Roy Keane: The Most Challenging Player I Refereed – He Confronted Me Before I Even Showed the Yellow Card
In retirement, ROY KEANE has calmed down significantly, yet during his active career, he gained a reputation as a tough-tackling midfielder often embroiled in confrontations with referees.
Former Premier League referee Kevin Lynch has shared his memories of how he and Keane had quite a tumultuous relationship.
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On the Under the Cosh podcast, Lynch shared: “I don’t think Roy had much love for referees, and to be honest, we didn’t have much love for Roy Keane either.
“So, it was a pretty equal relationship.
“I remember one night when I was refereeing him at Old Trafford. He seemed quite unsettled, not only with himself but with the opposition, his own teammates, and me as well.
“He was kicking everything that moved while giving me grief.
“When I tried to talk to him, it felt like I was trying to weave fog.
“So I thought, ‘Alright, Roy. The next call is mine.’
Lynch recounted a specific incident during a game against Stoke, where he described how Keane executed a striking tackle that sent an opponent soaring into the stands.
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However, before Lynch could show Keane a yellow card, Keane was already right in his face, complaining.
He recounted: “Before I could even pull the yellow card out, Keane was already up in my face, saying, ‘Do you know who I f*****g well am?'”
Lynch added that during this incident, teammate Gary Neville walked by, which led to a humorous moment involving the United legend.
He continued: “As he said that, Gary Neville was walking by.
“I turned to him and said, ‘Gary, here’s a player who doesn’t know who he is!’
“And Gary responded, ‘It’s Roy Keane, book the t**t.’
Keane, recognized as a seven-time Premier League champion, shares the record for the highest number of red cards in English football history with 13, 11 of those being for Manchester United.
However, his seven red cards in the Premier League place him second behind Patrick Vieira and Richard Dunne.
Roy Keane’s Angriest Moments

What really irritates Roy Keane?
The Irishman is famous for his straightforward approach to football.
Certain things truly irritate Keane.
It’s all incredibly entertaining for fans, who appreciate the Man United legend’s perspectives on the sport.
But could it be that Keane himself is a bit overly sensitive?
From smiling players to ABBA, nothing is off-limits.
And we all know about his disdain for prawn sandwiches…