Former Ireland player Jonathan Walters has claimed that "the truth will come out in time" about what really happened between himself and Roy Keane during their Ireland tenures.
During the final days of the Martin O'Neill/Roy Keane era in Ireland, Walters and Keane became involved in a huge fight that has involved a back and forth between the pair
Keane then inflamed the situation by taking a swipe at Walters' trophy cabinet during an "Off the Ball" appearance in 2019.
The two. who had previously worked together at Ipswich Town, where Walters was Keane's captain and top scorer before leaving for the Premier League and Stoke City in 2010. According to Walters, Keane was irked by his decision to leave Ipswich.
"He was demanding to leave Ipswich when I was down there," said Keane in 2019. "He talks a good game; imagine if he had a good CV. Imagine if he won a trophy. He did okay, and the games he was fit for with Ireland, he did well, I have to say."
Walters recently appeared on TalkSport to discuss his career and the Keane bust-up. When asked about it, he explained, "I left Ipswich, and I was captain at the time, and I think it goes back to that. I got on with him well—not the best of buddies but got on well. I left, and we had a well-documented fallout."
He added, "That clip was a bit low; it was on the back of me doing an emotional interview, and he commented on a few things. So, when I go into detail on what happened, and when people make things up, just make sure there’s no evidence to the contrary, that’s all I’ll say."
Jonathan Walters of Republic of Ireland during the FIFA World Cup Qualifier Group D match between Republic of Ireland and Serbia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)Walters was also asked why he got under Keane's skin as a player. He claimed that he is one of the few players who have managed to "get one over" the Irish legend.
“I don’t think anyone has ever got one over on Roy Keane as a player, as a teammate, or as a player under him," he said. "I think that’s the only time that’s happened to him; when I was at Ipswich, and he’s tried to make out I didn’t, and that’s what you shouldn’t lie about; the truth will always come out."
Walters also hinted at the possibility of writing a book on what really happened between himself and Keane in the Ireland camp. He claimed that he didn't have a problem with Keane until they worked together for Ireland.
“When the time’s right, the truth will come out. At some point, I might go through my career and write a book, and it will be a story that no one knows anything about; it will be a story that no other player has gone through. I can guarantee that. I will respond at some point.
“After I left Ipswich, we were fine with Ireland until he brought everything up again. The Irish stuff was ridiculous; he was the assistant manager of a national team; you’re preparing for a game in France, and that was wrong. He came back with that because I’m the only player who ever got one over on him, not just once but twice, and he knows it, and that’s probably what annoys him.”
