
Football
Share
Published 11:11 21 Mar 2019 GMT
Updated 22:13 21 Mar 2019 GMT
Explore more on these topics:
Michael played 24 times for the country at Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 levels. The former Manchester United defender has since earned five senior caps for England.
Keane is currently in the squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro, where he made the comments about his time as an Ireland underage international.
"I always felt like I belonged with England, that's why I always dreamed of playing for England," he said on BBC 5 Live when asked about his experience of playing for two countries, as Declan Rice did.
"When I was with Ireland, I wasn't good enough to play for England at that time. And I was only young and small and still developing.
"I had in the back of my head that hopefully one day I could play for England.
"I know when I switched, I felt really, really English. My dad's Irish, but I don't know any of his Irish family, so I've never really felt like I'm fully Irish.
"I don't know how Declan feels, but that was part of my thinking behind my choice."
Keane also expressed his sympathy for Rice, who is set to make his second international debut over the coming days.
The West Ham United midfielder played three times for Ireland before switching to England, the country of his birth.
The comments by the Everton defender are potentially embarrassing for his twin brother, who could end up playing for Ireland at some point under Mick McCarthy.Football

How the final Premier League table would look if every refereeing error was erased
Things would have looked very different. Every major refereeing decision leading up to the final few weeks of the Premier League season have been analysed, to establish how things may have played out differently, had PGMO officials always made the correct calls, in an impressive new report from the Athletic. The 2025/26 season ultimately ended […]
Football
1 day ago
The 2026 World Cup viral moments live blog: Follow all of the action in our hub
The biggest sporting tournament in the world is here… The World Cup gives us unforgettable goals and iconic moments that live forever in football folklore. But alongside the sporting drama, every tournament also brings pure chaos. This SportsJOE live blog is dedicated to the clips, memes, reactions, and stories that captured the internet’s attention throughout […]
Football
1 day ago
The Premier League club most impacted by VAR mistakes has been revealed
Football