Ireland's record goal-scorer Robbie Keane picked his all-time best starting eleven and the selection looks pretty formidable.

In a career that has seen the striker play for the likes of Leeds United, Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Celtic and the LA Galaxy, not to mention World Cup and European Championship appearances with Ireland, Keane has lined up with some world class talent.

Up front, Christian Vieri, Fernando Torres and even Niall Quinn were not considered in the same league as former Spurs team-mate Dimitar Berbatov, who Keane described as "unbelievable".

Some successful managers were overlooked as Gordon Strachan was chosen as his boss after playing under the Scot at both Coventry and Celtic.

"Marcelo Lippi, Mick McCarthy and Martin Jol were all good to me, but Gordon got the best out of me and many other players," he told FourFourTwo magazine. "A formidable character."

Clarence Seedorf, a room-mate of Keane's at Inter Milan is chosen for his versatility and technical ability while Ireland internationals Shay Given, Richard Dunne and Roy Keane are also selected.

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale is named at left-back while winger Aaron Lennon is perhaps a surprise inclusion on the bench.

The Tallaght native chose a 4-5-1 formation and did not include himself in the selection.

Below is the starting team and substitutes chosen by Keane and why they made the cut.

Goalkeeper

Shay Given

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An obvious choice. In his prime he was so quick and sharp; his agility in front of the goal was superb. A top-class goalkeeper and team-mate – so good I'm not going to pick a reserve keeper!

Defence

Javier Zanetti

He's just retired from Inter Milan, which is where I met him. He's one of the fittest guys I ever played with, always running up and down the pitch. Look at the career he's had – it's unbelievable.

Ledley King

Ivan Cordoba, Jonathan Woodgate and Rio Ferdinand were all great, but Ledley stands out. To play at the highest level with his injuries is remarkable. He never trained but was the best on the pitch.

Richard Dunne

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A rock in the Irish back four. Strong, quick, unbelievable in the air – no one could get past him. He'd complement Ledley, as King played with style while Richard is more 'whole-hearted'.

Gareth Bale

When Gareth came to Tottenham he was a left-back but we all knew he wouldn't stay there for long, because he had so much quality going forward. We've seen how good he turned out.

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Midfield

David Beckham

My former LA Galaxy team-mate. His crossing was incredible. I've never seen a player more efficient in dead-ball situations: he was able to find someone every time, which is amazing.

Clarence Seedorf

My Inter Milan room-mate! Versatile and technically gifted with two good feet, he won multiple Champions League titles with different clubs, which speaks for itself. He's also a wonderful guy.

Roy Keane

He led by example on the pitch, got the best out of other players, had great energy and could take a game by the scruff of the neck. If things weren't going well, his attitude would change that.

Steven Gerrard

Incredible passing ability and energy levels, and the way he dictates the game is truly special.

In Steven and Roy Keane before him, you have the two best central midfielders in the Premier League.

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Damien Duff

We came through the national team at the same time, and most of my Ireland goals came from his assists. Damien's ability to jink past people created all sorts of trouble. He was fantastic.

Striker

Dimitar Berbatov

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One of the best partners I've ever had. We had an unbelievable relationship at Tottenham: we both like to come short, but we kept mixing when we played together and we scored a lot of goals.

Substitutes

Xabi Alonso, Luka Modric, Christian Vierii, Rio Ferdinand, Aaron Lennon.

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