Two letters to the Guardian reflect on the enduring legacy of Kevin Keegan, the former England and Hamburg footballer who died recently. His permed hairstyle set a trend in football, and his time in Germany led to a surprising cultural impact: many German boys were named Kevin after him.
Permed hair and German names
Jennifer Basannavar of Twickenham, London, writes that Keegan's move to Hamburg and his newly permed hairstyle set a trend in football. Unusually, he resolved to use his time there to learn German to communicate better with his teammates. He was repaid many times by another trend: German boys being given the name Kevin. Our British-German school exchanges in the 1990s always had at least one boy called Kevin. They were very proud of their name, as I imagine they are today, when they read about the positive contribution made by Keegan.
Diminutive stature
Basannavar also notes that, like Arthur Fery, at 5ft 8in Keegan was of 'diminutive stature' (Letters, 12 July).
Humility in Liverpool
Rev Henry Corbett of Liverpool recalls Keegan's visit to the Shewsy youth club in Everton, inner-city Liverpool, in the late 1970s. They say you know a famous person by what they are like away from the limelight. He was a player just back from winning two Ballon d'Ors at Hamburg, and he didn't want any publicity. In fact, he insisted on no publicity. He stayed for two hours, played table tennis and football with the young people, and then sat on a chair and answered loads of questions with honesty, humour and wise advice. He just wanted to encourage and help young people in an inner-city area. Big respect.
