

A year later, Keegan and Liverpool enjoyed the best season in the club's history so far in 1976-77 - winning the league title and the European Cup. Kevin was vital in both successes and the Reds came agonisingly close to an historic Treble, suffering a narrow defeat in the FA Cup final.

Keegan's brilliant performance in the 3-1 European Cup final win over Borussia Monchengladbach in Rome was a fitting end to a glorious six-year spell on Merseyside.

In all, he had scored 100 goals for Liverpool in 323 matches, winning three league titles as well as those European Cup and FA Cup wins and two UEFA Cup successes.

Hamburg and Back-to-Back Ballons d’Or

Keegan had announced his intention to leave Anfield in search of a new challenge before 1976-77 had ended. He chose German giants SV Hamburg, at that stage also-rans in the Bundesliga. He reportedly received a life-changing pay lift to move to Germany, from £12,000 per year to £250,000.

The move was sealed for a then British record transfer fee of £500,000 (the Reds used that cash to sign one Kenny Dalglish as his replacement).

At Hamburg, Keegan led his new team to the German league title in his second season with the club, winning two consecutive Ballons d’Or in the process. His last match for Hamburg was, like Liverpool, in a European Cup final, but this time disappointment resulted as Clough’s Nottingham Forest beat them 1-0 in the final in Madrid.

Keegan returned to England in 1980 to play for an exciting Southampton side, where he was top scorer and player of the year in his second and final season at the club. He ended his playing days with Newcastle, spending two seasons on Tyneside and signing off by helping the Magpies win promotion to the First Division.

Newcastle and ‘Love It’

Keegan returned to Newcastle United in February 1992, replacing Osvaldo Ardiles as manager with the Magpies in danger of relegation from the second tier. He managed to steer the club away from the drop before winning promotion to the Premier League as champions the following season.

Keegan’s “Entertainers” finished third in their first time back in the top flight, but selling Andy Cole to Manchester United midway through the 1994-95 season cost them a Premier League title bid and was viewed as a hugely controversial decision. Nonetheless, Newcastle pressed on, signing David Ginola and Les Ferdinand, and led the Premier League by 12 points as late as February 1996.

In April, Keegan’s side faced Liverpool in an all-time Premier League classic. Liverpool won, 4-3, thanks to Stan Collymore’s last-gasp winner, leaving TV viewers with the iconic image of a devastated Keegan slumped over the Anfield advertising hoardings.

On 29 April 1996, Keegan delivered his famous "Love It" rant in response to Sir Alex Ferguson’s mind games regarding Newcastle's title run-in. Unfortunately, Newcastle would finish four points behind Manchester United that season. He would resign from his post in early 1997.

England manager

Keegan was appointed England manager initially on a part-time basis in February 1999, replacing Glenn Hoddle. His England side sneaked into the playoffs for Euro 2000, downing Scotland over two legs, but their European Championship campaign was a disaster.

They lost to Portugal, despite being 2-0 up, and to Romania in the group stages, being eliminated from the tournament. Keegan resigned in October 2000 after a World Cup qualifying defeat by Germany in the final game at the old Wembley Stadium.

Fulham and Man City

Prior to his England stint, Keegan also managed Fulham - where he guided the club to promotion from Division Two to the Championship as champions.

Keegan returned to club management after England with Manchester City in May 2001, guiding them to promotion to the Premier League as champions. City consolidated their position in the top flight under Keegan’s leadership, but he left the club in March 2005.

The Final Chapter - back to Newcastle

Keegan had one last managerial spell at Newcastle United in 2008. He again worked early miracles by managing to keep the club in the Premier League. However, after a bitter dispute over recruitment policies, Keegan again resigned in September 2008. He has not worked in football since.

Family

Kevin has been married since 1974 to his wife, Jean, who he met at the Doncaster Fair in 1970 while still playing for Scunthorpe. They have two daughters, Laura and Sarah.