Premier League cult hero admitted ‘soccer is not his ardour’ and was ‘only a job’
A Tottenham legend insists he has ‘never bought into the hypocrisy of football’ and that it is a job to be done for cold, hard cash, just like any other
We’ve all been there, kicking the ball into a net on an empty school field or park, imagining it was the winner in the FA Cup or World Cup Final.
But even though it might be a dream for millions around the globe, incredibly, netting a winning goal Wembley in a Cup final, or what have become almost weekly vital goals for Man United, might actually feel like a chore to some.
Plenty of top-level players have gone on record with their distaste for the game at certain points in their careers. We hear you, fellas, life as a pro athlete earning millions of pounds a month in some cases must be really hard graft that you can’t wait to see the back of.
But, if you take them at face value and not as the ‘woe is me’ search for sympathy that the more sceptical among us might, then there really might be more to this than first meets the eye.
Take Benoit Assou-Ekotto for example.
The former Cameroon international and Tottenham cult hero has always been very open and honest about his feelings towards the sport which made him famous.
During an interview back in 2010, the former Spurs left-back, who retired in 2018 and turned 41 earlier this month, not only admitted that for him football was “just a job”, but also criticised his fellow professionals who claim – insincerely in his view – to ‘play for the shirt’ rather than for money.
“Why did I come here? For a job. A career is only 10, 15 years. It’s only a job … football is not my passion,” he told the Guardian.
“I have never bought into the hypocrisy of football. [It] is just a job, a means to an end … there are more important things in life than kicking a ball around.
“Yes, I play for money, but then doesn’t everybody who gets up in the morning and goes to work?
“It infuriates me when footballers go on about playing for the shirt. I think they should be held accountable for it when they kiss the badge and six months later clear off for a better pay day.”
Others in the game have also made similar remarks. Former Brighton, Tottenham, Fulham, West Ham and QPR forward Bobby Zamora once said that when he stopped playing he didn’t know what he’d do but “if it means watching football then I don’t want to get involved”.
While Carlos Tevez said he’d rather watch a golf tournament than Real Madrid take on Barcelona. Maybe he took his inspiration from former Tottenham and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale for that one.
Wales. Golf. Madrid. Indeed.
