Keown made his England debut in 1992 against France and went on to win 43 caps for the national side over the next ten years, gradually forming a respected defensive partnership with Arsenal teammate Tony Adams at both club and international level.

He came out of retirement in 2012 and briefly played for Combined Counties League Premier Division side Wembley in their FA Cup fixtures.

Manager Graham Turner was under a lot of pressure, and after their dismal form continued into the 1986–87 season he was sacked on 14 September 1986 and succeeded by Billy McNeill.

[6] Keown had a fine start to his Everton career, and they topped the table for a while in late autumn and there was hope that they could win the league title, but their form ebbed away after Christmas and they managed only a sixth-place finish.

He and Andy Linighan were high quality defenders competing alongside Steve Bould and captain Tony Adams in the centre of one of the best English league defences of the 1990s, and Keown also filled in at right-back, left-back, and central midfield, demonstrating a versatility that would be called upon for several seasons.

As a result, in the 1997–98 double winning campaign, 31-year-old Keown played just 18 times in the Premier League, employed entirely as a centre back.

In a 2000–01 UEFA Champions League tie against FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Keown memorably scored two goals in the last five minutes to help Arsenal come back from 2–1 down to win 3–2.

After the final whistle, Keown was then involved in a post-match melee; he was subsequently fined £20,000 and suspended for three games for his part in what is now known as the "Battle of Old Trafford".

Keown made ten league appearances during the season, before being released on a free transfer in the summer of 2004 after 11 years in his second spell at the club.

By the time Sven-Göran Eriksson became manager, Keown's age was starting to count against him, though he went to the 2002 World Cup, again as a non-playing squad member.

[24] Keown regularly appears as a pundit on the BBC's football coverage and Match of the Day, as well as covering the Champions League for Irish broadcaster TV3.