The Interview: Robbie Keane

One of MLS's Best All-Time Foreign Signings Shares Great Stories, Answers the Rapid-Fire Quiz and Explains Why He'd Like to Be A Head Coach, Maybe in MLS

Robbie Keane won three MLS Cups in a four-year period with the LA Galaxy (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

The LA Galaxy was a bad team during the first two years of The Beckham Experiment. I even wrote a book about it. But then two important things happened to turn things around: 1) Bruce Arena got hired to run the team in August 2008, and 2) Beckham persuaded Robbie Keane to sign with the Galaxy in 2011.

With Keane, Beckham and Landon Donovan, LA became one of the best teams in league history, winning the MLS Cup title three times from 2011 to ‘14, with Keane taking home the league MVP trophy in 2014. He had a standout career outside MLS as well, both at the club and international levels. I caught up with Keane this past week and had a fun conversation, which is lightly edited for clarity below.

“It's something that we spoke about as a family. And of course it depends where my coaching role will take me. And if that leads me to the MLS, well, that'd be great.” — Robbie Keane

Grant Wahl:

Our guest now may be MLS's most successful foreign signing on the field in league history, and he's had a standout career outside MLS as well. Robbie Keane won three MLS Cup titles with the LA Galaxy, and was the MLS most valuable player in 2014. He had a 20-year senior club career with Tottenham, Liverpool, Inter, Wolves, Leeds United and others. And he's the all-time leading scorer for Ireland with 68 international goals in 146 appearances. Robbie, it's great to see you again. Thanks so much for coming on the show.

Robbie Keane:

Yeah, pleasure Grant. Great to see you after all these years. It's good to finally sit down with you and have a conversation. Looking forward to it.

Grant Wahl:

Yeah, me too. I mean, first off, how are you? How's your family? And where are you speaking to me from today?

Robbie Keane:

Yeah, everyone's good. Thanks. The kids are good. Getting big. Twelve and five. We're in Dublin after we left LA. We moved back here. So after traveling around for many years playing, we finally settled down back in our hometown of Dublin.

Grant Wahl:

It's funny, this morning I sent a message to your old Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, who's doing well in Boston these days. And I asked him if he had a message to pass onto you that would get a good response from you. And it was funny, he didn't say anything about soccer, but he said I should ask if you're proud of your fellow Irishman, [Pádraig] Harrington, heading up the Ryder Cup team.

Robbie Keane:

Yeah. I've just been watching it. Yes. I'm delighted for Pádraig. I know him. He's been a great obviously golf player, but hopefully he'll be a successful captain for Europe. I know that's not music to your ears, but it's definitely music to my ears. So hopefully we can get it done. So it's going to be three days now of sitting on the couch watching the Ryder Cup, which is always good.

Grant Wahl:

I should tell all the listeners we're recording this on Friday. It's going to be coming out on Monday after the Ryder Cup is over. But I always tell Bruce, we had him on the show recently, I think he would make a good sports radio show host in Boston sometime with questions like that.

Robbie Keane:

He's great, Bruce.

Grant Wahl:

Yeah, we had him on the show recently. We also had Jovan Kirovski from the Galaxy. I'm co-hosting a podcast with Landon Donovan.

Robbie Keane:

Who, who, who? Who’s Jovan? [laughs, they’re good friends]

“If we had got through Spain [on penalties at World Cup 2002] I think we would've beat Korea and went on to maybe the semis. And you never know what happens.” — Robbie Keane

Grant Wahl:

I mean, you won three MLS cup titles in four years with the Galaxy, from 2011 to 2014 on a team with David Beckham, Donovan, Juninho, and others. I still think that you were the final key piece to take those teams over the top. When you think back to those teams today, what stands out the most to you?

Robbie Keane:

The quality that we had, certainly. I think we were very strong all over the park. And before I got there, David was definitely desperate to get someone in to kind of help him push on, and I'd like to think I certainly did that. And as you said, to win three MLS Cups in, what was it there, five years, I think it was there, it was a great achievement. We had a great team. We had, as you said, we had real quality. 

Landon was obviously a different class. Can score goals, can assist, works very hard for the team. And David, with his quality. Or as you mentioned there, people like Juninho and [Marcelo] Sarvas in the middle of the park, always difficult to play against. And defensively we were sound, with people like Omar [González] and an A.J. [De La Garza]. So all over the park I felt like we were strong. The spine of the team was very, very good. And I think that's ultimately why we became successful.

