Robert David Keane was born in the Tallaght suburb of Dublin on 8 July 1980, the son of Anne and Robert Keane. He started his football career with local club Fettercairn before joining Dublin schoolboy team Crumlin United at the age of 10, where his talent was seen and recognised at an early age. He also played Gaelic football until he was 15, before giving it up to pursue a soccer career. Keane received offers from both Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but decided to go to the First Division side, judging that it would be harder to break into the first team at Liverpool. He moved to Wolverhampton four days before his 16th birthday in July 1996, joining their youth team.

Keane progressed through Wolves’ youth ranks and made his professional debut aged 17 on 9 August 1997, scoring twice against Norwich City. The following season he excelled at the club, earning praise from both the press and Wolves manager Colin Lee. He went on to be the club’s leading scorer, with 16 goals in the 1998–99 season. Keane’s performances and goalscoring record with both Wolves and his national team attracted much interest from larger clubs and a move for the young striker seemed imminent given Wolves’ finances. However, with three years left on his contract, Wolves sought a high price for their Irish star and managing director John Richards stated his reluctance to sell Keane unless their asking price was met.

Under the guidance of Brian Kerr, the unfancied Republic of Ireland won the UEFA U16 and U18 European championships in 1998, and Keane was part of the victorious U18 side in Cyprus. In 1999, he played at the World Youth Cup in Nigeria, where the Republic of Ireland reached the last 16 before going out on penalties to the hosts. His first Republic of Ireland cap came against the Czech Republic in Olomouc in March 1998. He scored his first senior international goals against Malta in October that year.

After an impressive first season in the Premier League, Keane was signed by Italian Serie A club Inter Milan for a fee of £13 million in July 2000, signing a five-year contract. However, Keane’s dream move to Italy soon soured when Lippi was sacked. Lippi’s successor, Marco Tardelli, deemed Keane to be surplus to requirements and in December 2000, he was loaned out to Leeds United. Keane made 14 appearances for Inter in all competitions scoring three goals, his most memorable coming two minutes into the Supercoppa Italiana match against Lazio. He also scored against Ruch Chorzów in the UEFA Cup and Lecce in the Coppa Italia.

His Leeds career got off to an impressive start, scoring nine goals in 14 starts for the club before the Leeds manager, David O’Leary, made his loan deal permanent in May 2001 at an original cost of £12 million. The following season was not so bright, and he found himself dropping down the pecking order. His form suffered and he only managed nine goals in 33 appearances, three of them being in a 6–0 League Cup win at Leicester City on 9 October 2001.

Keane became the Republic of Ireland’s leading goalscorer during a match against the Faroe Islands on 13 October 2004 when he scored his 22nd and 23rd goals. The first of these goals broke Niall Quinn’s record of 21 goals.

His third season, 2004–05, was more frustrating. Despite finishing with his highest return of goals in a season for Spurs, 17, he played second-fiddle to the likes of Jermain Defoe, Frédéric Kanouté and Mido for much of the season. The frustration culminated in Keane storming from the dugout towards the end of a game against Birmingham City in April 2005 after all the substitutes had been used, meaning he would not get a chance to appear. He was fined £10,000 and forced to train with the reserves after the outburst and his future at the club was thrown into doubt.

The 2005–06 season started as the previous one had ended, with Defoe being preferred to partner Mido in Tottenham’s strikeforce. However, Defoe’s strike-rate continued to disappoint and Keane’s persistence paid off in November when manager Martin Jol eventually gave Keane a chance to replace Defoe and stake his claim. By March, he had overtaken Mido as the top goalscorer at the club. Keane went on to finish the season with 16 league goals — making him the Premier League’s joint fourth-highest goalscorer that season. He had also been made the vice-captain, taking the captaincy on occasions when Ledley King was not available. Keane was involved in a training ground fight with teammate Edgar Davids in December 2005, but the pair subsequently made up publicly and were seen encouraging each other on the pitch.

