Keane asks Stallone for autograph as Neville mocks his 'fawning' on The Overlap

Roy Keane broke one of his most well-known personal rules when he asked Sylvester Stallone for an autograph during a special episode of The Overlap podcast, with Gary Neville quick to mock the former Manchester United captain for his uncharacteristic starstruck behaviour.

Keane joined Neville, Jill Scott and Ian Wright to meet the Hollywood icon, best known for his roles as Rocky and Rambo. A teaser clip released ahead of the full episode showed Keane arriving in a Rambo shirt bearing Stallone’s face, visibly delighted as the actor noticed the outfit and told him: “Nice shirt.”

Neville wasted little time in teasing his former Old Trafford team-mate, predicting Keane would turn into a “fawning schoolboy” in Stallone’s presence. Keane pushed back — “No, Gary, don’t be silly, I’m a professional” — before a brief pause gave him away entirely: “He might sign it for me.”

The moment landed with fans on social media. “Never thought I’d see Roy Keane fawning over anyone. Good to see his softer side,” wrote one. Another joked: “For Roy it’s love at first blood.” A third simply offered: “Heartwarming.”

The exchange carries extra weight given Keane’s well-documented reluctance to engage with fan requests in public. He has occasionally declined photographs or autographs when approached, and previously addressed a viral encounter at Cork Airport in which a fan filmed an awkward interaction with him.

Keane gave his own account of that episode at the time, saying: “The guy was a pest. What am I supposed to do, do a dance for people? They’re shouting your name out loud. Just come over and be polite. He knew what game he was playing.”

For a man who has built much of his public persona on uncompromising standards and a refusal to be starstruck, the Stallone moment offered a rare and candid glimpse of a different side — one that Neville, predictably, had no intention of letting pass quietly.