“I was like ‘Come on Gerard, you are 24 or 25 now, come on man!’ So I said hi.”
Barcelona star Gerard Pique has spoken to Gary Neville about being scared of Roy Keane as a 17-year-old when playing with the Corkman at Manchester United.
The Spanish World Cup-winning defender discussed his time at Man United as a teenager and reflected on the impact Keane had on his development.
Gerard Pique discusses Roy Keane
Pique, who won a Premier League and Champions League at Man United, described being intimidated by the presence of Keane as a youngster.
The Barcelona vice-captain said Keane was initially “scary,” as he was not familiar with the stern winning culture that existed in the dressing room at Old Trafford.
“We all know Roy. But when you’re 17, for sure you look at Roy differently,” Pique said on The Overlap.
“I had just arrived, I didn’t know him. It was scary at one point. Imagine how scary it was.”
Pique recalls seeing Keane again
Years later, Pique described meeting Keane when he played against Celtic at Parkhead in the Champions League group stages.
The defender was reluctant to approach the Corkman initially, however, he got to grips with himself and then went over to say hello to Keane.
“A few years later when I was playing for Barcelona, we went to play against Celtic in Scotland. He was doing some kind of TV programme. I don’t remember,” Pique added.
“I was walking after the game, and he came to me to talk. Part of me was like that little kid who arrived at Manchester when I was 17, like ‘Oh f***, it’s Roy Keane… but I was like ‘Come on Gerard, you are 24 or 25 now, come on man!’ So I said hi, and we talked and it was fine.
“But when I was 17, he was a strong voice. There was always a tough message. He was a great captain, but he was tough sometimes.”
Pique made 24 appearances for Man United between 2004 and 2008, before re-signing for Barcelona.
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