In February 2006, Inter’s owner and president, Massimo Moratti, admitted his regret at letting Keane go after being impressed by his performances at Tottenham. Keane extended his commitment to Tottenham, signing a new four-year contract in March 2006. Keane was named as one of ten Spurs squad members to be struck down by norovirus on 6 May 2006. However, he still managed to play in their final game of the season against West Ham United.

Keane had a slow start to the 2006–07 season which was further set back by a knee ligament injury that Keane suffered against Middlesbrough on 5 December 2006. His coming back from injury marked the beginning of a return to form and a dynamic partnership with Dimitar Berbatov. Keane and Berbatov were jointly awarded the Premier League’s Player of the Month Award for April 2007. Keane finished the season with a total of 22 goals in all competitions — the highest-ever season tally of his career — scoring 15 goals in his last 15 appearances of the season.

Although the Republic of Ireland failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Keane scored four goals in the Republic of Ireland’s eight qualifying matches. Following Steve Staunton’s appointment as Republic of Ireland manager, Keane was appointed captain. In their first game under Staunton, Keane scored the second goal in the 3–0 victory against Sweden at Lansdowne Road, and celebrated the final match at the Lansdowne Road stadium with a hat-trick on his 70th senior international appearance in a 5–0 defeat of San Marino on 15 November 2006. Giovanni Trapattoni, who took over from Staunton, maintained Keane as team captain starting in his first game in charge against Serbia on 24 May 2008 which ended in a 1–1 draw.

He signed a new five-year contract with Tottenham on 28 May 2007. On 26 December 2007, he became the thirteenth player in the history of the league to score 100 Premier League goals. 2007 proved to be a remarkable year for the striker with a total of 31 goals and 13 assists from just 40 starts. His tally of 19 league goals in the calendar year was the highest of any player in the Premier League throughout 2007.

He scored his 100th competitive goal for Tottenham in the 2–0 win against Sunderland on 19 January 2008, becoming the fifteenth Tottenham player to achieve this feat. On 24 February 2008, he won his first senior honour as a player as his Tottenham side won the first League Cup Final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium, beating Chelsea 2–1 after extra time. On 12 April 2008, Keane made his 250th appearance for Spurs in the 1–1 draw with Middlesbrough. Keane finished the 2007–08 season equal top scorer for Spurs with Berbatov, with 23 goals in all competitions. His 15 Premier League goals making him the first Spurs player to score double figures in the Premier League in 6 consecutive seasons. Keane won Player of the Year three times during his Tottenham career (2003, 2005–06 and 2007–08); the first player to do so.

Liverpool publicly announced their interest in Keane on 1 July 2008. Amid accusations that Liverpool had unsettled the player, Tottenham Hotspur filed a complaint to the Premier League regarding the club’s conduct. However, on 28 July 2008, Tottenham confirmed the sale of Keane for £19 million (plus a potential £1.3 million in performance based compensation). Keane agreed terms with Liverpool shortly afterwards, signing a four-year contract with the Merseyside club. Upon his arrival to Liverpool, Keane said, “I’ve been a Liverpool fan all my life, going back to when I was a kid growing up in Dublin, and I always had a Liverpool shirt on my back. So, to be here now as a Liverpool player is incredible and I couldn’t be happier.” Following the transfer, Tottenham withdrew their official complaint against Liverpool after the club made a donation to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and apologised for their behaviour prior to the deal. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy publicly stated his dissatisfaction, saying he had been forced into transferring the player due to Liverpool’s interference.

Keane was given the squad number 7, and scored his first goal for Liverpool on 1 October 2008 in a Champions League win against PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A second Champions League goal quickly followed with Keane scoring the opening goal in Liverpool’s 1–1 draw with Atlético Madrid. Premier League goals were less forthcoming but he scored twice for Liverpool against West Bromwich Albion on 8 November.

Keane married former Miss Ireland contestant Claudine Palmer in Ballybrack on 7 June 2008. They have two sons named Robert (born 10 May 2009) and Hudson (born 5 October 2015).

