Roy Keane's unworn 2002 World Cup shirt surfaces after 24 years in a Dublin lock-up

A Republic of Ireland shirt printed for Roy Keane ahead of the 2002 World Cup, and never worn after his infamous walkout in Saipan, is heading to auction and is expected to sell for £20,000.

The shirt has been held in a lock-up on the outskirts of Dublin for 24 years by Jonathan Courtenay, who was the Umbro distributor in Ireland at the time. Keane’s named and numbered jersey had already been prepared and shipped to Japan when the Manchester United captain sensationally departed the squad following a public row with manager Mick McCarthy in May 2002.

“When Roy pulled out of the squad and came home the jerseys had already been named and numbered and were on their way out to Japan,” Courtenay said. “The kitman who worked for us — we requested that he hold onto those jerseys and they came back in skips and we took possession of them again.”

Courtenay, 49, who lives in Dublin with his wife Anita and 12-year-old daughter Lauren, says the time has come to part with the piece. “I have had the shirt for 24 years. I’ve shown it to people over the years. It’s travelled about a bit,” he said. “I’m of an age where it doesn’t excite me as much as it should any more — everything has a value and I’m happy to let it move on.”

The fallout between Keane and McCarthy in Saipan remains one of the most explosive episodes in international football history. Courtenay recalls the scale of the story at the time: “I do remember the start of the World Cup and this was happening between Roy and Mick, and India and Pakistan were threatening each other with nuclear war, and the headlines in the papers in Delhi were about Roy walking out of the World Cup.”

David Convery, head of sporting memorabilia at Budds auctioneers, described the shirt as a rare artefact from a defining moment in the game. “Roy Keane is a living legend in Irish football, and this shirt dates from one of the most infamous and explosive confrontations in football history,” he said. “It was made for the team captain but obviously never worn — instead it’s a ghostly reminder of the tournament the team could have had, and one of the biggest ‘what if’ questions football fans have ever debated.”

The Budds auction will take place in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, later this month.