Farewell to Kevin Keegan, a legend and icon of English football

Back when England hadn’t yet been graced by the glittering splendour of the Premier League, it was known as the First Division; the stadium walls and seats were permeated with the fried aroma of fish and chips, and on the pitch, the only creed was that of ‘Kick and Run’; Kevin Keegan would fly down the wing, dart into the box like a weasel and finish off the move with unstoppable shots, struck with power and precision. Then he would celebrate, prouder than anyone, from the height of his hard-earned 1.70 metres, letting his hair – blow-dried by a barber friend from the Liverpool Docks, whom no one would have dared to call a ‘hairstylist’ – fly in the wind. He passed away today at the age of 75 – he had been unwell for some time – one of the greatest English footballers of all time, one of the most iconic because he carried on his shoulders the entire symbolism of a decade, the one that unfolded in the 1970s and which we in Italy could only appreciate indirectly. In fact, there was a sort of ‘unintentional Brexit’ in effect, and in Italy, as elsewhere, English football arrived in modest doses, like methadone. But those flashes of brilliance, however rare, still retain an extraordinary lustre in the collective memory.

The name KKK – King Kevin Keegan – is inextricably linked to Liverpool, the club with which he enjoyed some memorable seasons, 323 matches and 100 goals scored over six years (1971–1977), with a trophy haul that includes three league titles, two UEFA Cups and the European Cup, won in the year he left the Reds, 1977, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Up front, he partnered Toshack. At Anfield, they were known as Batman and Robin. In the summer of 1977, his move to Germany caused a sensation. The German league certainly did not attract top players. At the age of twenty-six, Keegan signed for Hamburg, immediately becoming their star striker. With Hamburg, he won a league title, reached another European Cup final (though this time he lost it to Nottingham Forest) and, above all, won the Ballon d’Or for two consecutive years, in 1978 and 1979. Keegan’s period of brilliance did not, however, coincide with that of the England national team. He had made his international debut at the end of 1972, but the Three Lions subsequently failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup in Germany and the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, as well as missing out on the 1976 European Championship.

The first major tournament Keegan took part in was the European Championship hosted by Italy in 1980, but England were knocked out early on, just as they were two years later at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, where he – playing a supporting role – achieved very little glory. The statistics today show that he made 63 appearances for the national team, scoring 21 goals, one of which was famously scored against Bearzot’s Italy at Wembley in 1977. On that occasion, the England number 7 scored with a header, suddenly rising from the ground and leaving the Italian Zaccarelli, who was marking him from a respectful distance, stunned. Keegan also enjoyed a respectable career as a manager, securing three promotions to the First Division/Premier League with Newcastle, Fulham and Manchester City – back when the Citizens were still unaware of the glory that, under the emirs, would turn their fortunes around. With Newcastle, KKK even came close to winning the title, following a thrilling head-to-head battle with Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. His spell in charge of England was very brief; he led the side without success – they were knocked out in the group stage – at Euro 2000.