Keane rejoined Tottenham on 2 February 2009, signing for a basic fee of £12 million, potentially rising to £16 million with add-ons. The deal meant that the cumulative transfer fees paid for Keane over his career amounted to around £75 million. He signed a four-year contract with the north London club. Keane was one of three players to make returns to Tottenham during the transfer window, along with Jermain Defoe and Pascal Chimbonda. He was also made Tottenham vice-captain a week later, after often deputising for Ledley King during his first spell there. He was cup-tied for Spurs’ appearance in the 2009 Football League Cup Final. Keane scored his first goal since his return to the club on 4 March, opening the scoring in the crucial 4–0 home victory against Middlesbrough. He followed this up by scoring another vital goal, this time a last-minute equaliser, away to Sunderland in a 1–1 draw on 7 March.

On 31 July 2009, Keane captained Tottenham to winning the Premier League Asia Trophy in a pre-season competition in China. He scored twice in the 3–0 win over Hull City inside Beijing Workers Stadium. On 26 September 2009, Keane scored four goals in a 5–0 win over Burnley. During Tottenham’s League Cup Fourth Round match, Keane scored one of two goals against Everton on 27 October 2009 at White Hart Lane. He continued his scoring form with another against Sunderland in their 2–0 home win on 7 November 2009.

On 1 February 2010, Keane signed for Celtic in a loan deal until the end of the 2009–10 season and was assigned the number 7 shirt, previously worn by Jimmy Johnstone and Henrik Larsson. After signing for Celtic, Keane said: “The club is massive. I am a Celtic fan and did not have to ask much about it. I always wanted to play for Celtic and it works for all parties.”

Keane’s penultimate match was a 2–1 Old Firm win over Rangers on 4 May his last match for Celtic came against Hearts on 9 May, he scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory. He stated that he enjoyed his time at Celtic and that it had given him back his ‘hunger for football’. On 12 April, Keane was announced as SPL Player of the Month for March 2010. On 19 April 2010, Keane was announced as Celtic’s Fans’ Player of the Year.

As captain, Keane led the team to a second-place finish in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign. He scored his 40th international goal against Cyprus, a header in the 83rd minute, which secured a 2–1 win for the Republic of Ireland. Along with Dimitar Berbatov, he topped the scoring chart in the qualifying group with 5 goals in 10 games. His 41st international goal came in the controversial 2010 World Cup play-off with France on 18 November 2009. This was his 26th goal in competitive (non-friendly) internationals.

Keane won his 100th cap against Argentina in a 1–0 friendly defeat on 11 August 2010. This match was also the first international football match at the new Aviva Stadium. He scored his 45th international goal against Russia in October 2010. It was the first time the Republic of Ireland had lost a game in which Keane had scored. Previously, the Republic of Ireland had won 26 and drew 10 of the 36 games in which Keane had scored. He equalled Andy Townsend’s record for most appearances as Republic of Ireland captain (40) on 26 March 2011 and also scored a goal in the process.

On 30 January 2011, Keane joined West Ham United on loan for the remainder of the season. Keane made his debut for West Ham on 2 February in a 3–1 victory over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road, scoring his first goal in the process. West Ham had an option to extend the deal by two years if they avoided relegation from the Premier League. However, in May 2011 West Ham were relegated and Keane returned to Tottenham.

After playing for the newly reformed New York Cosmos in Paul Scholes’s testimonial match, Keane joined LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, becoming one of the club’s three allowed designated players, alongside David Beckham and Landon Donovan. The Galaxy traded their previous third Designated Player, Juan Pablo Ángel, to city rivals Chivas USA to make room for Keane. He made his debut on 20 August 2011, in a California Clásico game against the San Jose Earthquakes, and scored his first goal for his new team in the 21st minute, in a 2–0 win at The Home Depot Center. On 13 September, he scored his first CONCACAF Champions League goal in a 2–1 group stage loss to Monarcas Morelia of Mexico.

The Galaxy finished the season as Western Conference champions, and won the Supporters’ Shield. On 6 November, in his first full match, Keane scored in a 3–1 win over Real Salt Lake to book a place in the 2011 MLS Cup. Two weeks later, he assisted the winning goal for Donovan in the 72nd minute of the final as the Galaxy defeated Houston Dynamo 1–0 at their home stadium.

