Lee Keegan

The five-time All-Star and 2016 footballer of the year brings down the curtain on an 11-year career, which saw him play in seven All-Ireland SFC finals, losing ...

He was indestructible and defiant: on the biggest days, he walked tall and proud. He was shortlisted for footballer of the year on three occasions. For me, it was always about wearing that Mayo jersey with pride every single day, and I was honoured to play alongside players who were of the same mind, and under managers who drove high standards on and off the pitch.

2016 FOOTBALLER OF the Year Lee Keegan has called time on his inter-county career with Mayo. Keegan enjoyed a remarkable 11-year career in the green and red ...

I will continue to make myself available to Westport and look forward to building on last year’s historic success in the years ahead. The reality is that I have had to rely on a lot of people – most notably my wife Aoife – to give me the time and space to pursue my dream. Now that we have two young children, Lile and Rhea, I am keenly aware that I am no longer able to commit to inter-county football in the way I did over the past 11 years.

A statement issued by Mayo GAA on Monday confirmed the news, describing the Westport clubman as "one of the best to play for the county". Keegan's Championship ...

He was named in the Team of the Year on four occasions at right-half back (2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016), before taking the 2021 award at full back. Mayo GAA thanked him for his contribution and wished him "the best of luck in his future endeavours". A statement issued by Mayo GAA on Monday confirmed the news, describing the Westport clubman as "one of the best to play for the county".

New Westerners boss Kevin McStay said last week that he was “very hopeful" Westport man would stay on but those hopes have been dashed.

The example he set will continue to inspire Mayo for many years to come.” He won seven Connacht titles and an Allianz League, as well as losing six All-Ireland finals, one of them after a replay in 2016. I will continue to make myself available to Westport and look forward to building on last year’s historic success in the years ahead. That’ll be an unusual experience for me, I’m sure, but such is the way of life.” For me, it was always about wearing that Mayo jersey with pride every single day, and I was honoured to play alongside players who were of the same mind, and under managers who drove high standards on and off the pitch. He said: “I have enjoyed every minute of my time with Mayo.

Keegan played 11 years in all for Mayo, making his league debut against Galway back in 2011, and finishes his career with seven Connacht titles, one National ...

He played U21 with Mayo in 2009 and 2010, through he never played minor championship for the county. He was indestructible and defiant: on the biggest days, he walked tall and proud. Keegan’s last game for Mayo was in June, 2022, in Croke Park versus Kerry in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Now that we have two young children, Lile and Rhea, I am keenly aware that I am no longer able to commit to inter-county football in the way I did over the past eleven years. For me, it was always about wearing that Mayo jersey with pride every single day, and I was honoured to play alongside players who were of the same mind, and under managers who drove high standards on and off the pitch. The reality is that I have had to rely on a lot of people – most notably my wife Aoife – to give me the time and space to pursue my dream.

In the oncoming wave of tributes, some will reference the fact Lee Keegan lost six All-Ireland finals like an anchor around his neck.

In the second half, the deficit was four as he did the same with his left before roaring for a response. He kept coming back and going toe-to-toe with the best. In the first half against Kildare they were three down when he landed a beauty with the outside of the right. For a single moment, Keegan’s goal in the replay is unforgettable. Lee Keegan is standing alongside Con O’Callaghan on the edge of the D. All the while leading the charge when he was swimming upstream. Of all his stunning last stands, this was the greatest. Keegan was on a different stratosphere to the majority. In 2019, the writing appeared etched on the wall for the county and Keegan. He was nominated for another in 2022. By 2020 he was back to his best. Keegan finished on the ground after ankle, shoulder and hip issues had forced him to endure annual surgeries over the previous three years.

By Cian O'Connell Lee Keegan has announced his retirement from inter-county football. Widely regarded as one of Mayo's greatest ever players Keegan made 67 ...

The example he set will continue to inspire Mayo for many years to come.” I will continue to make myself available to Westport and look forward to building on last year’s historic success in the years ahead. "He was indestructible and defiant: on the biggest days, he walked tall and proud.

Lee Keegan's decision to retire will leave a massive hole in a Mayo side that has provided so much entertainment over the last decade, but ultimately have ...

