Roy Keane had looked on the verge of a dramatic return to the Ireland fold before he unexpectedly announced his international retirement on Tuesday.
The volatile Manchester United captain made his decision after talking it over with his family, United manager Alex Ferguson and medical advisers.
New Ireland manager Brian Kerr had met Keane last week for a discussion about the player's international future following his dramatic expulsion from Ireland's World Cup squad in South Korea in May by former team boss Mick McCarthy.
Had the 31-year-old been accepted back into the Ireland squad just weeks after McCarthy resigned as manager, it would have been a remarkable turnaround and a sign of how important he was to his country as their only world class player.
McCarthy was left with little choice in sending Keane home after his captain's public criticism of the team's World Cup travel and training arrangements and a tirade of personal abuse directed at the English-born manager.
That episode, which divided public opinions in Ireland, came after a season of frustration at United, who finished trophy-less for the first time since 1998.
Towards the end of last season he resembled a walking volcano, castigating team mates for their deficiencies.
Keane's robotic intensity as he tried to salvage something from United's worst premier league campaign in a decade was both impressive and frightening.
When United surrendered their premier league crown to Arsenal at Old Trafford, Keane's personal display was outstanding.
Having missed United's 1999 Champions League triumph through suspension, Keane was desperate to reach last year's final. But despite scoring a fine goal in Germany, he could not prevent United losing in the semi-finals to Bayer Leverkusen.
When Keane trudged bare-chested off the pitch that night, the Irishman wore the frustrated expression of a man thwarted by the failings of those around him.
EXPLOSIVE START
His troubled summer was followed by an explosive start to the new season in August.
In his autobiography, Keane revealed that he had purposely sought revenge when he made a vicious tackle on a Manchester City's Alf Inge Haaland in April 2001.
With the English Football Association yet to charge him on that score, an attack on former Ireland team mate Jason McAteer earned him a red card against Sunderland at the end of August.
It was then that Keane decided to go into hospital for an operation to cure his nagging hip trouble and he was recovering when, in October, the FA found him guilty of bringing the game into disrepute and banned him for five matches, adding a heavy fine for good measure.
Nearly four months on the sidelines recuperating seemed to have worked wonders for the temperament of one of world soccer's most competitive players.
His return to United's midfield engine room has coincided with a return to form and they now face a four-pronged tilt at silverware in the English premier league, FA and League Cups and the ultimate club competition, the Champions League.
Off the pitch, Keane is a softly-spoken character whose mild Cork accent belies the often rasping content of his comments.
On it, Keane is the most competitive player in the English premier league.
He dominates his midfield opponents with his fearsome tackling, constructive passing and unflagging energy.
Strong in the air, quick and with an eye for goal, the competitive Irishman has only one weakness -- a tendency to lose his cool and get sent off.
Despite this flaw, Keane remains a magnetic, majestic midfield operator, a fulcrum in front of the back four who coaxes the best from his creative team mates with a mixture of perfect passes and verbal rockets.
When Keane harnesses his sometimes ugly temper the devastating efficiency of his game is an awesome asset, the reason why manager Ferguson rates him as the best player in Britain.
Eager to protect his prized asset, Ferguson, speaking 10 days ago, said he would recommend to Keane that he give up international football in order to prolong his career.
SHEARER'S EXAMPLE
He cited former England captain Alan Shearer, whose career has been rejuvenated at Newcastle United since he retired from international football.
Ferguson also said that Keane might need to cut down on how many demands he made of his body and the decision could ultimately rest with the United medical staff.
Spotted by Nottingham Forest as a raw 18-year-old playing for Cobh Ramblers in Ireland, Keane was brought to England in 1990 where he blossomed under Forest's inspirational manager Brian Clough.
Clough took a firm line with the youngster. When Keane scored the winning goal in an FA Cup quarter-final tie against Norwich and performed a celebratory somersault, the Forest boss told him to "go and join the circus" if he wanted to carry on like that.
The no-nonsense approach worked and when Keane moved to United in 1993, he became what he is today -- an awesome force in the game, the envy of managers around Europe.
Keane played 58 times for his country scoring nine goals and appeared in all four of Ireland's games in the 1994 World Cup finals in the United States.
