EXCLUSIVE: A former England star admitted that he never shared with a ‘bad roommate’, mainly because he was the problem as he ‘never went to bed’ at the World Cup
Former England star Paul Merson admitted he never bunked with a bad roommate at the World Cup, mainly because he was the problem.
Merson played 21 times for England between 1991 and 1998, playing in Euro 1992 and returning for his only World Cup in 1998. So much of the Three Lions’ time at a major tournament is behind closed doors, but one of the most important parts of recovery is when the players return to their rooms at night.
Sleep is one of the biggest drivers of recovery and footballers have told horror stories in the past about how they shared a room with a nightmare team-mate who makes that almost impossible.
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But speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sport, thanks to Immersive Gamebox, Merson admitted that he never shared with a bad roommate, because he likely was that guy.
“No, I didn’t as it goes. No, I shared a World Cup with Tony Adams. We sort of… we sort of had a single room but apartment sort of things they were in a hotel complex. So, no, I never… I was fortunate. I think some, some people would say I was a bad roommate.
“I always watched sports, always gambling, so I never went to bed, so yeah. So a lot of times I was on my own.”
Looking ahead to Sunday night’s last 16 clash against Mexico, Merson was asked how he feels England’s chances are dealing with the heat, which will only be exacerbated in high altitude in the Estadio Azteca on Monday.
“I wasn’t very bullish at the start. I thought the heat, I thought this and that. I’ve been screaming out for us to play like a Premier League team, you know, that bang bang, quick. Because if we play at that tempo, I don’t think teams will live with us.
“We’ve seen it in Europe this season, you know, the way that two teams won it and we lost in the final of another one. So, for me, play it that way. I like Tuchel. I like him. I like what he said to the players as well, what you’re hearing from them. And he’s got five unbelievable substitutes that can come on and not weaken the team. Yeah, and I think that’s the big advantage.”
England’s stars showed before the World Cup even began that they would have to adjust to the sun and heat after several stars suffered sunburn during their first couple of days in North America.
“First of all, they shouldn’t be getting sunburned. That shouldn’t be happening. There’s a lot of people get burned on their neck more than anywhere else, so sunscreen, absolutely sunscreen.
“Probably not the heat, I would probably say the humidity is the one. We have hot days here now in England the way the climate’s changed.
“So, it’s the humidity that gets you, and that’s the thing. The players have just got to be careful because sometimes when you don’t think it’s that hot and it’s cloudy, it’s still hot in America, very hot.”
Merson spent Father’s Day with a footballing family showdown at Immersive Gamebox, taking on its brand-new Football Arcade experience alongside his 11-year-old son Freddie.
With the World Cup in full swing, Football Arcade recreates the feeling of tournament football in a format anyone can enjoy, whether they are football-mad or have never kicked a ball before.
Designed for teams of two to six players who choose a nation, customise their avatar and compete on a global leaderboard, with a $10,000 grand prize up for grabs.