"At Leeds I've tried to concentrate on my club form, but you get caught up in all the World Cup fever once you come back to Ireland and see all the Irish boys again"
About this Quote
The key phrase is “caught up.” It frames World Cup obsession not as a choice but as a contagion - a social force that sweeps you along. That’s an honest piece of psychology, and it’s also a subtle alibi. If form dips, if focus wobbles, it’s not negligence; it’s the gravitational pull of national expectation. Keane’s tone positions him as both dedicated employee and susceptible fan, which is exactly the balancing act modern players are asked to perform: be a brand of professionalism Monday through Friday, then become a vessel for collective identity the second the international window opens.
“See all the Irish boys again” does a lot of work. It shrinks the World Cup from a global spectacle into a private reunion, suggesting that the emotional fuel of international football isn’t flags and anthems so much as friendship, shared history, and the relief of being understood. In that friction - club pragmatism versus national belonging - you can hear the era’s truth: the sport sells itself as meritocracy, but it runs on mood, memory, and the people who make you feel at home.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sports |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Keane, Robbie. (n.d.). At Leeds I've tried to concentrate on my club form, but you get caught up in all the World Cup fever once you come back to Ireland and see all the Irish boys again. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/at-leeds-ive-tried-to-concentrate-on-my-club-form-161422/
Chicago Style
Keane, Robbie. "At Leeds I've tried to concentrate on my club form, but you get caught up in all the World Cup fever once you come back to Ireland and see all the Irish boys again." FixQuotes. Accessed February 1, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/at-leeds-ive-tried-to-concentrate-on-my-club-form-161422/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"At Leeds I've tried to concentrate on my club form, but you get caught up in all the World Cup fever once you come back to Ireland and see all the Irish boys again." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/at-leeds-ive-tried-to-concentrate-on-my-club-form-161422/. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.



