The Artist Who Painted All of Roy Keane's Red Cards

An Irish painter named Seánie Harte has created a colorful art series about Roy Keane, one of football's most famous players. Keane played as a midfielder for Manchester United and Ireland during the 1990s and early 2000s. He was known for being fierce and determined — but also for getting sent off the field. Harte's series, called Red Card, captures all 11 times Keane was shown a red card while playing for Manchester United.

Keane was one of the best midfielders in the world during his playing career. He had a strong will to win and was respected by teammates and feared by opponents. But he also had a reputation for rough play, which led to many red cards — meaning he was removed from the field for breaking the rules. Those dramatic moments are now the subject of Harte's cheerful, funny paintings.

Harte, who is 36 and lives in Dublin, went back to painting about two years ago. He works as a graphic designer during the day, mostly creating billing systems for companies. He felt he needed something more hands-on and creative in his spare time. 'I'm looking at screens the whole time,' he says. 'So I really felt like I needed something a bit more tactile and creative.'

When he started painting again, Harte chose to focus on things he truly enjoys, and football was one of them. He was inspired after hearing Keane talk about his red cards on a popular podcast called Stick to Football. Keane co-hosts the show with other former players and is known for his blunt, funny way of speaking. That straight-talking style sparked Harte's imagination.

One story that stuck with Harte was about a 1995 match against Crystal Palace, where Keane was sent off for stamping on Gareth Southgate. On the podcast, Keane said, 'Gareth deserved that. Gareth was nasty. Everyone thinks Gareth is a nice guy — he tried to break my leg!' Harte thought the way Keane told the story was hilarious, and it gave him the idea for his whole series.

Each painting is done in a loose, colorful style using oil pastels. They show moments of rough play or their aftermath, but they feel light and a little bit funny rather than scary. Each painting is also paired with a real quote from Keane himself. One painting of Keane clashing with Newcastle's Alan Shearer carries the line, 'People annoy me — and he still annoys me.'

Harte first shared the paintings on Instagram and began selling prints online, and the response was huge. He admits that Keane's fame is a big reason why so many people paid attention. 'I know Roy is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here,' Harte jokes. His exhibition, Sent Off: Paintings of Every Roy Keane Red Card, opens at a Dublin gallery called Hen's Teeth on September 3.

The paintings caught the attention of some well-known people, including one of the directors of Saipan, a film about a famous argument between Keane and Ireland manager Mick McCarthy before the 2002 World Cup. Harte also paints other football moments he finds interesting. These include a famous goal by Irish player Troy Parrott and David Beckham's red card at the 1998 World Cup in France.

Harte doesn't know if Keane has ever seen the paintings. Recently, his girlfriend showed them to a former teammate of Keane's, who said Keane 'would probably love them but say he doesn't.' That sounds just like the blunt, no-nonsense personality Keane is known for. Harte also plans to paint some of Keane's more positive moments on the field, since the footballer achieved a great deal beyond just his red cards.

As for what Harte hopes will happen next, he has one very funny dream. 'It would be a real dream for Roy to harshly critique my artwork,' he says. 'That would easily be the funniest outcome.' Whether Keane ever responds or not, the paintings have already made a lot of people smile — which is exactly what Harte set out to do.