Roy Keane is known to be a hard character on and off the field – first as a player, then as an expert – with crunching tackles and even tougher words in the camera.
But while he is one of the most dreaded hardmen of football, away from the game and with his family, he is just like everyone else – a grandfather with a softer side.
Recently, the former captain of Manchester United showed this page completely on Instagram and shared a series of snapshots from a family vacation to celebrate his 54th birthday.
Among the photos and videos were moments of Keane who sprayed around in the pool with his grandchildren and helped them build Sandbur on the beach and smile proudly when he was born at the beginning of this year.
The caption in his birthday contribution was as warm as the pictures itself: “Happy birthday for me. All gifts I need.”
For a man whose career was built on Grit and Stahl, it was a rare public insight into the gentler moments that were most important.
Even the hardest captains have a soft center.
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