As goodbyes go, last night's was truly great. When Roy Maurice Keane stepped on to the Old Trafford pitch for what was probably the final time, a tsunami of affection and appreciation spilled from the stands.
The sell-out crowd of more than 70,000 roared out the inevitable mantra of what was an emotional evening both for Roy Keane and Roy Keane fanatics: "Keano, there's only one Keano".
Standing on the pitch with his children wearing the strip of his current club Celtic, which he wore for the first half of his testimonial match, Keane raised an arm acknowledging the fans who had come to bid their farewells. He hadn't been back to Manchester United since he left last November under something of a cloud. And now the prodigal son had returned.
Che Keano. Hail Keano. Cheers Keano. The banners and the flags said it all. Along Matt Busby Way, which last night became Roy Keane Way, they had gathered from early morning eating chips, drinking beer and singing songs.
There was good-natured heckling from the Celtic supporters who packed the north stand. "We love Keano more than you" was one of the more sensitive chants. Specially designed football tops and scarves, divided down the middle so that one half was Manchester United and one half Celtic were being sold in the streets in honour of this ultimate game of two halves.
With beds scarce in the overcrowded city, two brothers Christy and Paul Morgan from Ballyfermot and Crumlin in Dublin were looking for accommodation. They joked that they didn't mind where they slept as long as they didn't end up in the city's Strangeways prison. "It's an emotional night," said Christy. "He never got a chance to say goodbye - that's why this is an occasion to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up," said Paul.
The O'Neill family from Waterford stood draped in Irish flags outside the souvenir shop. They were up at 3.30am yesterday to catch the boat to Holyhead. Sisters Margaret and Ailise, their father Hugh and their brother Eoin travelled with Margaret's boyfriend Glen to the match.
"Roy hasn't had closure and we haven't had closure," said Margaret when asked why the testimonial was so important. "He made our country proud all those years. He stood up for what he believed in. We wouldn't have missed this for anything," she said.
Lennie Walsh had made a 12-hour journey from Keane's and his hometown of Mayfield in Cork via Gatwick airport and London. "I've never seen anything like this atmosphere. Roy is an icon." And, in case we missed the message of the evening, "There's only one Keano" he added.
Report: Sports section
