Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/494191
54 PRONUNCIATION: Keen POSITION: Forward HEIGHT: 5' 9" WEIGHT: 160 lbs. JERSEY NUMBER: 19 BIRTH DATE: 07-08-1980 BIRTHPLACE: Dublin, Ireland LAST CLUB: Tottenham Hotspur (England) STATUS: Designated Player HOW ACQUIRED: Signed by the Galaxy on August 15, 2011 A proven goalscorer, Keane has scored more than 250 goals for club and country in a career that began in 1997 at the age of just 17 and has seen him become the tenth all-time leading goal scorer in the history of the Premier League. A native of Dublin, Keane has made 108 career appearances for his country, scoring 51 goals to make him Ireland's all-time leading goal scorer. A member of Ireland's squad at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Keane scored three times in four games at the tournament. Prior to joining the senior national team, Keane helped Ireland win the 1998 UEFA U-16 European Championship and the UEFA U-18 European Championship that same year. Ireland are currently tied for first place in Group B of qualifying for the 2012 European Championship, with Keane scoring five goals in six matches. Keane began his club career in England with Wolverhampton Wanderers, debuting in 1997 at the age of 17, scoring twice in his first game as a professional. Two years later, after scoring nearly 30 goals for Wolves, Keane was sold to Coventry City of the Premier League, scoring twice on his debut there and finishing the season with 12 goals before moving to Italy to join Inter Milan in the summer of 2000. He scored three times in six months with Inter before returning to England on loan to Leeds United in January 2001. His transfer to Leeds was made permanent in May 2001, but he played just one full season with the club, helping them reach the semifinals of the 2001 UEFA Champions League, before joining Tottenham Hotspur for the first time in August 2002. He would go on to appear in more then 250 games in six seasons for Spurs, scoring more than 100 goals, tallying at least 10 goals each year. In each of his final three seasons with Spurs he helped the club qualify for the UEFA Cup while also helping them win the 2008 League Cup, beating Chelsea 2-1 in the Final for the club's first trophy in nearly a decade. In July 2008, Keane joined Liverpool for a transfer fee of more than $30 million, only to re-join Spurs in February 2009 after scoring seven goals, including two in the Champions League, in nearly 30 games at Anfield. He scored five goals over the second half of the 2008-09 season for Tottenham and added nine more in the first half of the following season before joining Celtic of the Scottish Premier League on loan in February 2010. He appeared in 19 games for the Glasgow-based club, scoring 16 times to be named the club's Fans' Player of the Year. Keane spent the first half of last season with Tottenham before going on loan once again, joining West Ham United, scoring twice in 10 games for the club, though he could not help them avoid relegation. MLS HIGHLIGHTS 2014: The Galaxy Designated Player recorded career highs in both goals and assists during the 2014 MLS Regular Season, earning him the 2014 MLS MVP for the first time in his career. Keane finished with the third-most goals in MLS this season with 19 and was tied for second in assists with 14, giving him the highest combination of goals and assists from any player this season and the most of any player during a single season in club history. In addition to his five game-winning goals, he also led MLS with six game-winning assists. In his 29 appearances for the Galaxy, the Galaxy lost only five total matches, going 15-5-9. He continued his career record regular season campaign into the MLS Cup Playoffs, scoring two goal and adding three assists through the Galaxy's five matches, including the game-winning goal in the 2014 MLS Cup to earn him MLS Cup MVP honors. His three assists against Salt Lake in the Western Conference Semifinal match made him just the fourth player in Galaxy history to record three assists in a playoff game. 2013: Keane enjoyed another stellar season in MLS, scoring 16 goals and adding 11 assists during the MLS Regular Season. For his performance, he was named a 2013 MLS MVP Finalist. Three goals and three assists each were game winners. He recorded an assist in two appearances during the MLS Cup Playoffs. ROBBIE KEANE