Robbie Keane has been chosen as Clarke Carlisle's toughest opponent(Image: Ian Walton/Getty Images)

Clarke Carlisle has revealed that Robbie Keane was the Premier League striker he found most challenging to play against. The former defender described the ex-Tottenham star as "on a different level", even more so than the likes of Didier Drogba and Thierry Henry.

Carlisle, an ex-Leeds United player and now a judge on the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2025 panel, recently singled out Keane as his toughest opponent during his time as a centre-half in the league.

While acknowledging Henry, Drogba and Dennis Bergkamp as formidable opponents, it was the Irish forward who gave the defender the most trouble on the pitch.

The former PFA chairman said: "I was blessed to come up against some of the best strikers the Premier League has ever seen.

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Continue Reading: ‘Tottenham icon tore me apart more than Drogba and Henry - I was in trouble’