And then, as you said, when you've got people in your team that can score goals and assist, we knew as players, like myself and Landon for example, we knew that we were quite solid defensively, and if we can hold out at some stage one of us would score.

“Claudine's father was one of the first in Ireland to get COVID. And he was in ICU for three weeks. That was a difficult time. And it was certainly 50-50 whether he was going to kind of make it. Thankfully, with the great work from the hospital, from the doctors and the nurses and the frontline workers, he got through and he's doing completely fine.” — Robbie Keane

Grant Wahl:

David Beckham's first two years in Los Angeles didn't go very well, and then things totally changed. And the Galaxy ended up winning trophies, especially when you came. Did David Beckham have a role in you coming to the Galaxy in the first place?

Robbie Keane:

Yeah. David came. I remember off-seasons he used to come back home to England, back to his home, and then he came to train with Tottenham for a few months. And then we were just having a conversation, and he just asked me would I be interested at some stage going to the MLS? I said, "Yeah, I would. It's certainly something that I would look to in the future." But he went back and then before you know it, a few months later I was on the phone to David, on the phone to Tim Leiweke], and then it happened very, very quickly in the space of, I think, just a couple of days. So it happened very quick in terms of that, but certainly David was the guy behind it, yeah.

Grant Wahl:

Did you think you would end up spending so many years in the United States? And do you miss being in the United States at all?

“Harry [Kane], I used to always see him after training. He used to always come and just sit behind at the side of the goal and help get the balls in, and just watch.” — Robbie Keane

Robbie Keane:

Yeah. As soon as I first got there, I have to say. Because I'd been to America, but I'd never been to LA, so I didn't really know what to expect apart from the stuff you see on TV. And some of the falseness of LA. But I have to say, as a family we fell in love with the place straight away. My wife [Claudine] looked at it. And also, it always helps, no matter where you were, if you're a football player, ultimately you want to win. So when you're winning and you're living in a good city, it goes hand in hand. So for us, it was a great place to live. And so we really enjoyed it.

I knew as soon as in the first few months I was there that I could be there for a long time, and that happened to be the case. And of course, yeah, eventually I would love to go back. It's something that we spoke about as a family. And of course it depends where my coaching role will take me. And if that leads me to the MLS, well, that'd be great, because I think it's certainly a league that's really grown, continued to grow. And we had a small part to play in that at the very start, myself, David, and a few other players that came over. So it's in a good, strong position. And it's certainly something that I would love to do in the future.

Grant Wahl:

Let's get into your coaching a little bit. So what have you been doing coaching-wise since you stopped your playing career, and where are you hoping to go with it?

Robbie Keane:

Yeah. Well, in coaching I kind of went ahead at the game, if you like, in terms of the national team with Mick McCarthy for a period of time, a couple of years. And also I was with Middlesborough in the UK, so I was doing kind of both jobs together. So getting different experience from the national team side of things, and the day-to-day stuff, which most of our players ... well, all of them play  in the UK, a lot played in the Championship. So it was quite easy for me to be the assistant manager of Middlesborough, and also watching their players for the national team. So yeah, basically, in the space of a couple of years, I did what people probably would do in five to six years. So I'm kind of ahead of the game in terms of that.

So because obviously the pandemic and COVID, unfortunately we couldn't travel for 18 months, so couldn't get around and couldn't speak to clubs in terms of becoming the head coach myself, which is obviously something I want to do. I've done the assistant manager role now, but I'm ready to step in and be a manager. I've got experience in terms of playing the game for such a long time, but also a few years experience of being an assistant manager, learning the ropes to eventually, as I said, sooner rather than later to be the head coach. And that's something that I'm excited about. I've got my own philosophies and I have my own team that I would have with me. And so it's exciting. I'm looking forward to it. Looking forward to the future. And looking forward for a good opportunity.

I've turned jobs down because they didn't feel right to me, and it has to feel right. It's like as a player. If you go as a player, the team has to feel right. And just unfortunately some of the teams that I've got offered just didn't feel right with me at that time. So I look forward to getting a good opportunity, and I'm excited about it.

“I enjoy watching Man City. Just the way they move the ball and how they pick little pockets up. And there's a few. I like Liverpool as well, just because the intensity of the work, and how they get in people's faces. When they're playing out from the back of the team, they're right on top of them.” — Robbie Keane

Grant Wahl:

I know how you played as a player. Has that influenced your coaching philosophies, like you mentioned? How would you describe the way you want your teams to play as a coach?

