Arsenal defender Ben White has confirmed that he doesn’t hate football but told former England goalkeeper Ben Foster that he doesn’t watch it or talk about it with his family despite racking up more than 300 senior club appearances.
White also has four England caps to his name but made himself unavailable after reported tensions with Steve Holland, former England manager Gareth Southgate’s assistant.
In an interview with Foster for Amazon Prime Video Sport, the 27-year-old reiterated his dedication to his profession, reassuring Arsenal supporters that he knows what to expect from his opponents before every game.
Ben White is in good company with famous football opt-outs
White isn’t the first high-profile footballer to see football as a job or even dislike it. Elsewhere in north London, Benoit Assou-Ekotto had little interest in watching football because he played enough of it for Tottenham Hotspur.
Gabriel Batistuta and Christian Vieri famously lacked affection for their sport. David Batty, who played for England at the 1998 World Cup, later described football as boring and questioned why people pay to watch it.
White has never shied away from suggestions that he doesn’t watch football in his own time ever since he rose to Premier League prominence with Brighton. He told Foster that he never watches matches but doesn’t see it as a big issue.
“[I] don’t talk about it when I come home,” said the Arsenal defender. “Mum and dad don’t speak to me about it [but] I could probably tell you most things about every winger that I’m going to play against.”
The Gunners defender also said he needs to know what to expect because, as a right-back, he plays directly against the opposing winger who tends to be among the most dangerous players Arsenal face in every fixture.
“Every game, they’re probably the best player,” he said. “If you look at every team, [the left winger is] one or two.”
Arsenal line up against Bournemouth in Saturday’s late kick-off as one of two unbeaten teams in the Premier League. They sit in third place, one point off leaders Liverpool and behind Manchester City only on goals scored.
With the two teams above them not playing until Sunday afternoon, a win for Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium would take them to the top of the Premier League on Saturday evening.
