Roy Keane has revealed that he was smoking cigarettes at just 11 years old before the 1982 World Cup convinced him to quit.
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Keane smoked cigarettes aged 11Was inspired to stop by World CupDecided he wanted to be footballerWHAT HAPPENED?
When asked on podcast which tournament made him fall in love with football, former Manchester United and Ireland midfielder Keane had his fellow ex-Premier League stars Ian Wright and Gary Neville in fits of laughter as he admitted to puffing on cigarettes as a child.
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Just like fellow pundit Neville, Keane picked the 1982 World Cup as the tournament that turned everything around, starting with convincing him to stop smoking. He said: "I remember we used to play football after the games in the evening. In 1982 I would have been 11. I was with my friends, we were playing football and we'd have the odd cigarette when we were about 11. So, I was playing, they went: 'Are you having this [cigarette]?' I remember going: 'I'm giving them up. I want to be a footballer'."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Dropping the habit proved to be the right choice for the then-young Irishman. He soon went on to become a Manchester United and Ireland legend, winning seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League crown with the Red Devils.
GettyWHAT NEXT?
Keane continues to be a regular pundit on Sky Sports and ITV and, after covering the European Championship in Germany this summer, will be gearing up for the new Premier League season to begin.