There was a significant event which took place yesterday, 31 years ago. On the 19th February 1977, it was announced that Kevin Keegan would be joining SV Hamburg from Liverpool. The fee was Ł500,000, which was a record for a British player at that time.

This might seem like a routine piece of information, but when this news was announced 31 years ago, it shocked and, in many cases, angered the nation. Up to this point, few British players had plied their trade abroad. Of the few that did, only John Charles of Juventus could be considered an unqualified success. So, for Keegan to take this step was perceived as a bold move.

Why were many people upset at his transfer? Well, during the mid 70s, the general feeling seemed to be that the captain of the national team should not be playing in another country. He should be visible at home. To make matters worse, that foreign country happened to be (West) Germany.

It was only thirty years after WWII had ended, and the collective memory of those who had lived and fought in the war had not grown dim. Thus, anti-German feeling was a dominant attiude amongst a large section of the population. So, for England's captain to be leaving the champions of England and Europe to go and play for a club in the land of the 'enemy' caused quite a stir.

For the record, Keegan's move to Hamburg was an unqualified success. Not only did Hamburg win the Bundesliga for the first time in their history and reach the 1980 EC final, but Keegan was voted European footballer of the year twice in succession - 1978 and 1979. Not surprisingly, he's still remembered with great affection by Hamburg fans today.

Keegan at Hamburg

The concept of restricting the national team captain to playing at home might seem hoplessly outdated. I was wondering though, whether the Italian or Spanish media have ever made an issue over this subject in recent times. Especially since Fabio Cannavaro plays in Spain for Real.

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