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Supporters of Newcastle United and Liverpool came together to honour the late Kevin Keegan before an emotional meeting between two of his former clubs on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Keegan, who died in July at the age of 75 after being diagnosed with stage four cancer, was an iconic figure at both clubs. In one of his final public appearances, he had said he wanted to attend a match at Newcastle’s St James’ Park to say “goodbye”.

Before kick-off, all four sides of St James’ Park held up a huge mosaic in tribute to the two-time Ballon d’Or winner. Newcastle supporters displayed Keegan’s shirt number in black and white, while “Keegan” appeared in red and white in the Liverpool section.

Liverpool and Newcastle fans worked together on a striking tifo in memory of Kevin Keegan.

Newcastle fans also unveiled a banner carrying one of Keegan’s most memorable quotes. It read: “I want people to dream about their football club. They should. We should all be dreamers at heart. Some people are the opposite and say ‘we can’t do that’, but when you ask them why, they can’t give a reason. Well, I say, ‘Why not?’”

Players from both teams warmed up in special shirts bearing “Keegan 7”, while a collection of tributes left by supporters at St James’ Park was placed together in the centre-circle before the match began.

Players wore “Keegan 7” shirts during the warm-up.

A minute’s applause followed a video tribute, and several of Keegan’s former Newcastle players, including Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and David Ginola, were present along with members of Keegan’s family.

Fans were seen in tears during the pre-match tribute as chants of “There’s only one Kevin Keegan” echoed around the stadium.

Sir Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush led Liverpool’s tributes and were also at St James’ Park to lay a wreath of red flowers outside the ground. Tributes were also paid at Manchester City, another of Keegan’s former clubs, before their game against Bournemouth on Sunday.

Kenny Dalglish, Shola Ameobi and Bobby Moncur laid a wreath of roses in memory of the late Kevin Keegan.

The Premier League opener was centred on the Liverpool and Newcastle legend.

A cherished figure in English football history and one of the country’s first genuine superstars, Keegan was admired for his achievements as a player with Liverpool and later for his leadership and charisma as Newcastle manager.

At Liverpool, Keegan was a central part of Bill Shankly’s first great team, winning three First Division titles, the FA Cup, the European Cup and two UEFA Cups. He left Liverpool in 1977 to join Hamburg, where he won back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards.

As a manager, Keegan’s greatest success came at Newcastle, where he gave both the club and the city a renewed sense of belief after taking charge of a side fighting relegation from the second tier of English football.

A tifo of “King Kev” was displayed before kick-off.

Both teams paid their respects to Keegan with a minute’s applause.

Keegan not only guided Newcastle back to the Premier League, but also took the club into a memorable title race with Manchester United in 1995-96 with the team that became known as the “Entertainers”, a period that earned him the nickname “King Kev”.

After Keegan’s death in July, Newcastle led the tributes and said: “We are devastated to learn of the passing of Kevin Keegan, one of the most iconic, influential and deeply loved figures in our club’s history. Kevin was more than a legendary footballer and manager. He was the beating heart of Newcastle United for generations of supporters.”

Liverpool added: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of the legendary Kevin Keegan and mourn his loss. His indomitable spirit and remarkable contribution will be forever etched in our history and his legacy will live on.”