Updated 14.45
ROBBIE KEANE HAS signed for Atletico de Kolkata in the Indian Super League.
Ireland’s record goalscorer, 37, was first linked with the surprising move this week where he is set to be reunited with former Spurs team-mate Teddy Sheringham who is coaching the Calcutta club.
The deal was confirmed on Friday afternoon.
“Robbie’s a great striker and has played competitive football at the highest level for years,” franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka told India’s Daily Telegraph.
He remains supremely fit and is the kind of player who can take the game to new heights. I should add that Robbie is excited at the prospect of playing in India in general and Calcutta in particular.
“Teddy has played with Robbie and knows him well. That personal factor apart, he sees him as an absolute match-winner and someone who will do well in Indian conditions.”
Goenka likened ATK’s move for Keane to another big money play he has been involved in – signing English cricket star Ben Stokes for his IPL franchise, the Rising Pune Supergiant.
Without disclosing details, Goenka confirmed that Keane will earn less than Stokes’s RS145m (€1.9m), a price tag which made him the most expensive overseas player in IPL history.
– First published 10.19, 4 August
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