Robbie Keane:

Very aggressive in terms of with the ball. Obviously playing out from the back. I always played in teams that were very, very good, and always a good footballing team, playing for Tottenham for eight years as you know, Tottenham is a footballing team. They have a certain way. Play off on the back, pay through the lines quickly. That's something I'm big on. And getting in people's faces, stop people from playing, fast tempo football, and ultimately to try and get from one end of the pitch to the other end fairly quickly to score goals with it, with a good intensity and good football-intelligent people playing on my team. 

So that's my philosophy, would be definitely: I take bits from the players I've played with and the managers I've played under. But ultimately you have your own style, and it depends obviously on the personnel and the players that you bring into that football club. But definitely play quickly through the lines and play some good attractive football for people to see.

Grant Wahl:

I've always thought it's interesting that other sports than soccer, like, in the NBA coaches don't need to get coaching badges, or the NFL or major league baseball. But in soccer, it's part of the culture. Did you go about getting your coaching badges? And what was that process like if you did?

Robbie Keane:

Long. [laughs] It was very long. Yeah. I'm lucky enough to have every license, the Pro license, which is obviously the hardest one to get. I think there's only 10,000 people in the world that have this. So I've been doing the coaching budgets when I was still playing with LA. So in the offseason I'd come back home. When I was 31 I started my B and A license. And as you know, that takes a few years. And then we just managed to finish the Pro license only last year. So that's a great achievement, and I'm proud of that. And as I said, you have all these licenses, but I've played the game for a long time, I understand the game, and I understand people. And football, being a manager or a coach is also about managing people and how you can manage people. Because anybody can put a training session on.

But a lot of it is you have to be clever in how you treat the people. And sometimes some player might need an arm around them and some player might need a kick up the backside. So you have to be able to judge that as a coach. And I think that's one of my main strengths, and obviously being a captain for a long time in England and also in LA, I think that will stand me in good stead.

Grant Wahl:

I'm going to say it right now. If anyone listening is an MLS team or owns a team in MLS, because I know a few of you listen, I know there are some coaching vacancies right now. So your man is here, by the way, and he's ready. But you mentioned the pandemic and it's been difficult for everyone around the world. Have you been able to spend more time with your family than usual during the pandemic?

Robbie Keane:

Yeah absolutely, yeah. And I think my wife is probably sick of me now [laughs]. So I think she probably wants me out of the house now, to be honest with you. This is the first time in 20 years that we've been under each other's feet with the kids. But you know what? All jokes aside, it's been obviously great, but she knows what my passion is and she knows what I want to do. And as you know in this game, whether you're a player or a manager, that sometimes you're taken away out of your comfort zone. And of course eventually I'm going to have to leave Dublin. But the last 18 months has been great, certainly with the kids, spending a lot of time with them. But I think they're sick of me as well, so I think they're ready to get rid of me.

Grant Wahl:

You and your wife, Claudine, have done some tremendous charity work raising money in Ireland for hospitals during this time, and other things. Why was it so important for you to do that work?

Robbie Keane:

Because we were struggling. I just felt like every little help that the hospital could get, because, we had a personal ... Claudine's father was one of the first in Ireland to get COVID. And he was in ICU for three weeks. So no, that was a difficult time. And it was certainly 50-50 whether he was going to kind of make it. Thankfully, with the great work from the hospital, from the doctors and the nurses and the frontline workers, he got through and he's doing completely fine. So I came up with an idea to auction one of my last jerseys that I played in. And one of my watches, one of my green Hublot watches, which obviously means a lot to me. But I thought other people need it way more than I do.

So we were lucky enough. We raised ... I think overall, not just on my page, I think 80 grand maybe on my page. And then between everything else I think it was 300 and something thousand.

Grant Wahl:

Wow.

Robbie Keane:

So it was great. And I love that kind of work. And I've been doing that for a long time with the Children’s Hospital, also where we had a golf day in America. I think we raised 350,000 for the kids' hospital. So I enjoy doing it. It's great. So very lucky that I'm in a position where I have a bit of a voice. And if you have a voice, try and use it to the best that you can. And if you can, every little helps, certainly for the hospitals, and especially going through this pandemic, which has been, as you said, difficult for everybody. It hasn't been easy. So every little help that we can all do, it goes a long way.

Grant Wahl:

Well, huge appreciation to you and your family for doing that. And I'm sure everyone over in Ireland feels the same way.

Robbie Keane:

Thank you.

