Liverpool and Newcastle fans unite at St James' Park to honour Kevin Keegan with 'Keegan 7' mosaic

Liverpool and Newcastle supporters joined forces at St James’ Park on the opening weekend of the Premier League season to pay an emotional tribute to Kevin Keegan, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner who passed away in July at the age of 75 after being diagnosed with stage four cancer. All four sides of the ground displayed a large mosaic before kick-off: Newcastle fans showed Keegan’s number in black and white, while the Liverpool end spelled out his name in red and white.

Players from both sides warmed up in special shirts bearing ‘Keegan 7’, and a collection of tributes left by supporters outside the stadium was brought together in the centre circle ahead of the match. A minute’s applause followed a video tribute, with chants of “There’s only one Kevin Keegan” ringing around the ground as tears were shed in the stands.

Newcastle fans also unfurled a banner carrying one of Keegan’s most celebrated quotes: “I want people to dream about their football club. They should. We should all be dreamers at heart. Some people are the opposite and say ‘we can’t do that’, but when you ask them why, they can’t give a reason. Well, I say, ‘Why not?’”

Several of Keegan’s former Newcastle teammates were present, including Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and David Ginola, along with members of Keegan’s family. Sir Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush led the Liverpool contingent, laying a wreath of red flowers outside the stadium.

Keegan had said in one of his final public appearances that he hoped to attend a match at St James’ Park to say “goodbye” to the club and city he had transformed. Tributes were also held at Manchester City, another of his former clubs, before their match against Bournemouth on Sunday.

At Liverpool, Keegan was a central figure in Bill Shankly’s first great side, winning three First Division titles, the FA Cup, the European Cup and two UEFA Cups before leaving for Hamburg in 1977, where he claimed back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards. His managerial legacy was forged at Newcastle, where he took over a club fighting relegation from the second tier and led them back into the Premier League before mounting a memorable title challenge against Manchester United in 1995-96.