Cork's Roy Keane proves a popular choice among global football fans 

CORK’S Roy Keane has been ranked as being among the most talked about Premier League pundits in the world, racking up more than 440,000 Google searches each month.

Research by smartbettingguide.com analysed a list of more than 200 pundits, commentators and presenters in a bid to find out which of them are the most popular globally.

They combined the total average monthly search volume for each pundit with eight popular search terms related their individual role such as ‘best commentary’ and 'best match analysis’.

Former French international and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry came out top of the list with 637,844 monthly searches, followed by Roy Keane on 443,838, with former England international Peter 'Crouchey' Crouch in third place on 386,106 searches.

Former Manchester United and Ireland midfielder Keane is mostly known for his often hilarious and sometimes controversial comments as a pundit for Sky Sports.

He has also proven popular on TikTok, with the top hashtags of #roykeane gaining 1.2 billion views, #roykeanesavage gaining 33.9 million views and #roykeanethegoat gaining 11.2 million views.

Other pundits given honorable mentions in the survey include Micah Richards, Gary Neville, Alex Scott, Rio Ferdinand and Ian Wright.

A smartbettingguide.com spokesperson said it was fascinating to see the most popular pundits, such as Roy Keane, had been shaped by being trusted football figures.

“They possess the knack for articulating their vast knowledge of the sport, often providing unique perspectives from their career that enlighten and entertain viewers,2 said the spokesperson.

“ Their words and insights can shape the narratives surrounding the league, impacting how fans perceive, appreciate, and discuss football – elevating the game beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch.”