Stoke's Whelan: Keane Irish answer to Beckham

Stoke City midfielder Glenn Whelan admits he grew up in Ireland following the career of Tottenham ace Robbie Keane.

He rubs shoulders with the Tottenham striker on international duty but today they are Premier League rivals.

Whelan is worth £500,000 in transfer fees while Keane's moves have been worth £70.3MILLION.

But Whelan, 25, has been grabbing all the headlines back home since his goal against Italy a fortnight ago.

He said: "Robbie's been the main man in Ireland for the past 10 years with the things he has achieved and how well he does. He is definitely a big idol back home.

"When you get back everyone has a shirt with Keane and No 10 on it. I'm one of those people with his shirt too!

"I actually have a Robbie Keane shirt from his time at Liverpool. It's framed and hanging up at home.

"Robbie is big, like David Beckham in England. All the kids want to grow up to be Robbie. But he's just an ordinary lad when you meet him. There is nothing big-time about him."