For US fans of soccer, Tim Howard will forever be remembered as one of his nation’s greatest ever players. The American goalkeeper had a fine career as a Premier League goalkeeper and represented his country 121 times (keeping an impressive 49 clean sheets).
He played for a handful of good teams during his career – once even scoring a goal for Everton – but Manchester United were certainly the biggest. The shot-stopper spent four years with the Red Devils, playing 77 times.
As such, he was able to play alongside many fantastic players. Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, and Rio Ferdinand all shared the pitch with Howard. However, he insisted that one man was more impressive than them all.
Tim Howard Didn’t Think Ronaldo Was His Best Teammate
‘None were better than Roy Keane’
Speaking to ESPN in 2019, Howard revealed that iconic former Old Trafford captain Roy Keane was his greatest teammate. He even added that the Irishman was also the ‘toughest’ footballer he ever played alongside:
“I played with so many great players and leaders in my career, but to me, none was better than Roy Keane during my time at Manchester.
“He was the toughest son of a b—- I ever met. Nothing short of brilliant. As a coach, he taught me about resilience. And never giving up on myself. I took so much of what I learned from being around him and used it over the rest of my career, trying to pass it along to the next generation.”
Keane was known for his tough tackling and picked up seven red cards in the Premier League for Man United, the second-highest amount in the competition’s history. That said, he was more than just a physical presence in the middle of the park and is widely considered one of the best players to ever play for Man United.
Related
25 Hardest Footballers of the Premier League Era [Ranked]
From tough to downright terrifying, the hardest players of the Premier League era have been ranked.
Sir Alex Ferguson Tore Into Howard During Man Utd Debut
‘He gave me the hair-dryer treatment’
Howard ended his time at Old Trafford with two trophies, the FA Cup and League Cup, under his belt, as well as the Community Shield. Even so, his time in England got off to an intimidating start.
Indeed, former boss Sir Alex Ferguson gave him the infamous hairdryer treatment at half-time on his debut. Howard recalled:
“We played Arsenal and we ended up winning and I was somewhat one of the heroes and saved a couple of penalties and we won.
“But at half-time I think [Thierry] Henry had scored a free-kick in the first half if I remember correctly, and I thought I lined the wall up fantastic and Henry is just world-class and he went over the wall.
“Well, for some reason Sir Alex Ferguson did not agree with that concept and he gave me the hair-dryer treatment at half-time and I remember thinking, it’s real, it’s very real – I’m 45 minutes into my United career and I just got it.”
Talk about a warm welcome to English football. Thankfully, Howard was made of stern stuff and would go on to play 399 times in the Premier League, joining Everton in 2006 (initially on loan) and spending the next decade with the Toffees before leaving for Colorado Rapids in 2016. He retired in 2020.
Stats via Transfermarkt
About Author
