Tottenham Hotspur legend Robbie Keane has been appointed manager of Hungarian Ferencvaros.
The 44-year-old, who scored 122 goals for Tottenham in all competitions during two separate spells at the club, has previous coaching experience after spending a year in charge of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Keane left the club in June after winning the league and cup double, having previously worked as assistant manager of Middlesbrough and the Republic of Ireland. The prolific former striker also worked with Sam Allardyce at Leeds United when he tried to help the Whites avoid relegation two seasons ago.
Ferencvaros often competed in Champions League since they are the dominant force in Hungarian football. They have won the domestic league title for the past six years, winning the crown a total of 35 times since their first success in 1903. They were previously coached by former AZ manager Pascal Jansen, but he left the club on New Year’s Eve after six months in charge.
Keane’s venture into coaching follows a highly successful playing career in England. Signing for Wolves as a 16-year-old, he scored twice on his first-team debut and soon after became a regular starter for the Republic of Ireland.
Periods at Coventry, Inter and Leeds followed before Keane’s career settled down to Tottenham In 2002, he finished as the club’s top scorer in his first season, netting 13 times, and went one goal better the following year despite the Lilywhites’ struggles in the Premier League.
The increased competition for places did not faze Keane, who continued to play a major role in Tottenham’s development into the top four contenders alongside Dimitar Berbatov. His regular goalscoring eventually earned him a move to Liverpool in 2008 but returned to Tottenham, initially on loan in January before securing a permanent return.
With yours Premier League nearing the end of his career, Keane has found new life in MLS with the LA Galaxy. Signed as a designated player alongside David Beckham and Landon Donovan, Keane found his goal once more and enjoyed five highly successful years in Los Angeles, scoring 83 times in the league and a further 21 times in cup competition.
He retired in 2018 after a short stint in India, two years after completing an illustrious international career for the Republic of Ireland in which he scored 68 goals in 146 appearances.
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