On 4 June 2011, Keane scored twice in a 2–0 away win against Macedonia in qualification for UEFA Euro 2012 to become the first Irish or British player to score more than 50 international goals. Following the game with Macedonia his total stood at 51 goals. He added another two goals in the Republic of Ireland’s 4–0 play-off hammering of Estonia in Tallinn which effectively secured qualification for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine to bring his goal tally to 53.

On 8 January 2012, Keane agreed to move on loan to Aston Villa for two months, until the new MLS season began in March. He trained with the Villa squad on 9 and 10 January and completed the move on the 12th.

On 18 March 2012, Keane scored twice in a 3–1 home win over D.C. United for the Galaxy’s first win of the season. In July, with five goals including consecutive braces, he was voted MLS Player of the Month. He finished with 16 regular season goals, fourth in the league’s top scorers, and was one of three strikers named in the MLS Best XI, alongside Thierry Henry and Chris Wondolowski. His two goals in a 4–2 win over Toronto FC on 22 September sealed a place in the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs. In the Conference semi-finals, Keane scored twice in a 3–1 second leg win over San Jose, as the Galaxy recovered from a 1–0 home loss in the first match. Against Seattle Sounders FC in the Conference final, he scored another two goals in a 3–0 first leg win, and a late penalty in a 2–1 loss in the second leg at CenturyLink Field. Keane scored a last-minute penalty to complete a 3–1 win in the 2012 MLS Cup, once again against Houston Dynamo.

After a disappointing tournament in Poland, Keane brought his international tally to 54, with an 89th-minute penalty against Kazakhstan in the Republic of Ireland’s opening World Cup 2014 qualification match. This left the score at 1–1 before Kevin Doyle’s goal a minute later secured a winning start to the campaign. On 2 June 2013, Keane scored the third and fourth goals of the game, his 55th and 56th goals for the Republic of Ireland, against Georgia in a 4–0 win.

On 7 June 2013, Keane played his 126th game for the Republic of Ireland and became the new record appearance holder, breaking Shay Given’s previous record of 125 appearances. He also scored his second hat-trick of his international career in the same game against the Faroe Islands scoring his 57th, 58th and 59th goals in a 3–0 win for the Republic of Ireland. Keane scored his 60th international goal against Sweden on 6 September 2013, in a 2–1 loss. He went on to score his 61st and 62nd goals for the Republic of Ireland against Kazakhstan on 15 October 2013 in a 3–1 win and against Latvia a month later in a 3–0 victory, both games being played in Dublin.

On 6 March 2014, Keane signed a new multi-year contract extension with LA Galaxy. For the third season in a row he reached double figures in goals, scoring his tenth on 20 July in a 2–1 loss at Sporting KC. Keane scored his 50th MLS regular-season goal on 28 September, chipping New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles to open a 4–0 victory.

On 3 December 2014, Keane was awarded the MLS Most Valuable Player Award after a season in which he recorded a career high 19 goals and 14 assists in 29 appearances. Four days later, he scored the 111th-minute winner in the 2014 MLS Cup which the Galaxy won 2–1 against the New England Revolution for a record fifth title. Keane was given the MLS Cup MVP award, similar to the Man Of The Match award.

Keane missed his chance to score his 63rd goal against Costa Rica in Philadelphia on 6 June 2014 when he missed a penalty in a friendly game. He was the highest male international scorer among active players following Miroslav Klose’s retirement in 2014. On 11 October 2014, he scored his third international hat-trick, his 63rd, 64th and 65th goals, in a 7–0 European qualifying win against Gibraltar at Aviva Stadium. The treble concluded with a penalty in the 18th minute of the match. This took him to a record 21 goals in European Championship qualifiers, surpassing the 20 by Turkey’s Hakan Şükür. He would later extend his tally to 23 goals, although the record was broken by Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo on 10 September 2019.

