They didn’t want to mess with Roy Keane.
And to actually be the reason why the legend missed a Champions League final…
It is no wonder that Jesper Blomqvist was afraid.
Roy Keane has an almost mythical reputation behind him for being one of the toughest players in football history. The midfield icon could be completely mad at opponents, coaches, supporters – and even teammates. You just didn’t want to mess with him, because who knows what could happen then?
The mistake that cost
When Jesper Blomqvist played for Manchester United, he was young and inexperienced. Admittedly talented, but in a team full of superstars. And Roy Keane was one of the bastards, along with icons like David Beckham and Ryan Giggs. And during the 1999 Champions League final, he really felt the wrath of Keane.
In the semi-final, Manchester United faced Juventus, and in the return match United had a 0-2 deficit to catch up on. They did that. United went on 3-2, but it wasn’t all happy faces in the dressing room. Roy Keane had received a yellow card in the match, which meant suspension in the final. And if he took it well? No.
And if Jesper Blomqvist was blamed for it? Yes.
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The anger of Keane
In retrospect, Blomqvist has admitted what happened afterwards, and why Keane was so upset with Blomqvist.
– He blamed it on me and that I hit him with a bad pass, which led to him getting the warning and being sent off. It was perhaps not the best ball in the world, but his first touch was bad and he lost the ball, Blomqvist told The Athletic.
– It is worth adding that he played one of his best matches in his career. But he yelled at me in the dressing room afterwards. He was so angry, and shouted: “It’s your damn fault that I miss the final!”. I thought he was mad at me for a long time.
Maybe he wasn’t. Roy Keane saw Blomqvist as a brilliant footballer. But after that semi-final in Turin, he was so angry that Blomqvist didn’t even dare to say anything.
– That’s how he worked. It was never his fault. I’ve met Roy now in hindsight and just laugh about it now. We didn’t talk about the incident then and I’ve changed my mind, but then and there I didn’t give a damn about his attitude. He lasted several weeks, and it became a joke in the dressing room.
READ MORE: When Jesper Blomqvist did the forbidden thing in the Premier League – and made the entire dressing room see red