England icon admits ‘bored’ World Cup stars had cheeky sport to move the time
EXCLUSIVE An England icon has joked about a secret game the Three Lions had during the World Cup to try and avoid ‘boredom’ in between games
David Seaman was England’s No.1 in France(Image: Sunday Mirror)
An England icon has admitted the Three Lions came up with a secret game to try and avoid boredom while playing at the World Cup.
David Seaman went into the 1998 edition as the Three Lions No.1 – but tournament football isn’t quite as glamorous as it looks, and with several days between matches, players spend much of their time confined to hotels, leaving them searching for ways to pass the hours.
“We even had a competition to see how many Phil Collins and Genesis song titles we could work into television interviews,” Seaman told Daily Star Sport with his now trademark chuckle.
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“Alan Shearer and David Beckham were really good at it. I tried it once and completely ruined my interview because I spent the whole time thinking about song titles instead of answering the questions!”
The prank was just one of the ways England’s squad kept themselves entertained during long stretches away from the pitch.
Seaman explained how players are “effectively locked in the team hotel because, understandably, security don’t want you going out.
“Back in France in 1998, they turned an underground car park into an amusement arcade. It had everything – arcade games, dartboards, snooker tables, driving games – the lot. It was all there to help relieve the boredom because you can only train so much.
“Players always want to mess around with a football, but you can pick up little niggles doing that, so nowadays the sports science staff manage exactly how much training you do!
And it was in these game rooms that Seaman joked he had his best World Cup moment: It’s funny because meal times almost became the highlight of the day. “Even when we went to Japan in 2002, one whole floor of the hotel was dedicated to games and entertainment.
“I actually remember hitting a 180 on the dartboard over there – that’s one of my favourite memories from Japan!”
And when they’re not in the games room, Seaman added some players might just be counting down until meal time: “Everyone would think: ‘Yes, it’s time for food’.
There were always plenty of snacks available as well, but meals became the main event…Then it was straight back into the games room.”
