Robbie Keane to take charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv
The Israeli club announced on Monday that Robbie Keane, a former Irish striker aged 42, has been hired as the coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv on a two-year deal.
“I am happy to take on this challenge at Maccabi,” Keane told the club website.
“My team and I are already looking forward to starting work and we are confident in our ability to do what is necessary to prepare.”
Keane holds the record for the most appearances for Ireland with 146 caps and is also the leading goal scorer with 68 goals. In May, he became an assistant coach at Leeds United after Sam Allardyce was appointed as the manager.
Leeds suffered defeat in three out of their last four matches of the season with Allardyce as their manager, resulting in their relegation. Following this, the manager and the club mutually agreed to part ways.
“Robbie brings with him the mentality, character, energy and focus of a winner, qualities that he demonstrated everywhere he played,” Maccabi owner Mitch Goldhar said.
“These characteristics combined with the ambitions to succeed as a coach are in line with our goals at Maccabi.”
Keane used to work as a coach for the Ireland national team and Middlesbrough, a team in the English second division. Throughout his playing career, Keane scored over 300 goals for various clubs including Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds, Liverpool, and West Ham United. In the 2022-23 season, Maccabi achieved a third-place finish in the Israeli Premier League.
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