After the announcement that his former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard would join the Galaxy in July 2015, Keane confirmed that he would not hand over the captaincy. He scored the second goal of the 2–0 home win over Chicago in their first game of the season on 7 March. On 17 June, Keane scored a hat-trick in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, as the Galaxy won 6–1 against fifth-tier amateurs PSA Elite. On 5 July, Keane scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Toronto. Twelve days later, in Gerrard’s first match, he scored three goals for the second consecutive game including two penalties with Gerrard also netting in a 5–2 win against San Jose.

Keane stated his support for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Ireland ahead of the referendum in 2015.

On 6 March 2016, Keane scored from the penalty spot in the opening 2016 league fixture; a 4–1 home win against D.C. United. He followed that up with another successful penalty on 19 March in the 3–1 home victory against San Jose. After missing five games with a knee injury, Keane returned on 8 May to face New England Revolution and scored twice in the 4–2 home win. Keane scored his 80th MLS regular-season goal on 23 July in a 2–1 away win against Portland Timbers with a simple tap-in from close range. On 11 September, he scored Galaxy’s fourth goal in their 4–2 home win over Orlando City. He scored twice in a 4–2 home defeat against Seattle Sounders on 25 September for his ninth and tenth goals of the season. In November, Keane stated that he would be leaving LA Galaxy after his contract expired at the end of the season, but that he would not be retiring. In total, he scored 104 goals in 165 appearances during his six seasons with the club with his last game being the MLS Cup Playoff penalty-shootout defeat to Colorado Rapids on 6 November 2016.

On 24 August 2016, Keane announced his retirement from international football. His last match for the Republic of Ireland was a friendly against Oman on 31 August 2016 at Aviva Stadium. The Republic of Ireland emerged victorious 4–0 and Keane signed off with a goal to take him level with German great Gerd Müller on 68 international goals. He received a rousing ovation from the assembled crowd when he was substituted in the 57th minute. Keane was also given a guard of honour from his Republic of Ireland teammates after the match had finished and he left the pitch with his two sons to rapturous applause from the home fans.

Keane is a cousin of English singer Morrissey, and has himself been noted for his singing skills. His first cousin is Jason Byrne, the second-highest goalscorer in League of Ireland history. Keane holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes. He achieved his UEFA “A” Licence in January 2016, via the Football Association of Ireland’s Coach Education Programme.

On 4 August 2017, Keane signed for Indian Super League team ATK joining former teammate Teddy Sheringham, the team’s head coach. He said that the opportunity to play in a new league appealed to him. He was assigned the number 10 jersey and appointed as the club captain. However, he suffered an achilles injury during a pre-season training camp in Dubai and had to return home for treatment, ruling him out of action until December. Spanish defender Jordi was appointed as the captain in his absence. On 7 December, he made his first-team debut, coming on as a 61st-minute substitute in a 3–2 defeat against Chennaiyin. On 23 December, he scored his first goal in a 1–0 victory against Delhi Dynamos.

Keane was appointed player-manager of ATK in March 2018 after Sheringham and his replacement Ashley Westwood were sacked with ATK finishing outside the play-offs. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over NorthEast United on his managerial debut, enough to save them from last place. After contesting the final three matches as player-manager, Keane decided to leave the club at the end of the season and stated he would be taking time out to consider his options.

Keane officially announced his retirement on 28 November 2018.

In November 2018, Keane agreed to act as the assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, under the management of newly-appointed Mick McCarthy. In June 2019, he accepted the role of assistant manager at Middlesbrough in the Championship. His former teammate Jonathan Woodgate, who had been appointed the manager of the Teesside-based club, offered him the role as part of a refurbished coaching team. Following the appointment of Stephen Kenny as Republic of Ireland manager in April 2020 Keane was no longer needed as Kenny brought in his own team , Keane earning €200,000 per year and with two years left on his contract refused to vacate his role until he received a €250,000 payoff from the FAI which at the time was bailed out by UEFA and the Irish Government. Keane remained on the payroll of the FAI for many months and in the process denied grassroots football clubs much needed funds . On 23 June 2020, Keane left his assistant manager role at Middlesbrough after the sacking of Woodgate with the team sitting in 21st place in the Championship.