Editing Robbie Keane (section)

==International career==
{{see also|List of international goals scored by Robbie Keane}}

[[File:Robbiekeane_ie.JPG|thumb|upright|200px|Keane with the Republic of Ireland national team in 2004]]

Keane was part of the so-called "[[golden generation]]" of Irish youth football of the late 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2016/6/5/irelands-overlooked-golden-generation |title=Ireland's Overlooked Golden Generation |publisher=In Bed With Maradona |date=7 June 2016 |access-date=19 June 2016 |first=Philip |last=Weafer}}</ref>

Under the guidance of [[Brian Kerr (Irish football manager)|Brian Kerr]], the unfancied Republic of Ireland won the [[UEFA]] [[UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship|U16]] and [[UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship|U18]] European championships in 1998, and Keane was part of the victorious U18 side in Cyprus.<ref name="U18 win">{{cite web|url=https://thatsireland.com/2008/02/28/the-irish-u-18-european-champions-of-1998/ |title=The Irish U-18 European Champions of 1998 |website=That's Ireland |date=28 February 2008 |access-date=30 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207130654/http://thatsireland.com/2008/02/28/the-irish-u-18-european-champions-of-1998/ |archive-date=7 December 2008}}</ref> In 1999, he played at the [[FIFA World Youth Championship|World Youth Cup]] in Nigeria, where the Republic of Ireland reached the last 16 before going out on [[Penalty shootout (football)|penalties]] to the hosts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/u20worldcup/nigeria1999/matches/round=191322/match=31061/index.html |title=Republic of Ireland - Nigeria 1:1 a.e.t. (1:1, 1:0) 3:5 PSO |publisher=[[FIFA]] |access-date=12 September 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515220240/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/u20worldcup/nigeria1999/matches/round%3D191322/match%3D31061/index.html |archive-date=15 May 2014 }}</ref> His first Republic of Ireland cap came against the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]] in [[Olomouc]] in March 1998.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/robkeane-intlg.html |title=Robbie Keane - Century of International Appearances |publisher=[[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation]] (RSSSF) |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> He scored his first senior international goals against [[Malta national football team|Malta]] in October that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/193610.stm |title=Republic blast their way to the top |website=BBC Sport |date=14 October 1998 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref>

Keane was selected by [[Mick McCarthy]] as part of the Republic of Ireland squad for the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]] in South Korea and Japan, scoring three goals in the Republic of Ireland's four games. Keane scored an injury-time [[Equaliser (football)|equaliser]] against [[Germany national football team|Germany]] in the group stage match as the Irish surprised many by holding the former champions to a 1–1 draw.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/germany_v_rep_of_ireland/default.stm |title=Ireland snatch priceless point |website=BBC Sport |date=5 June 2002 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> This was the first of only three goals which Germany conceded in the tournament (the other two were scored in [[2002 FIFA World Cup Final|the final]] by Brazil's [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]]). In the Round of 16 match against [[Spain men's national football team|Spain]], he scored a last-minute penalty to force the game into extra-time and a penalty shootout after the Irish had gone a goal down early in the first half, but eventually lost 3–2 on penalties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/matches_wallchart/spain_v_rep_of_ireland/default.stm |title=Spain break Irish hearts |website=BBC Sport |date=16 June 2002 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref>

Keane became the Republic of Ireland's leading goalscorer during a match against the [[Faroe Islands national football team|Faroe Islands]] on 13 October 2004 when he scored his 22nd and 23rd goals. The first of these goals broke [[Niall Quinn]]'s record of 21 goals.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2004/oct/14/match.sport1 |title=Robbie Keane beats record and Faroes |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Jon |last=Brodkin |date=13 October 2004 |access-date=7 September 2013}}</ref>

Although the Republic of Ireland failed to qualify for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]], Keane scored four goals in the Republic of Ireland's eight qualifying matches. Following [[Steve Staunton]]'s appointment as Republic of Ireland manager, Keane was appointed [[Captain (association football)|captain]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2749&Itemid=9 |title=Ireland Seniors – UEFA Qualifying 2006/2008 |publisher=[[Football Association of Ireland]] |date=2 January 2008 |access-date=30 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207180432/http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2749&Itemid=9 |archive-date=7 December 2008}}</ref> In their first game under Staunton, Keane scored the second goal in the 3–0 victory against [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] at [[Lansdowne Road]], and celebrated the final match at the Lansdowne Road stadium with a hat-trick on his 70th senior international appearance in a 5–0 defeat of San Marino on 15 November 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/6147468.stm |title=Rep of Ireland 5–0 San Marino |website=BBC Sport |first=Lyle |last=Jackson |date=15 November 2006 |access-date=30 July 2008}}</ref> [[Giovanni Trapattoni]], who took over from Staunton, maintained Keane as team captain starting in his first game in charge against [[Serbia national football team|Serbia]] on 24 May 2008 which ended in a 1–1 draw.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7418887.stm |title=Rep of Ireland 1–1 Serbia |website=BBC Sport |date=24 May 2008 |access-date=30 July 2008}}</ref>