Grant Wahl:

I do want to step back just a little bit and look at the start of your career, because you made a very wise decision early on to go to Wolves in the second tier instead of to Liverpool where you could've gone, because you thought you'd get more playing time. And not everyone that age would have done that, including today. Who advised you on that decision? And do you think there's a lesson that all young players can take from that?

Robbie Keane:

Yeah. One thing, especially nowadays, obviously the big teams, the Man Cities and all, they can just go and get anybody because they're buying players from all around the world, young players, and housing them and giving them money. But listen, also you have to feel yourself. When I went to Wolves, the guy Chris Evans, who's the youth development officer, and still one of my best friends now, I felt comfortable there, everybody at the stadium and the training ground. It felt like a real homely feeling to it. But also, in my mind, I wanted to play for the first team quickly. And I knew that I'd have a better chance coming to somewhere like Wolves where they give people opportunity, young lads an opportunity, than going to Liverpool for example.

I remember my mother said to me, "Don't just sign for Liverpool because you support them. Make sure you go to the team that feels right for you." And that was one of the things. And my mother, she didn't really know too much about football, even though my brothers and my uncle, and my granddad played to like semiprofessional, obviously in Ireland, until he was 50. But I still didn't really know too much about that side of the world in England. So it was sound advice. But also in the back of my head I knew that I wanted to play. And I've thankfully just turned 17 years of age and made my debut, and we scored two against Norwich away. And my mother and father was there. And then from then on I was lucky enough to carry on for Wolves and do well and then move on.

Grant Wahl:

Yeah, it's an incredible career. I still remember seeing you in the 2002 World Cup for Ireland. You were just 21 years old. You scored some big goals for a good team. You tied Germany, went out to Spain on penalties in the round of 16. What do you remember most about that World Cup? And how far do you think Ireland could have gone in that tournament?

Robbie Keane:

Oh, we should have won that game against Spain. We were the better team. Yeah. Certainly, when I speak about the World Cup, that's one of the regrets. Because I think if we had won that penalty shootout I think the next game was, I think, Korea. And don't get me wrong, Korea did well in that World Cup, but certainly a beatable team. And I really believed if we had got through Spain I think we would've beat Korea and went on to maybe the semis. And you never know what happens. Listen, were we going to be the favorites to win it? Absolutely not. But even to get to that stage would have been great. But listen, the World Cup, I think every player wants to be involved in the big occasions, and there's no bigger than the World Cup. And then to go there, and then not just go there but to make a good account of ourselves.

And as I said, I was lucky to score really important goals. And obviously the one stands out against Germany in the last minute, because if we lose that we wouldn't have the opportunity to go to the next round. And then we played Saudi Arabia and we beat them. We had to beat them by two goals, we beat them 3-0. And yeah, for me personally, and the team, it was a great tournament, one that I look back very, very fondly of. And not just as a player, but we had a real good team spirit, really good team spirit. Good lads. We didn't take ourselves too serious. We knew when we went over that white line, it was business. But away from that, around the hotel, we used to always joke around and have fun. I think that's the sign of a good team when you've got that kind of team spirit. And we had that in abundance.

Grant Wahl:

I do have a quick question for you, because I've spent time around fans of the Irish team over the years. I remember I was at Euro 2012. Why are Irish national team fans so friendly as opposed to fans of some other countries? It just seems like that's the case.

Robbie Keane:

Be careful what you say. [laughs] I think I know who you're thinking of! Listen, Irish people, they know how to enjoy themselves. As I said, when they go to these tournaments, they're the voice, they're all in the green jerseys, and it's a good look. And they want to have fun, and they want to see their team do well. And they're very, very supportive. And I was a fan myself, a kid going to all these games, going to the Old Lansdowne Road. And the atmosphere was always incredible, whether we were losing or we were winning. Now, certainly they make an impact. And always, every time they go away, they always win supporters of the tournament. Even in some of the Euros we didn't do well. Certainly in 2012 we didn't do well. We had probably the toughest group that probably we'd ever have. But they were still there, still cheering us on, still wanting us to do well. And that's in their nature.

Grant Wahl:

I'm wondering what you think. Can the Irish national team, the Republic of Ireland, can you get back to where things were in 2002?

Robbie Keane:

Well, listen, it depends on what's coming through the system. I think there's a few young players we know are certainly in a transition period at the moment. We don't have a lot of players playing in the Premier League. A lot of our players in the Championship. So when I was playing a lot of us would play the Premier League. But listen, you know what it's like with football. Sometimes there's a circle, and hopefully in the next few years we'll start producing younger players that's playing at a high level and compete in these competitions. Because let's face it, everybody wants the Ireland team at these tournaments.

