'I didn't speak to Roy Keane for 20 years – what he did afterwards made me really upset'

'I didn't speak to Roy Keane for 20 years – what he did afterwards made me really upset'A former team-mate opened up on the rift he had with Roy Keane and the kind way in which it was mendedCommentsSportChris Burns Senior Sports Writer09:00, 04 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesRoy Keane and Jason McAteer played alongside each other for Ireland(Image: Getty Images)Former Republic of Ireland star Jason McAteer has revealed that Roy Keane's actions of paying his bill in a cafe, after 20 years of not speaking, hit him emotionally. 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', where the former Liverpool star and Keane were team-mates.‌The controversial stand-off saw Keane and team manager Mick McCarthy infamously clash, with the ex-Manchester United midfielder then prematurely exiting the tournament.‌A couple of months on, Keane and McAteer squared off in the Premier League as Sunderland played United. The pair gave each other plenty of stick during the game, with Keane ultimately lashing out with an elbow and being sent off.‌Speaking on The Late Late Show, the ex-Bolton winger opened up about a heartwarming story in which the notorious hardman quietly mended their fractured relationship with a sweet gesture after years of fighting.FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page"Everyone fell out with Roy," McAteer playfully said to host Patrick Kielty. " It wasn't just me. We fell out, you know, the infamous Saipan incident. Me and him had gone through our Irish careers together as we're similar ages, then there was the Man United/ Liverpool thing where we didn't get on and then we got older, and we patched it up a little bit.‌READ MORE: Mick McCarthy brands Roy Keane a 'c***' in fresh rant after Saipan movie releaseREAD MORE: Roy Keane named Man Utd m...