'I was in a bitter feud with Roy Keane – but he brought it to an end with one gesture'

Jason McAteer revealed that his two-decade-long feud with Roy Keane was swiftly ended by a kind gesture from the ex-Manchester United star. The two former footballers had a frosty relationship following Keane's famous bust-up at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

Known as the 'Saipan incident', McAteer watched on as Keane and team manager Mick McCarthy infamously clashed, with the midfielder then prematurely exiting the tournament.

A couple of months on, Keane and McAteer faced off in the Premier League as Sunderland played United. The pair traded barbs during the tie, with Keane ultimately lashing out with an elbow and being sent off.

McAteer also made a 'book-writing' gesture during the game, a reference to Keane's tell-all autobiography released the season prior. Yet the ex-Liverpool winger says the former United captain recently paid for his breakfast during a chance meeting at the former's local cafe, subsequently burying the hatchet.

However, asked if he ever read Keane's 2022 autobiography, McAteer told 10Bet: "I didn't even start it! I went straight to the index at the back, flipped to where my name was mentioned, read that one paragraph, and closed it."

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He added: "Honestly, we’ve both moved on. We’re older, wiser, and far more forgiving now. That feud was a long time ago when we were both fierce competitors doing whatever we could to wind each other up on the pitch.

"I've always had massive respect for Roy as a player. Just yesterday, I was out for lunch with [former Liverpool players] John Aldridge, John Barnes, Sammy Lee, and Bruce Grobbelaar, and his name came up. I still think Bryan Robson is the greatest Manchester United midfielder of all time, but Roy is a very close second.

"We actually patched things up because we live locally and keep bumping into each other. He paid for my breakfast once as a nice gesture, which broke the ice. We've had a few good conversations since, and I honestly wish him all the best."

Speaking on The Late Late Show earlier this year, the ex-Bolton star said he attempted to reopen channels of communication with Keane, only to be shot down by the Irishman in classic fashion.

"I just thought, 'We've wasted 20 years', and he's gone and bought me breakfast 20 years later, what a time to do it," McAteer said.

"When I left, I rang Jamie Carragher as he does the [Stick to Football] podcast with him, and I said, 'Roy has gone and paid my bill in the cafe after 20 years, to hold out an olive branch. Will you just ring him and ask him if I can have his number, and I want to say 'thank you'.

"An hour later, he [Carragher] rang me back and said, 'Roy appreciates the thank you, but you're not having his phone number."

Talking to Four Four Two in April 2025, McAteer cleared up his thoughts on the famously prickly former Republic of Ireland captain. "As a player, Roy was absolutely sensational. As a person, he's very complex. There are two sides to him," he said.