Former England striker Keegan has been diagnosed with cancer

Former England striker and manager Kevin Keegan has been diagnosed with cancer, his former club Newcastle United said on Wednesday.

«Kevin Keegan was recently admitted to hospital for further evaluation of persistent abdominal symptoms. These tests revealed a diagnosis of cancer, and Kevin will undergo treatment,» the Premier League team, which Keegan both played and managed, said in a statement.

Keegan, 74, enjoyed a stellar playing career with trophy-laden spells at Liverpool and Hamburg. As manager, he narrowly missed out on the Premier League title with Newcastle before having a challenging time in charge of England.

As a player he won three First Division titles with Liverpool, as well as a European Cup, two UEFA Cups and an FA Cup.

He then moved to Germany and won the Bundesliga with Hamburg and was twice crowned European Footballer of the Year, before returning to England with Southampton and then Newcastle.

Nicknamed «King Kev», Keegan scored 204 goals in 592 league games during his club career. He earned 63 caps for England, scoring 21 goals and captaining the national team 31 times.

As manager, he had two spells in charge at Newcastle, finishing second in the Premier League behind Manchester United in 1995/96 after being in charge for much of the campaign.

He succeeded Glenn Hoddle as England manager in 1999 but could not progress beyond the group stages at Euro 2000 and left the job later that year after losing to Germany in the last match ever played at the old Wembley Stadium.

Published on January 8, 2026