After 18 years in the green jersey, Robbie Keane will bow out of international football against Oman on Wednesday night.
Since finding the net against Malta in 1998, Keane has gone on to score 66 more goals for the Boys In Green. Up until the final whistle of tonight's friendly in the Aviva stadium, he will be the highest scoring player at international level that's still active in the game.
However, the time he spent shining in the green jersey is only one part of his career. A whole new generation of fans were won over by Keane when he made the move from the Premier League to MLS franchise LA Galaxy in 2011.
Keano became a fan-favourite at the club with his goal-scoring prowess earning him the MVP accolade in 2014 and a spot on the Team of the Year on four separate seasons. He was also an intrinsic part of the their three MLS Cup triumphs.
To mark his international retirement, LA Galaxy took out advertising space on the front page of the Irish Times to pay tribute to his achievements with Ireland.
https://twitter.com/thomasniblock/status/770903298136301568?lang=en
The caption underneath the photo read as follows:
"Congratulations, Keano! The LA Galaxy would like to congratulate Robbie Keane for all of his accomplishments in his remarkable 18-year career with the Republic of Ireland."
Lovely touch.
The new GAA Hour football podcast is here. Listen to Colm Parkinson, Senan Connell, and Barry Cahill dissect a classic between Dublin and Kerry. Subscribe here on iTunes.
