Roy Keane’s exit from the Republic of Ireland’s camp at the 2002 World Cup is among one of the most memorable moments in the tournament’s history.

The Manchester United icon left Ireland’s training base in Saipan before the start of the World Cup in Japan and South Korea after a spat with then-boss Mick McCarthy.

It’s incredible to think that 16 years on and Keane is still being asked about the incident.

The 46-year-old reflected on the clash on ITV’s World Cup podcast, even claiming he let McCarthy off lightly.

It was what he saw when he arrived at Ireland's base which really ticked him off.

“I was disappointed at no bibs, balls, cones and it really irritated me because if it happened to Brazil or Germany there would have been uproar,” Keane said.

"But for some reason, because it was Ireland, it was like a laugh and a joke. I had enough years of laughing and joking.”

Keane tells the story

There was also the accusation that he faked an injury

“What made me angry and disappointed is when you get accused of something by your manager in front of a group of players, you're going to react,” he continued.

“I reacted. As a senior player and captain, I felt they were lies.

“I was accused of faking an injury and not being available for a match when I was injured.”

Things came to a head when a team meeting was held.

“Later on into the week, the night before we were due to leave Saipan, there was a bit of a team meeting, I was confronted by the manager and I stood up and had to fight my corner,” Keane added.

“I would do it again tomorrow.

"Believe it or not I let people off lightly. There could have been a lot more trouble shall we say."

McCarthy will have known that picking a fight with Keane wasn’t going to end well.

Yet despite the disruption, Ireland still managed to reach the knockout stage of the 2002 World Cup.

Then went unbeaten in their group before losing a penalty shootout to Spain in the round-of-16.