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📻 IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE 📻
Keegan battles with cancer as old England teammate dies
Jonathan Veal • January 8th, 2026 8:59 am
Liverpool and England soccer great Kevin Keegan has been diagnosed with cancer | Photo: AP
On a sad day for English football, one of their great players Kevin Keegan has been announced as having cancer, just hours after the death of his old international teammate Martin Chivers at the age of 80.
Keegan, the 74-year-old two-time Ballon d'Or winner who managed both Newcastle and England, was recently admitted to hospital after presenting abdominal symptoms, with tests showing he has cancer.
A statement from Keegan's family, shared by Newcastle, read: "Kevin Keegan was recently admitted to hospital for further evaluation of ongoing abdominal symptoms.
"These investigations have revealed a diagnosis of cancer, for which Kevin will undergo treatment.
"Kevin is grateful to the medical team for their intervention and ongoing care.
"During this difficult time, the family are requesting privacy, and will be making no further comment."
Keegan started his career at Scunthorpe before being signed for Liverpool by Bill Shankly in 1971, going on to win the old first division title three times as well as the FA Cup, the UEFA Cup twice and the 1977 European Cup.
Keegan was twice voted Europe's best player while at German club Hamburg and returned to England to play for Southampton and Newcastle before retiring in 1984.
He won 63 England caps, scoring 21 goals, playing at the 1982 World Cup and was also later captain of the national team.
In 1992, Keegan became manager at his former club Newcastle, guiding them into the Premier League and to within touching distance of the 1995-96 title only to miss out to Manchester United.
A brief stint at Fulham followed before he became England manager in 1999. Having overseen a disappointing Euro 2000 campaign, Keegan resigned on the back of defeat by Germany at Wembley Stadium, the last match at the national stadium before it was rebuilt.
A spell at Manchester City followed, but Keegan left in March 2005, initially announcing his retirement from football before an emotional return to Newcastle in 2008, which lasted only eight months.
Earlier, it was announced that Chivers, the former England and Tottenham striker who played alongside Keegan in the national team in the early 1970s, had died.
Chivers scored 174 goals in 367 first-team appearances for Spurs from 1968-76, helping them win the League Cup twice and the UEFA Cup.
He remained the club's top scorer in Europe with 22 goals until Jermain Defoe passed his tally in 2013.
Chivers won won 24 caps, scoring 13 goals, and when he joined Tottenham from Southampton in 1968, he became the country's most expensive player at a fee of £125,000 ($NZ291,000).
- PA
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