Aston Villa: Robbie Keane fan to marry especially to see hero on his honeymoon trip across the globe

Jan 15 2012 by Adam Aspinall, Sunday Mercury

A MADCAP Robbie Keane fan has told how he proposed to his girlfriend so that he could travel 15,000 miles to watch Villa’s latest signing while on honeymoon.

Diego Abatecola realised he couldn’t afford to travel from his home in Argentina to watch Keane in action for Ireland in Poland and Ukraine in this summer’s Europe 2012 finals.

So the 28-year-old discussed it with his girlfriend Eliana and the pair agreed that they would make the trip together as part of their honeymoon.

Diego first saw his hero play live 14 years ago in the football star’s home city of Dublin. And he has been dedicated to following Keane ever since.

Diego said: “I was thinking about it throughout qualification because it could be Robbie’s last chance to play at a major championships.

“I was saving money and then, when Ireland qualified, I decided I couldn’t justify spending so much on a trip just for myself.

“So my girlfriend Eliana and I spoke about it and agreed that we could make the trip our honeymoon.” Keane flew into Birmingham this week from Los Angeles where he is currently playing for MLS team LA Galaxy alongside superstar David Beckham.

The 31-year-old striker, who is captain of the Irish team, has played for many clubs during a long career which started at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he scored on his debut aged just 17.

He has swapped clubs frequently since then and has enjoyed brief spells at clubs as varied as Coventry City, Leeds United, Celtic, Spurs, Liverpool and even Inter Milan.