As captain, Keane led the team to a second-place finish in the [[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 8|2010 World Cup qualifying]] campaign. He scored his 40th international goal against Cyprus, a header in the 83rd minute, which secured a 2–1 win for the Republic of Ireland.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} Along with [[Dimitar Berbatov]], he topped the scoring chart in the qualifying group with 5 goals in 10 games. His 41st international goal came in the [[France 1–1 Ireland (18 November 2009)|controversial 2010 World Cup play-off with France]] on 18 November 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8367418.stm |title=France 1–1 Rep of Ire (agg 2–1) |website=BBC Sport |date=18 November 2009 |access-date=21 November 2009 |first=Lyle |last=Jackson}}</ref> This was his 26th goal in competitive (non-friendly) internationals.

Keane won his 100th cap against [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] in a 1–0 friendly defeat on 11 August 2010. This match was also the first international football match at the new [[Aviva Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/irish/8905915.stm |title=Rep of Ireland 0–1 Argentina |date=11 August 2010 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=11 August 2010}}</ref> He scored his 45th international goal against [[Russia national football team|Russia]] in October 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2010/1008/271666-ireland_russia_report/ |title=Republic of Ireland 2–3 Russia |website=RTÉ Sport |first=Glenn |last=Mason |date=9 October 2010 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> It was the first time the Republic of Ireland had lost a game in which Keane had scored. Previously, the Republic of Ireland had won 26 and drew 10 of the 36 games in which Keane had scored. He equalled Andy Townsend's record for most appearances as Republic of Ireland captain (40) on 26 March 2011 and also scored a goal in the process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2011/0325/278115-keane/ |title=Keane rules out talk of retirement |website=RTÉ Sport |date=25 March 2011 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2011/0326/278155-ireland_macedonia_report/ |title=Republic of Ireland 2–1 FYR Macedonia |website=RTÉ Sport |first=Glenn |last=Mason |date=26 March 2011 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Robbie Keane 2011.jpg|thumb|left|160px|Keane with the Republic of Ireland in 2011 before a match against Russia]]

Keane took part in the inaugural [[Nations Cup (football)|Nations Cup]] for the Republic of Ireland, which took place in February and May 2011. He ended the tournament as top scorer, despite not having played in their first game against [[Wales national football team|Wales]]. Keane scored three goals in total, two against [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]] in a 5–0 victory, and what proved to be the tournament's winning goal in a 1–0 victory over [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2011/0524/280331-ireland_northernireland/ |title=Rep of Ireland 5–0 Northern Ireland |website=RTÉ Sport |date=24 May 2011 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2011/0529/280521-ireland_scotland_nations/ |title=Republic of Ireland 1–0 Scotland |website=RTÉ Sport |first=Glenn |last=Mason |date=29 May 2011 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> The Republic of Ireland emerged from the competition victorious, having won all three of their games without conceding a goal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/ireland-win-carling-nations-cup-with-impeccable-record |title=Ireland win Carling Nations Cup with impeccable record |publisher=Football Association of Ireland |date=29 May 2011 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref>

On 4 June 2011, Keane scored twice in a 2–0 away win against [[Macedonia national football team|Macedonia]] in qualification for [[UEFA Euro 2012]] to become the first Irish or British player to score more than 50 international goals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/13599899 |title=Macedonia 0–2 Republic of Ireland |website=BBC Sport |first=Lyle |last=Jackson |date=4 June 2011 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> Following the game with Macedonia his total stood at 51 goals. He added another two goals in the Republic of Ireland's 4–0 play-off hammering of Estonia in [[Tallinn]] which effectively secured qualification for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine to bring his goal tally to 53.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2011/1111/286903-estonia_ireland_report/ |title=Estonia 0–4 Republic of Ireland |website=RTÉ Sport |first=Rory |last=Houston |date=12 November 2011 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Gdansk PGE Arena ESP-IRE Euro 2012 20 Keane.jpg|thumb|upright|200px|Keane during a match against [[Spain national football team|Spain]] at [[Euro 2012]]]]

After a disappointing tournament in [[Poland]], Keane brought his international tally to 54, with an 89th-minute penalty against Kazakhstan in the Republic of Ireland's opening [[2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C|World Cup 2014 qualification]] match. This left the score at 1–1 before [[Kevin Doyle (footballer)|Kevin Doyle]]'s goal a minute later secured a winning start to the campaign.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/19465547 |title=Kazakhstan 1–2 Rep of Ire |website=BBC Sport |date=7 September 2012 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> On 2 June 2013, Keane scored the third and fourth goals of the game, his 55th and 56th goals for the Republic of Ireland, against [[Georgia national football team|Georgia]] in a 4–0 win.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/22733250 |title=Rep of Ireland 4–0 Georgia |website=BBC Sport |date=2 June 2013 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref>

