Roy Keane explains why he rejected Real Madrid to join Celtic

Celtic have been home to plenty of legends over the years. The latest in that list was Joe Hart. The Manchester City hero spent the last three years of his career playing for the Hoops. His arrival had not been welcomed with open arms by most supporters but it is safe to say that by the time he called it a day, the English goalkeeper had become a fan favourite.

Another Premier League legend who had spent the twilight of his career at Celtic is Roy Keane. After winning everything under the sun at Manchester United for over a decade under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Irishman departed Old Trafford in 2005.

Keane's stint at Celtic was a short one and he made just 10 league appearances for the Hoops. But it was memorable nonetheless, as he won a double in Scotland before deciding to retire from the game.

Keane has since gone on to have stints in coaching and even been linked with the Celtic job on multiple occasions without ever getting it. His recent success and rise in popularity is down to his work as a pundit.

Roy Keane explains why he rejected Real Madrid to join Celtic

As it turns out, Keane rejected the chance to join Real Madrid and moved to Celtic instead. As reported by The Sun, he said while speaking to Ian Wright, Jill Scott, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville for the Stick to Football podcast:

"The club that offered me the most amazing deal ever was Bayern Munich.

"And then when I left United I went up to Celtic and I could've gone to Real Madrid for a year and a half, they offered me a year and a half.

"Celtic, it was emotional. I was fine making those kind of decisions, I was 34, I just thought, will I go to Madrid and make an impact?"

So, it looks like there was more than one reason behind Keane picking the move to Glasgow over Madrid. Firstly, it was due to the emotional connection with Celtic. He is believed to have grown up supporting the club.

Secondly, because he was seemingly unsure about whether he would make an impact at Real Madrid. Considering how short his stint at Celtic was, he probably would not have to be honest.