Former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has said young players in England need to give up on their alcohol-fuelled lifestyles and follow the example of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish is seen as one of the next rising stars in the Premier League, with the attacking midfielder enjoying a superb second half of last season and making an appearance in the FA Cup final.
But he had made the wrong headlines this week after photos emerged of him drinking vodka and lying on a road while on holiday in Ibiza. Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling has also been in the news for all the wrong reasons, as has Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere after he led fans to sing insulting songs about Spurs while celebrating the Gunners’ FA Cup parade.
Speaking to the Independent, one-time favourite for the England job Redknapp, said players in the UK need to grow up and get on with playing their football.
“Why do they have to go out and act like idiots, get drunk, falling over? They’re professional footballers. Jack Grealish, he’s had an excellent year, an excellent second half of the season, plays in the Cup final and then goes and does that,” he said.
He added: “Not that long ago I was in the same hotel in Sardinia as Cristiano Ronaldo for 10 days, with my wife and family. I saw him every day. You can see he looks after himself. Has his dinner, possibly has a glass of wine, but he’s not going out every night.
“Why do these English players have to go and get silly drunk, and lay in the street and fall over? It’s alright for his mate who’s doing it, who’s cleaning windows, if that’s the way he wants to live.”
True Talk…