Kevin Keegan, Liverpool legend and former Newcastle manager, dies aged 75

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Kevin Keegan, the former England and Newcastle manager who was twice European football of the year and a stalwart member of Liverpool’s serial First Division and European champions in the 1970s, has died aged 75.Keegan’s family revealed in January 2026 that he had cancer, and in June he revealed himself that it was stage four, the most advanced stage. “I don’t like people to deceive me and tell me lies,” he told the Guardian in 2018.He wrote newspaper columns, was one of the English game’s first players to have their own branded football boots, had a hit record (Head Over Heels in Love), and became an enduring star of the BBC’s Superstars.

“I wanted so much to have his ability. But I still say Besty was the best I played against,” he told Simon Hatterstone.Keegan retired from playing aged 33 and moved to Spain, where his two daughters grew up unaware he had been a footballer.

His finger-jabbing “I will love it” rant when Alex Ferguson’s mind-games to get the better of him has become part of the English game’s lore.After leaving St James’ Park in January 1997, a brief stint at Fulham followed before he became England manager in 1999, having initially taken on the job following Glenn Hoddle’s departure. At a public event in Bristol, he told the audience: “I don’t like to listen to ladies talking about the England men’s team at the match because I don’t think it’s the same experience.