The feud goes all the way back to 1997
Roy Keane has aimed a sly but brutal swipe at his old enemy Alf-Inge Haaland in the latest episode of the Stick to Football Podcast.
Keane has a long-running history with Haaland from their playing days, dating back to September 1997 when Haaland, then playing for Leeds, stood over Keane and accused him of feigning injury when he had ruptured his cruciate ligament.
Keane got his own back in 2001, raking his studs down Haaland’s knee in a Manchester derby.
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The Irishman was sent off, and Haaland’s knee was never the same again, making just four substitute appearances before returning.
Keane then said in his autobiography about the incident: “I’d waited long enough. I f***ing hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you c***.”
This earned him an extra £150,000 fine and a five-match ban.
And in this week’s episode of Stick To Football with former Leeds striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the Dutchman was running through his former team-mates at Elland Road.
Hasselbaink said: “We had Haaland in midfield, who could run.”
Keane replied: “Could he?” – prompting some awkward laughter from the panel of guests.
See the clip below
What else has Keane said about the Haalands?
Alf-Inge, who is Erling Haaland’s father, was said to be “really p****d off” with Keane in 2024 after Roy had described his son as a “spoilt brat”, comparing him to a League Two striker in a goalless draw with Arsenal in March.
Keane said on Sky Sports at the time: “In front of goal he’s the best in the world, but his general play for such a player – it is so poor. Not just today. He has to improve that.
“He’s almost like a League Two player – that’s the way I look at him. His general play has to improve. It will do over the next few years. [He’s a] brilliant striker but he has to improve his overall game.”
