Motivation Quote by Robbie Keane

Keane is doing the classic athlete’s two-step: acknowledge pain, then convert it into forward motion. The “tremendous amount of disappointment” isn’t just personal regret; it’s a team-and-country hangover, the kind that lingers in locker rooms and press rooms long after the last qualifier. By naming 1998, he pins the emotion to a concrete failure, giving fans a shared reference point and signaling he understands what’s at stake beyond his own career.

Then he pivots to “they’re getting excited about this one,” a subtle widening of the frame. “They” is doing a lot of work: supporters, teammates, the football public, maybe even skeptical media. It’s a way to distribute ownership of hope, to make belief feel collective rather than cocky. The line “I really think we could do well” is carefully calibrated confidence. Not a guarantee, not chest-thumping; it’s a permission slip for optimism that won’t look ridiculous if things go sideways.

The “Far East” tag dates the quote to the 2002 World Cup era (Japan/South Korea), when the tournament’s location carried novelty, travel anxiety, and cultural distance for European teams and fans. Keane’s intent is part morale management, part narrative building: recast a national scar (missing 1998) into motivation, and sell the idea that the unfamiliar setting isn’t a threat but a stage. This is preemptive leadership in interview form, converting uncertainty into momentum.