Grant Wahl:

Back to your club career, you moved to Italy and joined Inter in 2000 at just 20 years old. It was a team with OG Ronaldo, [Javier] Zanetti, [Christian] Vieri, [Clarence] Seedorf, [Álvaro] Recoba, Laurent Blanc, managed by Marcello Lippi. What was it like being inside that locker room, being on that team?

Robbie Keane:

Yeah, it was good. Listen, for me it was an unbelievable experience, 20 years of age and then going to one of the biggest teams in the world, the biggest clubs in the world, and playing with these big characters and big names. But that's something I loved to be involved in. You want to be around these quality players because they make you better. Listen, maybe I was probably a little bit too young. I wish I went maybe a few years later when I was a bit more experienced. 

I was only playing at a really high level only for one year really, because after Wolves for few years I went to Coventry. I was only there for a year and then I went to Inter. So it's certainly a league I think I would have thrived on maybe a little bit later on, a bit more experienced in my career. But nevertheless, the experience itself was incredible. And as you said, to play with these players.

But listen, it's not even that, but they were good people as well, which is the most important thing. But as you said, people like Ronaldo and Vieri, who was my friend, and Clarence, a good friend, I was with him last week at a Soccer Ed. And I still stay in touch with him. So great experience, great club. And actually I just spoke to the president yesterday, the old present, Mr. Marotta, who I’m still in touch with. So great memories, great club, and the fans are always fantastic to me. As you said, to be around them people, them players, was a joy.

Grant Wahl:

You must need to have a tremendous amount of self-belief to be in a locker room like that, especially at the age you were. How do you think self-belief works with players, and how did it work with you in your career?

Robbie Keane:

I think you have to believe in your ability, and believe what you do. You have to be confident. Especially when you're around players like that you have to be fairly confident and comfortable in your own skin. And I was always fairly comfortable. I was confident on the training pitch, in the dressing room. I treat everybody the same, whether you're the best player or the young kid coming through. Everybody is treated with the same respect. 

So for me, especially being a goal-scorer, there's certain elements of being a goal-scorer, you have to have this belief. Because sometimes you might miss a chance, but you know there's another one coming again. So you have to always have that confidence in yourself. And that's off the pitch as well. And it's not arrogance. It's certainly not arrogance, but you have to have that bit about you when you're playing, especially with these big teams and these big dressing rooms, because you don't want to show any kind of weakness.

And also, you're there for a reason. Remember that. If you're a good player, you're there for a reason. So always believe in that, never feel uncomfortable. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations to get comfortable. And you'll only do that by being around top, top players and learning off them.

Grant Wahl:

You had some really productive years at Tottenham. Are those the club years you're most proud of?

Robbie Keane:

Listen, I'm proud of all of them, because everywhere has took me to a different journey. But certainly Tottenham, if you had to ask anybody, "Who's Robbie Keane's club?" they probably would say, "Tottenham, because he was there for eight years." And great memories there, unbelievable club. And the fans have always been brilliant to me. And I mentioned earlier on, Tottenham like to play a certain way, and the teams I've played in played it in a good, attractive way where they get the crowd off their seats. And that, as I mentioned before, I would want to do. But a great club, a great history. And the new stadium now, the new training ground, is incredible. But I had really, really fond memories, and still have a great relationship with everybody there.

Grant Wahl:

You did a great interview last year with my friend Kevin Egan. And you mentioned that Harry Kane had actually cleaned your boots way back in the day. What do you remember about young Harry Kane?

Robbie Keane:

He was a lovely kid. Very, very polite. What I did like about Harry was that after training myself, [Dimitar] Berbatov, Jermain Defoe, we'd do shooting sessions for about 10, 15 minutes. And I continued to do that when I was even 37 years of age, because football's about habits. The more you do it, the easier it becomes, the more you score goals. I keep saying to my kids, "You brush your teeth every morning. That's a habit. Going out to practice all the time, practice, practice, practice, it becomes easier." So Harry, I used to always see him after training. He used to always come and just sit behind at the side of the goal and help get the balls in, and just watch. Continue to watch. And now I know that he does the same thing now. But I'm proud of what he's done so far.

He's an example to younger players, if you get knocked back. Because he went to four or five, maybe six clubs on loan, didn't really play, was on the bench a lot. And then he gets the opportunity at Tottenham and he takes it with both hands. And now he's ultimately one of the probably best number nines in world football at the moment. So very proud of what he's done. And I always watch out for him and make sure he's doing well. And he's certainly doing that.

Grant Wahl:

So we're going to finish up here with what I call my Rapid-Fire quiz. And I do this with the best players we've seen in the sport for the past decades. I've done it with OG Ronaldo and [Zlatan] Ibrahimović and [Paolo] Maldini and others. So I did prep you a little bit just so you could think about this stuff ahead of time. If I were to ask you what's your favorite goal of your career that you scored and why, what would it be?

Robbie Keane:

Well, I know my first favorite one is against Blackburn when I chipped it over the guy's head and went on a run in England.

In MLS it’s when I nutmegged the guy and chipped Dan Kennedy against Chivas.

Grant Wahl:

What's the best goal you ever scored in your career based on degree of difficulty, and why?

Robbie Keane:

Oh, degree of difficulty. Oh, you got me there. Actually, based on degree of difficulty was the one I just mentioned against Blackburn, because it's from a quick throw, and I chipped over the guy and then pretended to shoot. So if the listeners want to go back from Tottenham against Blackburn, watch that goal. That was because just of where I was, and where I'm positioned in the pitch I was.

Grant Wahl:

In the written version of this I'll post the video from YouTube so people can see it. Who's the most difficult defender you ever faced, and why?

Robbie Keane:

Difficult, I probably would say [Nemanja] Vidić, Man United, and Rio Ferdinand, both as a partnership were always difficult to play against.

Grant Wahl:

Nice. Who's the most difficult goalkeeper to score against in your career, and why?

Robbie Keane:

Most difficult? I'd say probably when I played against Peter Schmeichel, just how big he was and his presence. When he's running out to you he looks like he's like eight foot six or something like that. But he was a top, top keeper.

Grant Wahl:

Who was your best teammate over the years, and why?

Robbie Keane:

Oh, best teammate. I'd say best teammate was Richie Dunne for Ireland. We grew up together and we roomed together for 12 years. Yeah. So Richard, he's quite calm and I'm usually the hyper one. He's the calm one. So it worked out very well.

Grant Wahl:

Who was the best manager you ever had and why?

Robbie Keane:

Oh, it's too many. I've got a few that I could mention, because I like managers who's honest. Mick McCarthy, [Giovanni] Trapattoni, Martin Jol was always, always honest, and have a very, very serious side of them, also could have a joke. So yeah, I'd say them. And Bruce Arena of course.

Grant Wahl:

Bruce might listen to this one, so good call. Who was the player you most admired in your career?

Robbie Keane:

Admired the most. I have to say [Lionel] Messi, just because I just love watching him. The way he moves with the ball, his skill, his intelligence, how he gets out of tight spaces. Just for me, just to watch as a player playing against him was incredible. He played 60 minutes against us in Ireland. He was off for three weeks. I'll make this quickly. In my 100th cap for the national team. He just flew in the day before after having three weeks off of a pre-season, trained the day before, that was it. Played 60 minutes, and you could not get near him. No one could get near him. And the Irish fans gave him a standing ovation when he walked off the pitch. He was incredible.

Grant Wahl:

Wow. Thanks for sharing that. That's awesome. Who's the best player in the world today, and why? In your opinion.

Robbie Keane:

Best player in the world today. Listen, you can't argue with Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo. Look at Ronaldo even now. 36 years of age, still producing at the highest level. And also, the difficulty of the Premier League now is way higher than I think any league in the world at this moment of time. So I would definitely say them two.

Grant Wahl:

And just to finish up here, which team do you enjoy watching the most today, and why?

Robbie Keane:

I enjoy watching Man City. Just the way they move the ball and how they pick little pockets up. And there's a few. I like Liverpool as well, just because the intensity of the work, and how they get in people's faces. When they're playing out from the back of the team, they're right on top of them. It looks like they have a rule. They have to try and win the ball back in three to five seconds. That's what it looks like from the outside. And everybody is intense. 

So I kind of like that way, because I liked the way [Jürgen] Klopp has his players playing. Or back in the day, it was definitely the Barcelona team, of Xavi and [Andrés] Iniesta and Messi. And I don't think we'll see a team like that ever again.

Grant Wahl:

Robbie Keane had a 20-year senior club career with the LA Galaxy, Tottenham, Liverpool, Inter, Wolves, Leeds United and others. He's the all-time leading scorer for Ireland. Robbie, it's really great to see you. Thanks so much for coming on the show.

Robbie Keane:

Absolute pleasure, Grant. It was lovely to speak to you again. And hopefully I'll see you very, very soon.