Like Michael Jordan’s iconic 1989 buzzer-beater who went down in history as ‘The Shot’, Roy Keane on 2001’s Alf-Inge Haaland may forever be known as ‘The Tackle’.
Or like Muhammad Ali’s “Phantom Punch” on Sonny Liston in 1965, it’s one of those moments that crosses the boundaries of its own sporting time and takes on a life of its own.
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It’s one of the most iconic moments in Premier League history
All three of these events took place before YouTube was invented in 2005 – and yet modern audiences have watched them millions of times.
Facts quickly merge with myth, legend and fantasy as stories cross generations.
We imagine that iconic Neil Leifer photograph of Ali standing over Liston at his best, but forget that the fight was marred by controversy over whether the punch was even connected or if his victim had been correctly counted.
Video of ex-Man United captain Keane’s own knockout on ex-City midfielder Haaland is titled ‘Roy Keane ends Haaland’s career at Manchester Derby’ – but it doesn’t is not true.
Haaland was not substituted after the challenge, played half of a friendly against Norway four days later and played 68 minutes in City’s next league game.
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The ball was nowhere to be found and Haaland was just lucky his leg wasn’t planted
While it’s possible the tackle had a side effect and he underwent surgery that summer, Keane targeted his right knee and the operation was on his left.
Plus, it’s a moment that doesn’t need hyperbole. Just looking at it is enough to nauseate and shock like a horror movie.
The facts are as follows: With five minutes remaining in a Manchester derby, Keane produced a disgusting tackle on Haaland designed to hurt the player rather than win the ball.
As referee David Elleray held up the red card, Keane stood over his opponent and goaded him: “Never hold me back by sneering about fake injuries. And tell your pal Wetherall there’s some for him too.
It’s no secret that the challenge was motivated by revenge, although Keane backtracked on that.
In 1997 at Leeds, Haaland stood over Keane in a game against Man United, moaning at the Irishman for faking an injury when he had in fact just ruptured his ACL.
Speaking in his controversial 2002 autobiography, Keane said: “I’ve waited long enough. I hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you’re dumb. And never look at me sneering about fake injuries.
While the initial offense earned Keane a £5,000 fine and a three-match ban, comments in his book earned him an additional £150,000 fine and a five-match ban for suggesting it was intentional and took advantage of the sales.
These allegations hurt Keane, who decided to clear things up in another autobiography in 2014, although he still refuses to show remorse for the tackle.
The former Man United captain wrote: “[He] pissed me off, tugging at his mouth. He was an absolute p**** to play against. Niggling, sneaky.
“I wanted to corner him and let him know what was going on. I wanted to hurt him and stand over him and say, ‘Take that, you ***.’
” I do not regret it. But I didn’t want to hurt him. It was action; it was football. It was dog eat dog.
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Keane’s tackle on Haaland took years to prepare
“I kicked a lot of players and I know the difference between hurting someone and hurting someone. I didn’t go and hurt Haaland. When you play sports, you know how to hurt someone.
“There was no premeditation. I had played against Haaland three or four times between the game against Leeds in 1997 where I injured the cross and the game where I tackled him in 2001. while playing for Manchester City.
“If I had been this vengeful madman, why would I have waited years before having the opportunity to hurt him?
“Did I walk around for years thinking, ‘I’m gonna get it, I’m gonna get it. “? No. Was he in 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 those players were on my mind: ‘If I get the chance, I’m going to knock, of course I am.”
“Haaland finished the game and played four days later, for Norway. A few years later, he tried to claim he had to retire because of the tackle. He was going to chase me. It was a bad tackle but he was still able to play four days later.
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Alf-Inge has a rather famous son, we will come back to this…
That’s right, Haaland tried to suggest the tackle ended his career before backtracking when Keane released his second autobiography.
The Norwegian told the Daily Mail in 2003: “Did this 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 in this game in particular. is that he said in his first book that he wanted revenge, and I don’t think that’s part and parcel of football.
“I don’t blame him. I never really said he ended my career. It was my last full game in England, so maybe he had something to do with it.
Why are we talking about this now, you ask? Well, you might have heard that Alf-Inge Haaland has a rather famous son.
As Keane re-emerges as a cultural phenomenon on our television screens, this tackle has suddenly become very relevant ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday.
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Haaland made a stunning start to life at the Etihad Stadium
Erling Haaland, the 22-year-old Man City 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 has not only played for United’s fiercest rivals Leeds and Manchester City but also has it all with Keane, is a big influence on his son and works as a representative.
Erling himself was born in Leeds and current Whites star Stuart Dallas has revealed the striker recently sang ‘Marching On Together’ into his ear during an international match.
Long story short, there are plenty of reasons why Erling and his dad would love to have one on United.
The youngster rejected the Red Devils in favor 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 been pretty sweet for Alf-Inge.
Manchester derby on Sunday gives the Haaland family yet another reason to make United miserable.
As if they needed it.
