England, Liverpool, and Newcastle legend Kevin Keegan has died at the age of 75. The sad news of his passing came to light on Monday afternoon, with the retired footballer having been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.

In a statement, his family said: “It is with immense sadness that we announce that Kevin Keegan has passed away. The former Three Lions player and manager had been battling illness and was surrounded by his wife and daughters in his final moments, according to Sky News.

During his career, he also played for the likes of Southampton, Scunthorpe United. Meanwhile, his managerial journey took him to stops such as Fulham, Manchester City, and the Magpies again – a team he could never stay too far away from.

Kevin Keegan’s Family Issue Emotional Statement After his Passing

Keegan’s family statement continued:

Among those to pay tribute, Newcastle have also released a statement paying tribute to Keegan – affectionately known as ‘King Kev’ at St James’ Park. It reads: “We are devastated to learn of the passing of Kevin Keegan, one of the most iconic, influential and deeply loved figures in our club’s history.

The beautiful tribute continued: “Above all that, Kevin forged an extraordinary bond with Newcastle, built on the roots of his father, Joe. He understood our people. He embraced the North East with a passion that was genuine and unwavering, and in return, he earned his rightful place in the hearts of millions.

“Kevin’s impact will not be measured by appearances or results. It will live on in the memories he created with club and country, the dreams he inspired wherever he went, and the generations of supporters around the world who fell in love with football because of him.

“At this profoundly sad time, we send our love and deepest sympathy to Kevin’s wife Jean, his family, friends and all who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him.

“Today, we mourn the loss of a true giant of our history, and at the appropriate moment, we will carefully consider how we shape a lasting tribute to Kevin’s remarkable life and legacy. Rest in Peace, King Kev.”

Southampton, meanwhile, will remember him for “bringing great joy to fans at The Dell,” as other clubs, teammates, and those within football pay tributes to the icon.

Keegan’s Incredible Legacy in Football will Remain Immortal

Keegan was considered one of the best players of his generation and enjoyed a stellar playing career, making almost 750 club appearances, lifting the First Division trophy four times with Liverpool to become one of their all-time greats and winning the Ballon d’Or back-to-back in 1978 and 1979 while playing for Hamburg in the Bundesliga.

His first and most renowned managerial success occurred at St James’ Park. Inheriting a struggling second-tier side, he brought an influx of passion and energy that rescued the club from relegation in 1992, before then guiding them to the Premier League a year later, and then overseeing the Newcastle team that became known as ‘The Entertainers’ as they achieved consecutive second-place top-flight finishes in 1995 and 1996.

The love-hate relationship between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexi Lalas has been one of the biggest off-pitch talking points of the 2026 World Cup. Partnered with Thierry Henry for Fox Sports’ coverage of football’s most prestigious competition, cracks in the dynamic began to emerge when the legendary Sweden striker openly dubbed his colleague ‘ignorant’.

Since then, the thin line between banter and bashing has often blurred, but it has made for excellent viewing with Fox Sports’ coverage often gaining traction on social media throughout the World Cup.

But when it comes to disliking workmates, Zlatan has form. With an ego almost as famous as his football, it’s pretty easy for someone to end up on the wrong side of the former Manchester United front-man. One case in point being Edinson Cavani, who threatened the Swede’s position as PSG’s main source of goals after joining the French club in 2013.

Cavani is one of four teammates the iconic forward reportedly failed to get along with during his decorated career.

Ibrahimovic’s Issues With Cavani at PSG

Ibrahimovic and Cavani are both regarded as PSG legends and, despite the Swede’s problems with the former Napoli forward, they still enjoyed plenty of success together. The pair shared the pitch 107 times, combined for 25 goals and lifted three Ligue 1 titles during their time in the same team.

However, Ibrahimovic’s former LA Galaxy teammate, Michael Ciani, offered an insight into the AC Milan legend’s hatred for Cavani and three other teammates during his career. Speaking to RMC Sport in 2020, he said:

Ibrahimovic departed PSG for Manchester United in July 2016 when his contract came to an end. Cavani almost followed a similar route, eventually joining the Red Devils two years after the former 122-cap Sweden international had left the Premier League giants.

Ibrahimovic’s Problems with Van der Vaart, Lukaku and Onyewu

Although Cavani was the only player specifically named as one of ‘the four’, the Uruguayan wasn’t the only one of Ibrahimovic’s former teammates to incur the fierce Swede’s wrath. Back in 2004, he faced former Ajax teammate Rafael van der Vaart during an international friendly between Sweden and the Netherlands.

