Arsenal defender Ben White reveals he would have been a GARDENER if he didn’t become a footballer
Arsenal defender Ben White reveals he would have become a GARDENER if he hadn’t played football… and admits he has no interest in following the sport ‘for fun’ in his time away from the Gunners
- White has never been afraid to confess his disinterest in football as a fan
- The 25-year-old admits he wouldn’t watch a game for fun in his own downtime.
- He also feels that he would now be a gardener like his father if football didn’t work out.
Arsenal and England star Ben White believes he would have followed in his father’s footsteps and become a gardener if he wasn’t a professional footballer.
White, 25, has made 32 appearances for the Gunners this season, helping Mikel Arteta’s side lead the Premier League title race.
Although while establishing himself as one of the country’s best defenders in recent years, the former Brighton man has never been afraid to admit he has little interest in football outside of his own career, instead treating the sport simply as a profession.
When spending time away from Arsenal, White says he would never watch a game for entertainment purposes and is convinced he would have taken up gardening if professional football hadn’t worked.
“I would probably be working with my father if he wasn’t a footballer. He was a gardener’, he wrote in Arsenal’s matchday programme. I think that’s why there was never any pressure on me growing up, because I would have been very happy with that.
Ben White thinks he would have become an outfielder if he wasn’t a professional footballer
White is a crucial member of an Arsenal team leading the way in the Premier League title race.
“I got into football, but it wouldn’t have been a problem for me to do what my father did.”
I never used to watch much football anyway. If it was on when I was a kid, after five minutes I’d get bored and go out and play football. I didn’t really watch it, I’d rather. Even now, I don’t really watch football.
“I watch my own clips and my own footage to help me improve, but I wouldn’t watch a game for fun.”
White began his professional career with Brighton before sealing a £50m move to Arsenal in 2021, a fee that drew attention at the time given his little top-flight experience.
However, he has become an invaluable member of the Gunners’ title-chasing team, while also making four appearances for England.
“I’m obsessed with being the best I can be and succeeding, and that would have been in everything I did,” he continued.
‘I always want to do my best to be successful. So if I had taken up gardening, it would have been the same.
But the 25-year-old says he has little interest in soccer other than improving his own career.
‘My profession also turns out to be a hobby for many people. They wait every Saturday to watch the game and that’s great.
“But for me it’s about being on the courts every day, trying to be the best that you can be constantly.” That’s the part I really love.
‘When I get to the training ground, it’s all about football: 100% concentration. Then when I leave, I log out.
‘I don’t think my dad ever said to me, ‘Are we going to watch a game on TV?’ He’s absolutely not interested in it, I don’t think he’s ever seen one on TV.