On 7 June 2013, Keane played his 126th game for the Republic of Ireland and became the new record appearance holder, breaking [[Shay Given]]'s previous record of 125 appearances. He also scored his second hat-trick of his international career in the same game against the Faroe Islands scoring his 57th, 58th and 59th goals in a 3–0 win for the Republic of Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/22784565 |title=Republic of Ireland 3–0 Faroe Islands |website=BBC Sport |date=7 June 2013 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> Keane scored his 60th international goal against Sweden on 6 September 2013, in a 2–1 loss.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/23923007 |title=Republic of Ireland 1–2 Sweden |website=BBC Sport |date=6 September 2013 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> He went on to score his 61st and 62nd goals for the Republic of Ireland against Kazakhstan on 15 October 2013 in a 3–1 win and against Latvia a month later in a 3–0 victory, both games being played in Dublin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/24525613 |title=Republic of Ireland 3–1 Kazakhstan |website=BBC Sport |date=15 October 2013 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/24921761 |title=Republic of Ireland 3–0 Latvia |website=BBC Sport |date=15 November 2013 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref>

Keane missed his chance to score his 63rd goal against Costa Rica in [[Philadelphia]] on 6 June 2014 when he missed a penalty in a friendly game.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/27383445 |title=Costa Rica 1–1 Republic of Ireland |website=BBC Sport |date=7 June 2014 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> He was the highest male international scorer among active players following [[Miroslav Klose]]'s retirement in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/robbie-keane-now-worlds-leading-4037461 |title=Robbie Keane now world's leading international goal scorer after Miroslav Klose quits Germany |newspaper=Irish Mirror |first=Paul |last=O'Hehir |date=11 August 2014 |access-date=13 August 2014}}</ref> On 11 October 2014, he scored his third international hat-trick, his 63rd, 64th and 65th goals, in a 7–0 European qualifying win against [[Gibraltar national football team|Gibraltar]] at Aviva Stadium. The treble concluded with a penalty in the 18th minute. This took him to a record 21 goals in European Championship qualifiers, surpassing the 20 by Turkey's [[Hakan Şükür]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/29506598 |title=Republic of Ireland 7–0 Gibraltar |website=BBC Sport |access-date=11 October 2014 |date=11 October 2014}}</ref> He would later extend his tally to 23 goals, although the record was broken by [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]]'s [[Cristiano Ronaldo]] on 10 September 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/news/articles/international/categories/international/cristiano-ronaldo-breaks-another-european-record/663045|title=Ronaldo Breaks Another European Record|website=Soccer Laduma|last=Kappel|first=David|date=10 September 2019|access-date=11 September 2019}}</ref>

Keane was selected in manager [[Martin O'Neill]]'s 23-man squad for [[UEFA Euro 2016]] in what would be his final major tournament appearance for the Republic of Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/euro-2016/2016/0531/792407-ireland-squad/ |title=Robbie Keane and Keiren Westwood in Ireland squad for Euro 2016 |website=RTÉ Sport |date=1 June 2016 |access-date=31 October 2016}}</ref> However, he was restricted to a bench role and only played a total of 23 minutes against Sweden and [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]] respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36457309 |title=Republic of Ireland 1–1 Sweden |website=BBC Sport |first=Paul |last=Fletcher |date=13 June 2016 |access-date=31 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36505833 |title=Belgium 3–0 Republic of Ireland |website=BBC Sport |first=Gary |last=Rose |date=18 June 2016 |access-date=31 October 2016}}</ref>

On 24 August 2016, Keane announced his retirement from international football.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2016/0824/811725-robbie-keane-to-retire-following-oman-curtain-call/ |title=Robbie Keane's 'wonderful journey' to end against Oman |website=RTÉ Sport |date=24 August 2016 |access-date=24 August 2016}}</ref> His last match for the Republic of Ireland was a friendly against [[Oman national football team|Oman]] on 31 August 2016 at Aviva Stadium. The Republic of Ireland emerged victorious 4–0 and Keane signed off with a goal to take him level with German great [[Gerd Müller]] on 68 international goals. He received a rousing ovation from the assembled crowd when he was substituted in the 57th minute.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37220510 |title=Republic of Ireland 4–0 Oman: Keane scores in farewell |website=BBC Sport |date=31 August 2016 |access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref> Keane was also given a guard of honour from his Republic of Ireland teammates after the match had finished and he left the pitch with his two sons to rapturous applause from the home fans.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/robbie-keane-thrilled-to-finish-off-in-style-with-68th-goal-1.2774870 |title=Robbie Keane thrilled to finish off in style with 68th goal |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=31 August 2016 |access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.the42.ie/robbie-keane-ireland-final-press-conference-oman-2958466-Aug2016/ |title='The whole country was desperate for me to score that goal' - Keane equals Gerd Muller's record |work=The42 |publisher=TheJournal.ie |first=Ben |last=Blake |date=31 August 2016 |access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref>