Robbie Keane totted up quite the number of clubs across his career, including two of Britain's biggest clubs at Liverpool and Celtic.
Though his spells at both Anfield and Celtic Park were short-lived, Keane nonetheless can count himself part of a special group to play up front for both the Reds and the Hoops.
The rest of his career saw him take in the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds, Inter Milan, and more - no mean feat - but one recurring joke has followed him ever since his move to Liverpool in the summer of 2008.
Keane said he was living out a lifelong dream when he signed for Rafa Benitez's Liverpool from Spurs in 2008, but he became the subject of some ridicule from fans when he repeated similar sentiment after future moves.
Robbie Keane appeared as a guest on the official Liverpool FC podcast We Are Liverpool this week, and host Robbie Fowler poked fun at the Irishman for his supposed lifelong loyalty to several of his past clubs. Though Keane tried to laugh off the comments, the evidence is there for us all to see...
Robbie Keane laughs off Robbie Fowler's Celtic jab
Liverpool's official podcast is hosted by club legend Robbie Fowler, and the latest episode welcomed fellow Robbie Keane as the special guest.
Keane's time at Liverpool was far shorter-lived than Fowler's, with the Irishman lasting only the first half of the 2008-09 season at Anfield before returning to White Hart Lane.
The "lifelong dream" of playing for Liverpool, even though short-lived, was welcome for Keane - though Fowler couldn't resist a jab at the humour of Keane's repetition:
We've all read the interviews! When you signed for Liverpool you were a supporter growing up, when you signed for Celtic you were a supporter growing up, when you signed for LA you were an LA fan...
Robbie Keane laughed off Fowler's comments, and explained that he was brought up as both a fan of Liverpool and of Celtic.
He explained that he, like many Irish fans, was brought up in a household which loved both clubs, and that he was grateful for the opportunity to have played for both clubs:
I can never understand this! In Ireland, you are brought up, as in like, you are given Celtic. That is just the way it is.
And they you always have an English team, that is completely normal in Ireland. You ask anyone, you'd have loads of Liverpool fans now going to watch Celtic games, so that thing of being a fan grew legs. You are brought up Celtic, you are actually given Celtic, and then you pick your team in England.
It was great, it's a fantastic club, playing in front of them fans is hard to describe. Liverpool and Celtic fans are very, very similar, in terms of the atmosphere and noise in the games. It was a really great experience that I really enjoyed, I was only there a few months, but having the opportunity to play for Celtic was great.
Robbie Keane appears for Celtic during the Liam Miller memorial match at Pairc Uí Chaoímh in 2019 (Photo: Shutterstock)
Keane did grow up a Liverpool fan, so his comments when signing for the club in 2008 were understandable, as he thanked Spurs for allowing him to make the move to Merseyside:
I would specifically like to thank chairman Daniel Levy for understanding, that, as a fan, joining Liverpool is a lifelong dream of mine and one I couldn't let pass me by. I hope one day the Spurs fans, who have been brilliant to me, can understand this too.
Only, he appeared to repeat the comments in 2010 when he signed for Celtic on loan...
Words can't describe how I felt out there. It was an overwhelming reception, amazing for any player to get that type of reception.
I love playing football and that is why I am here. I always wanted to play for Celtic, so this has worked out for all parties. I didn't need much persuading.
And, perhaps most hilariously, when he jumped stateside to sign for LA Galaxy on a long-term deal in 2011:
I have always wanted to come and play in MLS so it’s the perfect combination for me and a dream come true.
In fact, even when Robbie Keane signed for Aston Villa on loan from Galaxy, he would say that he was aware of being linked with the club "for a long time".
Of course, Keane is one of Ireland's greatest and most-loved footballers, and it is all just a bit of fun - but Fowler may not be the last to pull him up on his humorous past contradictions.
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