Ben White has come in for a fair bit of stick since he joined Arsenal in 2021, and most of it hasn't been to do with football.
He's been consistently beaten with the £50m price-tag he commanded upon leaving Brighton - something punctuated after being dominated on his debut in a loss at Brentford.
His insistence that he likes being called 'Benjamin' because that is, well, his actual name, and nonchalant attitude towards football have earned him a reputation as a pretty relaxed guy.
In an interview printed in a recent Arsenal matchday programme, White opened up on his ideal career path had he not gone down the football route.
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"I’d probably be working with my dad if I wasn’t a footballer. He used to be a gardener," White said.
"I think that’s why there was never any pressure on me growing up, because I would have been very happy with that.
"I went into football, but it would have been no problem for me to do what my dad did. I’m obsessed with being the best I can be, and being successful, and that would have been in anything I did. I always want to do the most I can to be a success. So if I had gone into gardening, it would have been the same.
"My profession just happens to also be a lot of people’s hobby. They look forward to every Saturday to watch the game and that’s great. But for me it’s about being on the pitches every day, trying to constantly be the best you can be. That’s the bit I really love.
"I never used to watch football much anyway. If it was on when I was a kid, after five minutes I’d get bored of it and go outside to play football. I didn’t really watch it, I’d much rather do it. Even now, I don’t watch football really.
"I watch my own clips and my own footage to help me improve but I wouldn’t watch a game for fun. Nobody in my family had ever played football, they have never been into it.
"My parents [Barry and Carole] aren’t football fans at all, so they didn’t push me into it. But they saw how much I loved it, and they did everything they could to help me.
"My dad has no idea about football to be honest. It’s quite funny, but it’s nice, too. I’ve got the coaches here to tell me what I need to know anyway, so it’s nice not to have any added pressure or anything outside of that.
"That’s how my life is arranged. When I come into the training ground, it’s all about football - 100 percent focus. Then when I leave, I switch off from it. I know some players are just about football 24/7 but for me, I wouldn’t be able to do that. I wouldn’t be able to give everything if I did that.
"I think it’s a good balance for me to switch off and leave it at the training ground."
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On this edition of The Chronicles of a Gooner, part of the 90min podcast network, Harry Symeou discusses the FA's decision to investigate Arsenal's celebrations in the win over Bournemouth. If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
Source : 90min