Sir Alex Ferguson pays tribute to former rival Kevin Keegan - BBC

What the report says

BBC Sport reported that Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to Kevin Keegan following the former England captain and manager’s death at age 75, which was announced on Monday. Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager, remembered Keegan as a passionate football figure and reflected warmly on their high-profile rivalry when Keegan managed Newcastle United in the 1990s.

Ferguson told Track Radio that he had deep respect for Keegan and praised his work at Newcastle, where Keegan’s first spell as manager ran from 1992 to 1997. BBC noted that Keegan led the club to promotion to the Premier League in 1992-93 and then to a second-place finish behind Manchester United in 1995-96. Ferguson said Keegan revived the club’s energy and highlighted signings including David Ginola, Faustino Asprilla and Philippe Albert as adding quality to the side.

The BBC article revisited the famous 1995-96 title race, when Newcastle lost a 12-point lead and United won the league. Keegan’s televised “I will love it if we beat them” outburst came after Ferguson questioned whether Leeds and Nottingham Forest would compete as strongly against Newcastle as they did against Manchester United. Ferguson said the pair later met at Wentworth Golf Club and that Keegan showed no bitterness.

BBC also reported tributes from Alan Shearer, Eddie Howe, Sir Kenny Dalglish, Phil Thompson and David Fairclough. The article summarized Keegan’s playing achievements with Liverpool, Hamburg and England, including three league titles, the European Cup, two Uefa Cups, an FA Cup, a Bundesliga title and back-to-back Ballons d’Or in 1978 and 1979.