Former Tottenham star Robbie Keane has won the Israeli Premier League in his first season in charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Keane, who was hired as manager last July, led his side to glory on Saturday night when his side beat Hapoel Be’er Sheva 3-0.
It put Maccabi Tel Aviv eight points clear of second-placed Maccabi Haifa with two games to go, giving them an unassailable lead.
Keane was hired by the Israeli side after a disappointing campaign last season with Stoke legend Rory Delap joining as his assistant coach.
The former Premier League striker, who played for Tottenham, Liverpool, West Ham and Leeds United in the top flight, led Maccabi Tel Aviv to 24 wins, seven draws and three losses in their 34 outings this season.
It will see them enter the Champions League qualifiers this summer, with a chance to play some of the big teams next year like Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal if they make it through to the group stage.
Previous to his role at Maccabi Tel Aviv, Keane had been assistant at Leeds under Sam Allardyce in May 2023.
However, the duo could not prevent the club from being relegated to the Championship with four games to make an impact.
As well as a stint as Middlesbrough coach in 2019, Keane was also named assistant manager of Republic of Ireland to boss Stephen Kenny, who saw his contract expire last November and was not renewed.
There had been speculation that Keane would take the permanent job, a position that has yet to be filled with several candidates dropping out.
Before his post with the national team, the ex-striker had been player-manager of Indian side ATK for a stint in 2018.
In his three games in charge from March to May, he won two and lost one and is their fourth-highest goalscorer of all time with eight strikes.
This season, Keane was evacuated from Tel Aviv after Hamas attacked the city with the Irishman and his coaching staff taken to Greece to avoid the turmoil.
Before they could be evacuated, though, they were forced into a panic room.
During the conflict, Maccabi Tel Aviv played at the TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia before returning to their Bloomfield Stadium in December.
News Summary:
- Robbie Keane wins Israeli Premier League title in debut year as manager alongside another icon
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