That time Roy Keane 'nearly' ended Erling Haaland's father's career

With an aggressive attitude and a no-holds-barred approach to defending, Roy Keane has quite the legacy in the Premier League. With a sock drawer full of red cards (some say 13, but it's officially 7), Keane built a reputation as the dirtiest man in the League's history.

And there is one incident that stands out when looking at the former Manchester United captain's career, and specifically the one with Alf-Inge Haaland, the father of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

For a detailed look at the incident, we have to go back to the infamous Manchester Derby of September 2001.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

During that derby, Keane tackled Haaland on his right knee with a brutal challenge that shocked the Premier League and the international football world.

As to be expected, Keane was sent off by referee David Elleray, but the Irishman did not go to the dressing room without a message for Haaland.

"Don’t ever stand over me again sneering about fake injuries. And tell your pal Wetherall there’s some for him as well," Keane shouted at Haaland, according to talkSPORT.com.

To understand Keane's message to Haaland, we need to take a trip on memory lane to 1997.

Haaland played for Leeds at the time and faced Manchester United at Elland Road in September 1997. It was to be a match that everyone would remember for years and decades to come.

After fighting for the ball, Haaland and Keane collided, with the Norwegian standing over the Irishman and accusing the Manchester United midfielder of faking an injury.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Keane, however, did not pretend to be injured and had just suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury when he fought for the ball with Haaland.

Keane never forgot the 1997 incident and took revenge in the 2001 Manchester Derby. "I'd waited long enough. I f****** hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you c***. And don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries," he said in his 2002 biography, recalling 1997.

Keane was initially fined £5,000 and given a three-match suspension for his challenge on Haaland, but due to the statements in his biography he would face a heavier punishment.

Keane eventually got a £150,000 fine and five-match ban because the statements in his biography suggested his challenge on Haaland was intentional.

Did Keane end Haaland's career with his challenge? Many still suggest he did, but the truth is a little different.

After the challenge, Haaland managed to get back on the pitch and miraculously finished the 90 minutes. Soon after, he also played in a friendly for Norway.

The truth is that Haaland already had many problems with his left knee, requiring surgery in the summer of 2001.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

After that operation, Haaland made only four more appearances for City, none of them as a starter.

That meant that the 2001 Manchester Derby was the last full match Haaland played in his career, which could suggest that Keane's challenge ended the Norwegian's career. However, Haaland himself denied that claim to the BBC in 2014, although he did say that Keane could be the reason why he never played 90 minutes again.

"I don’t blame him. I never actually said he finished my career. It was my last full game in England, so maybe he had something to do with it," Haaland said.

Following the publication of Keane's biography in 2002, Haaland and City were contemplating taking legal action against the Irishman. After it became clear, however, that Haaland had problems with his left knee even before the 2001 incident, they decided not to proceed.

Haaland eventually retired from City in 2003 as he struggled to regain full fitness. He made a brief comeback in Norway in 2011, but eventually hung up his boots for good in 2013. But not because of Roy Keane ...

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!