Robbie Keane has no intentions to hang up his boots any time soon, but the LA Galaxy’s Irish captain has already begun planning for a future in coaching once he does decide to retire.
The reigning MLS Most Valuable Player is currently in the middle of completing his UEFA A License course which is the second highest pro coaching license that one can attain before coaching in Europe.
Once Keane attains his “A” badges, he can then move onto the UEFA Pro License course which will allow him to coach in Europe’s top leagues.
“I’m enjoying it but it is something that I want to have while I’m still playing,” Keane told reporters in Dublin on Wednesday. “I don’t want to be one of these who when they’re finished playing, they get an opportunity right away and then are in the middle of doing their badges. That can only distract you from the job that you’re doing. If an opportunity does come along after I’m done playing then I [will] already have the badges and I can take the position if I want.”
For a fierce competitor like Keane, moving into coaching seemed like a natural progression, but the longtime captain for club and country admits that he was hesitant at first. However once Keane began studying, he realized that he took to coaching as easily as he took to soccer as a young boy in Tallaght.
“I was testing the water at the start. Like anything, you don’t really know until you give it a go,” said Keane who completed his “B” badges last year alongside former Galaxy goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini. “I gave it a go and I realized that this was for me. I like talking to players on the field and helping them.
“I’ve got a lot to offer on the training field particularly in the sessions that I know that players like. When you’re a player yourself, you know what works for players,” Keane later added. “You know that the most important thing about training sessions is keeping players interested and having them enjoying themselves.”
With coaching at the club level -- in either Europe or the United States -- a goal of Keane’s after his retirement, could the Republic of Ireland leading goal scorer one day see himself standing on the touchline for his nation?
“Maybe, one day,” Keane said. “It’s certainly something that I’d be interested in. I’m not interested in it at the start, to be honest with you, but a few years down the line. You don’t walk into jobs. First, you have to establish yourself first.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
