Nyydelig artikkel i The Athletic om Ben White i dag. Og det er ikke engang ført i pennen av Phil Hay, men deres 'Brighton-mann' Adam Crafton.
Han fulgte foreldrene og onkelen på bortekamp i Luton i helgen.
Fra barndommen:
In truth, Ben has overcome much more than an increase in training ground intensity. He has spent his life demonstrating resilience and courage, first to overcome life-threatening illnesses as a child and then to respond to rejection when Southampton released him at the age of 16. As the clock ticks towards 3pm and the stand fills up, Carole returns to Ben’s childhood.
She says: “His immune system was not working. If somebody sneezed, he would end up with pneumonia. He had appendicitis and he didn’t come around from that for a while. He had six or seven different infections. He was in hospital for much of his young life, for months at a time. They said, ‘Take him home. He is probably safer at home because of the amount of bugs around hospitals.’
“He was seven when he had his appendix out. He was on antibiotics twice a day until the age of eight from 18 months old. He had massive allergies but the two apparently are linked, due to that immune system problem. We carried an Epipen everywhere. It would be the only way to save him. As parents, it was either ‘Wrap him up in a bubble’ or let him do what he wanted so he had a quality of life. And then, he started to get better.
….
After a torrential downpour of freezing rain in Luton, Leeds players then headed straight for the ice bath to ease the muscles. Ben winces. “But I had a nice little run and pass, didn’t I? For the first goal.†He smile widens. “And I love this Leeds away kit. I’ve bought baby Louie this one.â€
He continues: “Games like this can be massive. They are tough, particularly when teams sit back. I am learning so much from Marcelo Bielsa and his staff. I am moving quicker. I have learned to do everything at a sprint, not just to do it when I want to do it. That’s a sharp and intense change. Physically, I am the best I have ever been. And yes, I am only on loan but these boys and these fans have been fantastic to me. To go up with Leeds in their centenary year (after 20 years away from the top division), can you imagine? It would be unbelievable.â€
For Ben – and his family – the odyssey continues tonight on another away trip. This time to Reading.
https://theathletic.co.uk/1408731/2019/11/26/hes-confident-he-always-wants-to-make-a-pass-thats-not-good-for-my-nerves-watching-leeds-ben-white-from-the-away-end-with-his-parents/