Tottenham defender Ben Davies continues to reflect on his career after the game and explained why his first month working with Ange Postecoglou has been difficult.
The 30-year-old has carved out a fine football career for himself, playing 329 times for Tottenham and has been a favorite of managers such as Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and now Postecoglou for nearly a decade at the north London club. and he is likely to captain Wales this week as they face Poland in the play-off final for a place at this summer’s Euros.
Davies is someone who thinks beyond the game and while other young footballers might use their free time to play video games and go out, the Welshman has always looked to study, gaining a degree in business economics and currently he is working towards the corresponding master’s degree, while at the same time working towards his coaching qualifications.
Taking part in an insight podcast interview on The Gab & Juls ShowDavies revealed in the first part of the episode that he wants to take the unusual route of gaining a UEFA Pro license – required to become a manager in most top leagues – before hanging up his boots.
“Obviously as I get older in the game you have to start thinking about that, but I’m one of those guys who likes to plan for all eventualities. I’m doing my coaching badges, hopefully I’ll have my A license within the next month about. I would like to finish my professional license before I finish the game,” 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 unqualified guy. Then you have to do two or three years to qualify and then finally You’re on the outside of football trying to find your way back.
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“While I feel I’m in a good position now. I want to play as much as I can but it’s always in the back of my mind that you see some players now growing up going to play for a club who want to coach in a year or work with with different coaches to try to follow that path.
“I think that’s a route I’d like to take first. As I’ve grown, you have to look at what all these managers are doing and take notes. You see what works and what doesn’t work and then formulate your own ideas. That’s the route that I want to go down. When I got injured all the boys were in Dubai doing my rehab and after the session I went to see the U13s at Spurs academy and I’m in the side and even watching that level you can feel there a tension in it.
“There’s joy when you realize you can talk to these guys and they hang on every word and they’ll listen. You can give them some advice. Who knows? They might think I’m talking nonsense, but I’m giving them some advice that might help them in the game So that was the weekend I saw them and that’s my first hope then.”
He added: “Then I’m also very interested in the business of sports as well as the business of football. When I was young, I was a bit of a nerd and that’s when I decided I was going to do my degree in economics at university level. I finished it when I was 26 years old and I have it in my back pocket.
“I’m doing my professional course with the PFA that they run now, which is equivalent to a postgraduate degree. It’s unusual, but I grew up with an emphasis on education. It probably goes back to that feeling of ‘what if football doesn’t go well’ when I was young.
“When I signed for Tottenham I could easily have decided I was going to make 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 put my head in a few books, some finances. books. It’s not for everyone, but I think it’s set me in good stead going forward.
“I will first see how training goes. If it’s on my way, then great, but I think even if I try it first, it gives me a better foundation, a better understanding of the whole football industry from different angles. So if I then want to go into the business side and the office side of football, then I have that option.”
Add to that being a Premier League player, international captain, scholar and student coach, the fact that last summer Davies became a first-time father to a son Ralph with wife Emily. While it was a big, positive change in his life, it meant Tottenham’s final pre-season tour around the world, within weeks of starting a partnership with Postecoglou, was made even tougher than usual.
“It was incredible [to become a father]. To put it this way, I’m glad I didn’t have a kid like some of the young guys in our team, who spent their whole football career with a little one because you definitely lose some sleep, but it’s the best feeling ever,” he said. “It was crazy. My first son was born on the 10th of July and I think we left for prep on the 14th of July so I had to go to Australia for 10 days which was incredibly difficult.
“My wife has been amazing and is an incredible mum to him. It’s one of the best things in life and ultimately it makes you want to make them proud and whenever I can, every time after training I like to spend time with him and family. You realize that family is the most important thing in life.”
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