5 players who despise football

There’s a reason why they call football as the beautiful game, isn’t it? The sport brings smiles to millions around the globe.

Football’s an escape route for us when it comes to an upset mood or an attempt to cap off a boring week with a tinge of fun and excitement. In the wildest of our dreams, we always envisage ourselves scoring a wonder goal and celebrating in front of thousands of supporters who are bellowing your name at the top of their voices.

As good a figment of imagination as it is, there apparently are some men who fail to savour the beauty it has, even after the following football as a profession for decades.

On that note, let’s have a look at 5 such players who despise playing the beautiful game.

5. David Batty

In a list of well-known footballers till date, David Batty’s name is almost negligible. Having enjoyed the sport of football as a profession for 18 long years, the Englishman played for Leeds United, Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers.

Batty was also a part of the English national team in the 1988 World Cup and UEFA Euro in 1992. He is mostly remembered for missing a penalty against Argentina in the World Cup.

Back in 2007, a disgruntled Batty accepted that football was no more fun for him, as he said,

“The national game is boring. And I’ve not been to watch any match since I finished playing. I can never understand anybody paying to watch it, never mind going all the way across the world to see it. You want to be entertained.”4. Bobby Zamora

The name sounds similar, doesn’t it? Bobby Zamora played for The English striker also played for Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion, Bristol Rovers, West Ham, Tottenham and Queens Park Rangers and also represented the English national team twice, eventually retiring in 2016.

When asked about his retirement plans, Zamora said,

“I’m not sure what I want to do after I finish playing but if it means watching football then I don’t want to get involved.”

“I’m not a massive football fan, really.”

“Quite a lot more players than (those that admit it) are the same. I don’t watch games on an evening or anything like that. A lot of people find it strange.”3. Curtis Woodhouse

Curtis Woodhouse was an England U21 star who played from 1997 to 2006, before quitting the sport to turn to professional boxing at the age of 26. However, he returned to football as a part-time player, signing for Rushden and Diamonds in November 2006.

He played until 2012 and retired at Sheffield United. When asked about his views on the beautiful game, here’s what he had to say:

“The best years of my life were 10 to 17. That was when I desperately wanted to be John Barnes and to play for Liverpool and England. Once I became a pro, I felt it was over. I loved the journey; I despised the destination.”

“People asked how I could walk away from all that money, but the more money I earned the more I hated football.”

It’s pretty amusing to know that the number of players who despise the sport exceeds than those who are mentioned in this list.2. Stephen Ireland

Remember that bald-headed midfielder who once tried to fulfil his potential at Manchester City. He later ended up playing at Sunderland, far from doing what he was meant to.

The Irishman took to Bebo – a social networking site, back in 2007 to express his hatred for the game when he posted,

“Football is sh*t! why did I get stuck doing it?”

Apparently, Ireland also faked the death of his grandmothers so he could get away from international duty to spend time with his girlfriend. Clearly not interested in playing ball, was he?

1. Gabriel Batistuta

Those who have studied football literature don’t need a second introduction of who Gabriel Batistuta was in his playing days. In his decade-long stint with Fiorentina, the Argentine striker achieved a god-like status amongst the residents of Florence for his goal-scoring abilities.

He also became Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer, only to be surpassed by Lionel Messi in 2016.

Alessandro Rialto, who co-wrote his autobiography, stated as follows:

“The important thing about Batistuta is that he is not like other players. He is a very good professional who doesn’t really like football.”

“Once he leaves the stadium, he doesn’t want football encroaching upon the rest of his life. He is a very sensitive and intelligent man. When we were doing the book, he came to my office and for five full days, he spoke about his family and his life in Argentina.”

“But when it came to the football and his career, he switched off. ‘The records are there,’ he said, ‘you can look them up’.”