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Football

19th Dec 2014

Robbie Keane talked Tallaght friendly, Special Olympics and his cousin Morrissey on the Late Late Show

Ireland's captain will play in Tallaght Stadium next year

Robert Redmond

Robbie Keane announced the game on the Late Late Show.

LA Galaxy will face Shamrock Rovers in a friendly on February 21st, Ireland captain and MLS MVP Robbie Keane revealed on RTE’s the Late Late show. The game will be something of a homecoming for the former Wolves, Leeds, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Celtic… (okay, Robbie Keane’s had a lot of clubs) But the game will be played in the striker’s native Tallaght and will be the American side’s first visit to these shores.

Keane also spoke of his work with Special Olympics Ireland, for whom he and his wife are ambassadors and the former Spurs striker completed a training session for Ireland’s team on his old Crumlin United training ground. The forward briefly recounted his season in America and being dropped for Ireland’s crucial qualifier with Scotland in October, admitting Shane Long is a better option for Ireland’s lone striker role, (despite the fact Ireland played two strikers in the game), but was full of praise for Ireland’s managerial team Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.

Keane and his wife Claudine also spoke about bumping into movie stars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger and how he found out British singer Morrissey is his cousin. According to the Galaxy player the former Smiths singer randomly rang Keane up after discovering their shared lineage goes back to Captains Road in Dublin.

The striker dismissed suggestions his career is winding down. The 34-year old called football ‘ageist’, saying: ‘In football, as soon as you hit 30 people think you should be retiring’.

Keane takes part in a surprise training session with Ireland’s Special Olympic football team.

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