Former England striker and national team manager Kevin Keegan has been diagnosed with cancer, his former club Newcastle United announced on Wednesday (January 7).
In a statement, the Premier League club said Keegan was recently admitted to hospital following further evaluation of ongoing abdominal symptoms. Medical tests subsequently confirmed a cancer diagnosis, and the 74-year-old will now undergo treatment.
“Kevin Keegan was recently admitted to hospital for further assessment of persistent abdominal symptoms. Tests revealed a diagnosis of cancer and Kevin will now undergo treatment,” Newcastle said. Keegan served the club both as a player and as a manager during two separate spells.
Keegan enjoyed a distinguished playing career, achieving major success with Liverpool and Hamburg. With Liverpool, he won three First Division titles, one European Cup, two UEFA Cups and an FA Cup. He later moved to Germany, where he won the Bundesliga with Hamburg and was twice named European Footballer of the Year.
After returning to England, Keegan played for Southampton and Newcastle, earning the nickname “King Kev.” Across his club career, he scored 204 league goals in 592 appearances. At international level, he won 63 caps for England, scoring 21 goals and captaining the national side on 31 occasions.
As a manager, Keegan had two spells in charge of Newcastle United and came close to winning the Premier League title in the 1995–96 season, finishing second behind Manchester United after leading the table for much of the campaign.
In 1999, he succeeded Glenn Hoddle as manager of the England national team. However, his tenure proved challenging, with England exiting at the group stage of Euro 2000. Keegan stepped down later that year following a defeat to Germany in the final match played at the old Wembley Stadium.
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