Two years after his 2009 retirement they’d win another crown, the first of eight in 10 years. Football came first in the end, and how Mayo were grateful for that. His performances were rewarded with five All-Star awards, the first arriving in 2012 and the most recent coming in 2021. Maybe his career can have the perfect ending. Lee Keegan’s absence to Mayo will be felt immensely. Earley scored three points as Roscommon produced a marvelous second-half performance to turn a five-point interval deficit into a six-point win. The physical stuff never frightened him, perhaps his hard edge chiseled growing up with rugby as his primary sport until his latter teenage years. It's unlikely that there has been a more popular player amongst neutrals in modern times than the Westport running man. Wry smiles rather than tears the currency. Too often they looked set to do so, but dreams remained dreams and reality only brought heartache. Yellow, black and sometimes even red cards arrived his way. But it's a big decision for him."

The Westport clubman made his debut for the Mayo Seniors in February 2011.

He was named in the Team of the Year on four occasions at right-half back (2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016), before taking the 2021 award at full back. Mayo GAA thanked him for his contribution and wished him "the best of luck in his future endeavours". Unfortunately for Keegan, his last outing for Mayo came in the form of a defeat to Kerry in last year's All-Ireland quarter-final.

WHERE do you start and finish with the player that was and is Lee Keegan? Mayo's greatest ever footballer? The ultimate big game player?

The highlight of his campaign was a man of the match display as Mayo finally toppled Dublin in Championship football, beating them after extra-time in the All-Ireland semi-final. He got his head down for the next three seasons and hit back to win a fifth and final All Star in 2021. Bar peak Andy Moran - in the spell he turned himself into a Footballer of the Year - hard to believe as it is, Keegan - generally a half back - was Mayo’s most dangerous attacking threat. That averages out at slightly better than a point per game for a defender, and says a lot about his big game mentality and how he rose to the pressure. Three nominations for the most coveted individual award in the game spoke of the consistency of excellence that had Keegan right at the top of the game for a decade. But 5s and 7s who punished as regularly and to such devastating effect in clutch moments as Keegan are hard to find - and very few could man mark on top of it, never mind take out the very best in the game to the level Keegan did. Players who could grace both ends of the spectrum, from man marking the best in the game to being one of the finest athletes around and still able to finish goals and points at the other end. He finished up as one of a group of players to lose six All-Ireland finals, but he did win the Footballer of the Year award in 2016 - voted for by his inter-county playing peers. The one day Keegan was beaten - by Con O’Callaghan in the 2019 All-Ireland semi-final - he responded to O’Callaghan’s two goals that killed the game at the start of the second half by going forward and hitting one of his own. Not content with doing a huge man marking job on perhaps the other most influential player of the last decade, Kilkenny, Keegan was able to hurt him at the other end of the field. His goal in the 53rd minute of the 2017 All-Ireland final was the one that almost sent Mayo on their way to bridging that yawning gap, going back to 1951. After scoring the aforementioned goal in the replay, Keegan picked up a black card for a tussle with Connolly that was a yellow card at most.

The 2016 Footballer of the Year was unique in being a shut-down man-marker and a devastating attacking threat.

He played championship for 12 seasons and was nominated for an All Star in nine of them. Plenty of teams have attacking weapons hiding in plain sight in their defence and plenty of teams have shut-down man-markers. A sign of his enduring excellence is the fact that he was shortlisted for Footballer of the Year in 2013, 2016 (when he won it) and 2021. Asked once if he remembered the first Mayo match he went to, he smiled and replied, “I probably played in it!” Mayo took enough of their chances enough of the time to be better than pretty much everyone. Chatting to him recently, we talked a lot about parenting and the upside-down folly of trying to squeeze it in around football. In that regard, it has always felt at least somewhat significant that he didn’t grow up in Mayo. Though he was born there, his family lived in Cavan until he was 10. But he is finishing up now because life is life and he has less room in it these days. [made retirement is his own call](https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2023/01/09/mayos-lee-keegan-announces-his-retirement-from-intercounty-football/), and it is no reflection on his ability to contribute on the pitch. I don’t want to be dipping in and out, missing milestones and events and that kind of thing. He turned 33 in October and [ led Westport to their first county senior title a fortnight late](https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2022/10/30/mayo-sfc-final-westport-win-historic-first-senior-title-as-second-half-scoring-spurt-helps-see-off-ballina/)r.