Robbie Keane handed Republic of Ireland farewell by Martin O'Neill
Robbie Keane thought he had said goodbye to Republic of Ireland only for manager Martin O'Neill to offer him the chance of an emotional send-off.
Keane, 36, told O'Neill, the coaching staff and his teammates he was retiring from international football after this summer's Euro 2016.
However, he then received a phone call from the Ireland boss asking him to play in one final game -- Wednesday's friendly against Oman at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin -- and that was an offer he could not refuse.
"I spoke to the players, all of them individually and collectively as a group and said that was me finishing," he said. "They kind of knew and we said we'd announce it after everything kind of died down.
"I'm very grateful to Martin for giving me the call to play the last game and I'm certainly looking forward to it."
Keane will make his 146th appearance for his country looking for his 68th goal, which would equal Gerd Muller's tally for West Germany, but he insists the game will be no testimonial.
"I don't care about Muller's record or anyone, I'm chasing the next one because that's what I've done since I was seven," he said. "I don't know any different.
"And as soon as I've finished with the Ireland team, I'll chase the next one with [LA] Galaxy. That's just the way I've been brought up.
"It's going to be a great occasion, but at the end of the day, I'm still going to go into that game to do the best I can for the Irish team. That's the same feeling I've had since I was 17 years of age."
Keane's departure from the international scene will leave Ireland looking to find a successor, though the LA Galaxy player admits it will be difficult for a young striker to follow in his footsteps.
"There are a lot of players now playing in the Championship and it is going to be hard for them because of the number of foreign signings that clubs have made," he said.
"It is going to be very, very difficult for Irish players to go and play in the Premier League and be a starter."
