Ben Davies

I have always liked Ben Davies, whilst he has never been the star of the team I have always believed he performed well most times he played. He is a professional’s professional and behaves very well. Read the article below and I think even his most critical fans would admire him.

"Obviously the older I've got in the game you have to start thinking about that kind of thing, but I'm one of those guys who likes to plan for all eventualities. I'm doing my coaching badges, I'll hopefully have my A licence within the next month or so. I'd like to finish my pro licence before I finish playing," said the defender.

"That would be the ideal goal because I think it would be a nice transition to go straight into coaching instead of being that guy who has no qualifications. You then have to take two or three years out just to get the qualifications and then ultimately you're on the outside of football trying to find your way back in.

"Whereas I feel I'm in a good position now. I want to play for as long as I can, but it's always in the back of my mind that you see some players now that was they're getting older they go to play for a club with an eye on turning into a coach in a year's time or working with different managers to try to go down that route.

"I think that's a route I'd like to go down first. As I've got older you have to look at what all of these managers are doing and take notes. You see what works and what doesn't work and then you formulate your own ideas. That's the route I want to go down. When I was injured all the boys were in Dubai, I was doing my rehab and post-session I went to watch the U13s at Spurs' academy and I'm on the side and even watching that level you can feel there's an intensity to it.

"There's the joy in realising you can speak to these kids and they hang on your every word and they will listen. You can actually give them some advice. Who knows? They might think I was talking nonsense, but giving them some advice that might help them in their game. So that was my weekend, watching them, and then that's my first hope."

He added: "Then I also I have a big interest in the business of sport as well and the business of football. When I was young, I was bit of a nerd and that's when I decided I was going to do my business economics degree at university level. I finished that when I was 26 and I've got that in the back pocket.

"I'm doing my business course with the PFA that they're running now which is the equivalent of a master's degree. It is unusual but I grew up with an emphasis on education. It probably goes back to that feeling of 'what if football doesn't work out' when I was younger.

"When I signed for Tottenham I could easily have decided I'd made it but you have to prepare for all eventualities in life and I thought a good use of my time in the afternoons would be to get my head in some books, some economics books. It's not for everybody but I think it put me in good stead going forward.
injuriesfootballlondon
"I'm going to see how the coaching stuff goes first. If it's up my street then great but I think even if I try that first it gives me a better grounding, a better understanding of the whole industry of football from different angles. So if I then want to go on the business side and the office side of football, then I have that option."

Add on top of being a Premier League player, international captain, scholar and a coaching student, the fact that last summer Davies became a father for the first time to a son Ralph with his wife Emily. While it has been a big, positive change to his life, it meant that his last Tottenham pre-season tour across the world, within weeks of starting work with Postecoglou, became even tougher than it normally would.

"It was incredible [to become a father]. Put it this way, I'm glad I didn't have a kid like some of the young guys in our team, spending their whole football career with a little one because you definitely lose out on some sleep, but it's the best feeling ever," he said. "It was crazy. My first son was born on July 10 and I think we left on pre-season on July 14 so I had to go to Australia for 10 days, which was incredibly tough.
"My wife was amazing and she's an incredible mum with him. It's one of the best things in life and ultimately it makes you want to make them proud and every time I can, every time after training I love to spend time with him and the family. You realise that family is the most important thing in life."