10 Surprising Revelations About Newcastle Players You'd Never Believe

6. David Batty Hated Football

One would wonder how on earth a person can forge a career spanning nearly two decades from a sport that they derive no enjoyment from. David Batty was a man who rose to the top of his profession, amassing 42 international caps and nearly 500 club appearances throughout his career.

''That 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.'' - David Batty,

The former Newcastle midfielder was known to ask taxi drivers of turn the radio off if football was on, and refused to talk about the game, preferring instead to indulge about conversations about motorbikes and tennis. Perhaps that's why he was driven to on-pitch brawls with his own team-mates by the mid-90s, having been forced to feign a daily interest in a sport he derives no joy from.