From World Cup to women's football, former footballer David James gets candid with Tatler
It’s not every day you get a chance to sit back and meet football legend David James. The former Liverpool goalkeeper is no stranger to our shores. Having visited the country previously before the lockdown, he’s back for Astro’s Premier League Studio coverage—a visit that almost didn’t happen due to the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth, and the uncertainty of the games being held that weekend.
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Over a cup of coffee at Ascott Star KLCC Kuala Lumpur, we spoke about football, his newfound love for art, his favourite Malaysian dish and why in his opinion the match between England and Wales in the World Cup will be the interesting match to watch.
What brings you to Malaysia?
This trip was initially to do two weekends of Premier League football with Astro but unfortunately, because of the sad passing of the Queen, which happened the day before I was supposed to travel out, [I stayed back]. There was also the question of whether the games were going to be held that weekend. I was going to come out with my partner anyway, and the game being called off gave us an opportunity to explore Malaysia.
What are some key places you’ve visited in Malaysia so far?
I’m not a traditional tourist… I like going off the track a little bit. I’ve been to Genting Highlands, and that was interesting. My family has a small history with Malaysia. When my dad was in the army, he was stationed in Borneo, so I’ve read and gotten familiar with Malaysia even before my first visit here.
You know how our lives centre around food. Any Malaysian dish you fancy?
I have a different answer to this—durian! I love it! I will always try local food, and my partner, who is a great chef, often cooks a lot of Asian food. Since I’ve got a strict dietary requirement, I’ll try it once, and if I like it then she’ll sort of make a healthier, leaner option. I mean it’s wonderful food, but I find that if I indulge, then I have to spend more time in the gym to keep fit for football.
Talking about football, what do you miss about playing in the Premier League or the world championships?
When you’ve watched so many games now, you sometimes think to yourself, “I’d love to be doing that again!” With a football career, you must be extremely fit, and that’s one thing I don’t miss—the training.
I can play a game today and if it was an easy game, I wouldn’t have a lot to do, and I can get through 90 minutes without any problems. We used to train on the grass and then probably two hours in the gym, and anything else that’s added to it. It was quite literally a full-on job. And being able to get through each week physically and mentally, was more important than playing the game.
You spoke about training and how it is not just physically challenging but mentally as well. What sort of support do footballers get to prepare for this?
When I was managing in India, I was checking on how people were, which was my own choice and not some instruction from the club. We had foreign players and we tried to get their families to come out so that the players were happy in their working environment. The same goes for the local people as well. We had working staff and non-playing staff who I would instruct to spend a weekend with their families since they could go for months without seeing them. I tried to implement this because it made them happier, more productive, and it became a healthier working environment. In professional games however, such as the Premier League, players will have their own sports psychologists and therapists to help them.
Women’s football history in England has seen a tremendous shift from once being banned by the Football Association (which was only lifted in 1971), to winning the Euro 2022 in July this year. What do you hope to see happening for women’s football in our lifetime?
I started following the Lionesses (England’s women’s football team) since 2005. Back then, there were fewer than 1,000 fans and [entities] weren’t heavily invested in them. Fast-forward to 2020 and there were about 87,000 fans watching the European Cup finals—it was fantastic!
When you look at what the FA did 10 years ago, and the pathway that they’ve created, this was probably going to happen. It wasn’t by chance that England’s women’s [football] had a good run, this was a plan that they strategised and had in place for many years.
So, what happens next is the key to whether women’s football is going to be successful. You can have a successful team of course but more importantly, it’s what happens at the grassroots. Football is for the boy or girl who just enjoys being in a football environment and playing, rather than going out there to be the best in the world. I think there’s going to be a legacy from the Lionesses’ success and the aim should be getting more girls to engage with football.
I love asking kids who don’t have a team they support why are they playing football and their answer is because their friends come. That to me is a great answer. My first real engagement with football was joining a team because my friend played for the team and I used to go around to his house, and he was always out training. His mum then said, “you should just join the team!” My path to football started from friendship, which comes in handy when you are playing in a team sport.
Which matches are you most excited to watch in the World Cup 2022?
There are two matches I’m looking forward to, for two very different reasons. One is the England versus USA because of 2010—that’s the game we should have won! The other is a bit of a family feud, which is when England plays Wales. My kids’ mum is from Wales, and they were born there, so it’s going to be interesting to see what happens!
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