Arsenal star Ben White is one of the best defenders in the Premier League, but he has not featured in an England squad in nearly two years.
White has been consistently excellent under Mikel Arteta, both as a centre-back and a right-back, and he would be a strong option for the England National Team.
However, White left the 2022 World Cup squad midway through the tournament in Qatar, with the reason eventually becoming clear a year later.
White had fallen out with England assistant coach Steve Holland, who reportedly berated him for a perceived lack of interest in football. White has since been subjected to jeers from opposition fans, with a narrative building that he ‘hates’ the sport he plays so well.
However, White has now set out to dispel some of these myths and has now explained what he truly feels about football.
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Does Arsenal star Ben White really hate football?
Speaking in an interview with former England goalkeeper Ben Foster on Prime Video, White was asked whether he actually ‘hates football’ as many have suggested, and he clarified his stance.
“No, of course not,” White replied.
“It was obviously a massive thing, there was a few things that I said that probably portrayed that.
“Obviously I don’t watch it. For me, it’s not like a big deal, it’s probably what I said at the time.
“In training the amount of videos and stuff you have to do every day is so extreme, so when I come home, I just want to forget about it.
“There’s no football on, I don’t talk about it when I come home, my mum and dad don’t speak to me about it. It like it’s not my job basically.”
Criticism has been directed towards White, with some claiming that a lack of interest in the game gives him a disadvantage, but this is clearly not the case.
“I’m seeing people think that I don’t love it or obviously I don’t watch it, but I probably could tell you most things about every winger that I’m going to play against, or the attributes that I’m going to have to be able to come up against on the weekend,” he added.
“For me I think obviously playing right back – there’s so many good left-wingers, like every game that would be the best player.”
Ben White has the same attitude towards football as John Stones
The perception around White is unfair, and this helped contribute to the fallout which led to his exit from the England National Team.
White is never at a sporting disadvantage despite directly facing some of the best wingers in the world, and he does watch the required footage for training purposes.
The 26-year-old is also not the only footballer to admit that they do not actively watch the game beyond their professional duties.
Speaking in March, Arsenal star Declan Rice revealed that England and Man City defender John Stones also does not pay much attention to football when he is not playing.
“The first day I came [on England duty], I saw John Stones and he didn’t even know they were playing us next,” said Rice, laughing. “When he’s away from football he likes to be with his family and switch off and I get that, he likes to take one game at a time,” Rice stated of Stones.
Stones has never been criticised for this in the same way White has, and the reality is that a lot of footballers probably feel similar given the heavy fixture schedules, and the volume of analysis they have to do in training.
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