'I faced Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba but forgotten Tottenham forward was more difficult'

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Clarke Carlisle claims Robbie Keane is the one Premier League striker that he faced the most difficulty against. The former defender stated the ex- Tottenham star was "on a different level" and was harder to play against than the likes of Didier Drogba and Thierry Henry .

Ex-Leeds United star Carlise appears on the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2025 judging panel, and recently named Keane as his toughest opponent he faced while he was still a towering centre-half in the league.

Carlisle mentioned Henry, Drogba and Dennis Bergkamp as formidable opponents, but the Irish forward was one that he had a lot of trouble with on the pitch.

The ex-PFA chairman said: "I was blessed to come up against some of the best strikers the Premier League has ever seen.

"I defended against the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Didier Drogba who were incredibly difficult, but there’s one player that gave me the most trouble.

"That man was Robbie Keane. His footballing intelligence was magnificent. He would drop into places that I couldn’t go, but also places that I couldn’t leave him. He challenged me as a defender on a different level to anyone else I faced."

Keane played for various Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Leeds United , but it was at Spurs where the Irish striker really shone. He made 306 professional appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 122 goals and assisting 43 times and winning one League Cup in 2008.

Highlighting the former striker's intelligence, Carlisle added: "I knew how to handle players that were particularly quick or strong, but when someone is so clever like Robbie, they’re asking cerebral footballing questions, that’s not what I was good at.

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"If it moved, I kicked it, if it didn’t move, I kicked it until it did!

"He challenged me on a level I hadn’t been exposed to before, but that’s not to say other Premier League strikers weren’t like that. Henry used to always drift to the left and come in from my blind side, but that was a standard action that strikers do, which I knew how to manage.

"Keane was so ridiculously clever, he tore me apart."

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