Former England captain and manager Kevin Keegan has revealed he has stage four cancer.
Stage four is the most advanced stage of cancer, and means the disease has spread to other parts of the body.
Keegan’s family originally disclosed he was battling cancer in January, after the 75-year-old had “further evaluation of ongoing abdominal symptoms” in hospital.
The football world has since rallied around the two-time Ballon d’Or winner (1978, 1979) who has been undergoing treatment in recent months.
In one of his first public appearances since the news, Keegan was handed an emotional standing ovation as he returned to Newcastle for a live event.
“I was in a car accident and, through that, I had to have an operation,” the ex-Newcastle United forward and manager said on stage at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House (via BBC Sport).
“Whilst having the scan for the operation, they found out I had cancer. They said they had an absolute top doctor for fighting what you have got, which is stage four cancer.
“So I went to meet him. He’s a Liverpool supporter so I knew I wouldn’t walk alone.
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“He said, ‘Kevin, this new treatment, I’ve got a tremendous strike rate’. I said, ‘What’s your strike rate?’ He said, ‘33%’. I thought it would be 80%, 90%. 33%!
“I’m still here at the moment.”
Keegan enjoyed spells at Scunthorpe United, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle as a player during an illustrious career.
He later went on to have stints in charge of Newcastle, Fulham, England and Manchester City as a manager.
Keegan is one of the most transformational figures in Newcastle’s history, the mastermind behind the Entertainers, who challenged for the Premier League title in 1996.
Such is his status, current head coach Eddie Howe even reached out to Keegan when he got the Newcastle job in 2021 to try and get the inside track on the club and the mindset he needed to succeed.