A number of Dutch players crowded Ibrahimovic as he tried to force his way into the penalty area, and he reacted by lashing out, leaving van der Vaart in a heap on the turf. The former Tottenham attacking midfielder suffered an ankle injury and was forced into a spell on the sidelines.

Van der Vaart claimed Ibrahimovic had hurt him deliberately, but the former Sweden captain rejected that accusation and warned him that, if he blamed him again, he would break both of his legs and this time do it on purpose.

Romelu Lukaku, who spent one season alongside Ibrahimovic at Manchester United, was later caught up in a heated confrontation with the forward during a Milan derby in 2021. The Belgian had effectively replaced Zlatan at Old Trafford before Cavani eventually arrived.

Ibrahimovic’s most explosive clash with a teammate came during his time with former Milan defender Oguchi Onyewu. The pair wanted to ‘tear each other limb to limb’ after a training-ground fight turned physical, with punches and knees thrown. The Swede later described the incident as ‘life and death’, saying:

“The next time he got the ball in training; I rushed towards him and jumped up with my feet and studs out in front. But he saw me and leapt out of the way. I headbutted him, and we flew at each other. We wanted to tear each other limb from limb. It was brutal. We were rolling around, punching and kneeing each other. We were crazy and furious — it was like life and death.

“I was stopped by my teammates, and I suppose that was a good thing. It could have turned out nasty. All the time, I was thinking: ‘S***, my chest hurts,’ so we had it checked out. I’d broken a rib in the fight. It was not the first time I’d had a dispute with a team-mate.”

A controversial World Cup ended with Lionel Messi missing out on becoming a two-time world champion after Argentina lost to Spain in the final.

Ferran Torres scored the winner in extra time after Enzo Fernandez’s sending-off during second-half stoppage time. A post-match brawl saw Leandro Paredes also red-carded after the game for throwing punches at Gavi.

Messi had been looking to win the tournament for the second time in a row after his heroics in Qatar back in the winter of 2022. He put his nation on his back once again with extraordinary performances throughout this campaign.

The 39-year-old ultimately came up short as Argentina were deservedly beaten by Spain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday. He couldn’t quite get a foothold in the game and this may have cost him the Golden Ball award.

Argentine Press Furious as FIFA ‘Insult’ Messi

REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

Messi headed into the final as the favourite to win the Player of the Tournament award after posting eight goals and four assists en route to the showpiece. He had also been in a battle with Kylian Mbappe to win the Golden Boot.

The France captain scored a brace in a 6-4 loss to England in the third-place play-off on Saturday. He therefore finished as the tournament’s top goalscorer with 10 goals.

There has been a debate over Mbappe winning the Golden Boot because his two goals came in a somewhat dead rubber. But the Argentine media are more infuriated with Messi missing out on the Golden Ball, which was awarded to Spain skipper Rodri.

TyC Sports journalist Antonio Serpa has called out FIFA for showing a ‘complete lack of sensitivity’ by snubbing Messi. While the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was named the second best player of the tournament, that wasn’t enough for Serpa, who told the Argentine broadcaster:

“Giving the award to Rodri is almost an insult, it shows a complete lack of sensitivity. Not because the Spaniard is a bad player, but simply because Lionel Messi was the heart and soul of Argentina and the World Cup.”

Serpa added: “He graced the pitches with his brilliance and tears at 39, filling the nets with goals and the stadiums with fans of every nationality who came to see this phenomenon of all time in person. If the criteria is to give awards to the winners, then Infantino and his team need to be told that football is won with goals, not passes.”

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach via Action Images

The Argentine also pointed out that Rodri didn’t score a goal or make an assist during the tournament. Messi picked up the Golden Ball back in 2022 after heroically firing Argentina to the World Cup for the first time in his career.

Reuters/ Scott Heppell

While the Argentine media are upset over Messi not winning the Golden Ball, many are criticising the awarding of the Golden Boot to Mbappe based on his goals in the third-place playoff. He’d been level with the Barcelona legend before his nation’s defeat to England.

Alan Shearer was among those to argue that Mbappe has won the award after playing in a less competitive game. The Newcastle United icon said on BBC: “France are out and Mbappe has scored his two goals. Lionel Messi is playing in a World Cup final against a Spain team that have only conceded one goal and that is a lot more difficult.”

This was echoed by Wayne Rooney: “Listen, I don’t (think they should count). They do obviously but I think that’s very unfair on Messi.”

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Sam Navarro

Mbappe’s brace against England saw him overtake Messi as the highest goalscorer in World Cup history. He now sits on 22 goals while the Argentine forward has a tally of 21 to his name.

There is a good chance Messi has played his final World Cup game after yesterday’s defeat to Spain in the final. He was in floods of tears after the game and may have bowed out of international football.