Roy Keane named his five ‘world-class’ team-mates at Man Utd – & didn’t include Ronaldo

Roy Keane has an infamously discerning personality and previously stated he only played with five world-class players at Manchester United – and that doesn’t include Cristiano Ronaldo.

While Keane has said always knew Ronaldo would become world-class, the Irishman played with him at the start of his career before Ronaldo became a behemoth.

With the likes of Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand also not in the picture, we’ve delved into the five team-mates Keane considered truly world-class during an interview with Sky Sports in 2019.

Ryan Giggs

“If I look back now, you’d have to class Giggsy,” Keane began.

“I always class the world-class players as lads who were doing it for nine, 10, 11 [years] – obviously Giggsy’s done it for a lot longer. To me, that’s the key to being a really good player: you’ve got to be consistent,” Keane said about his former teammate.

We see players now, they’ve had a good month and patting themselves on the back. You have to be good for years and years, and Giggsy would have been a prime example.

Giggs is one of the most decorated footballers of all time; the Welshman is one of only 44 players to have made over 1,000 career appearances and played a part in all 13 of United’s Premier League title-winning campaigns; Keane is right on this one.

Eric Cantona

Cantona hardly needs an introduction here – Sir Alex Ferguson named him as one of the four truly world-class players he managed at United – but it’s still worth hearing what Keane had to say about his former team-mate.

“Eric [Cantona] was a brilliant player,” the Irishman said. “I know people say ‘Eric didn’t do it on this stage and that stage – the international stage… but a brilliant player to play with.”

The French striker was Ferguson’s key to igniting United’s spell of dominance as the two would go on to win five Premier League titles and two FA Cups together.

Mark Hughes

“Listen, Mark Hughes was a brilliant striker,” was Keane’s short and succinct explanation for Hughes’ inclusion.

Hughes was a monster for United during the 1980s and 1990s.

The Welshman scored 116 goals for the club and many of them were crucial; United fans of a certain age get goosebumps thinking of his strikes against Barcelona in the 1991 Cup Winner’s Cup final and Oldham in the 1994 FA Cup semis.

Brilliant and understated; we can see why Keane thinks the world of Hughes.

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Paul Scholes

“Scholesy was brilliant,” Keane said after picking Scholes as the penultimate world-class player he shared the pitch with. No arguments there.

But we still adore Sir Bobby Charlton’s explanation of what made the midfielder so special.

“I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It’s Paul Scholes,” Charlton stated in 2009.

“Many great players have worn the shirt of Manchester United. Players I worshipped, then lost with my youth in Munich. Players like Denis Law and George Best who I enjoyed so much as team-mates and now, finally, players I have watched closely in the Alex Ferguson era.

“And in so many ways Scholes is my favourite. I love his nous and conviction that he will find a way to win, to make the killer pass or produce the decisive volley.”

READ: A tribute to young Paul Scholes (he scores goals) at Manchester United

Denis Irwin

For his final pick, Keane diverted from his stereotypical grouchiness to wax lyrical about Irwin.

“Denis Irwin,” he said. “My god, imagine if Denis Irwin was playing now.

“He could play left-back, right-back, get you a goal, knew how to defend, never injured, a brilliant guy in the dressing room. Denis would be world-class to me and he’s a Corkman!”

Irwin has also been regarded by Ferguson as, pound for pound, his greatest-ever signing, coming in for a fee of just £650,000. This was certainly repaid after the Irishman went on to win the Premier League seven times between 1991 and 2002.