LONDON,— Kevin Keegan, one of English football’s most recognizable names as both player and manager, has died at 75, British media reported Monday. His family had announced in January that he was being treated for cancer.
Keegan’s family said in a statement that they were announcing his death with deep sorrow at age 75.
The family described him as a double Ballon d’Or winner who was deeply loved as a husband, father and grandfather.
They said he had been fighting cancer and was with his wife and daughters when he died.
Keegan was diagnosed with stage four cancer and began treatment in January. He was one of only four English players to win the Ballon d’Or, and later built a reputation as a manager known for reviving Newcastle United.
Born in February 1951, Keegan began his playing career at Scunthorpe United in 1968 before Liverpool manager Bill Shankly signed him.
At Liverpool, he won three First Division titles, two UEFA Cups, the FA Cup, and, in his final season with the club, the European Cup.
In 1977, Keegan transferred to Hamburger SV for 500,000 pounds, a fee that nearly doubled the German transfer record at the time.
While at Hamburg, he won the European Footballer of the Year award in both 1978 and 1979. In the 1978 79 season, Hamburg won its first German championship in 19 years, and its first since the Bundesliga was formed.
After leaving Hamburg, Keegan played two seasons at Southampton before joining Newcastle United, then in the Second Division, in 1982.
He helped the club earn promotion in his second season there before retiring as a player in 1984.
Over his club career, Keegan scored 204 goals in 592 appearances. For England, he added 21 goals in 63 caps and served as captain 31 times, including at the 1980 European Championship.
Keegan returned to football seven years after retiring as a player, taking his first managerial job at Newcastle in February 1992.
The club was then at risk of dropping to the Third Division, but he kept them up and led them to the Premier League the following season.
Newcastle finished second in the Premier League during the 1995 96 season after leading the table for much of the year.
Keegan later managed Fulham for two seasons before taking charge of the England national team in February 1999. He resigned in October 2000 after a 1 0 loss to Germany in qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.
He went on to manage Manchester City and later made an emotional return to Newcastle in 2008.
That second stint at the club ended after eight months, following disagreements with the board and owner Mike Ashley.
(With files from Reuters | Agencies)
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