WE BELIEVE
BURY-BORN WORLD CUP STAR TRIPPIER SAYS HE WAS INSPIRED WATCHING HIS OLDER SIBLING PLAY FOR OLDHAM ATHLETIC
KIERAN Trippier idolises David Beckham, respects Gary Neville and tries to pass like Andrea Pirlo.
But it is his big brother who is his real hero.
Trippier, who has emerged one of England’s best performers during their charge to the World Cup quarter-finals, was a boyhood Beckham fan growing up as a Red in Manchester City’s academy.
The former England and Old Trafford captain’s praise - delivered via the medium of Instagram fire emoji - won’t have gone unnoticed by the Bury-born right-back amongst the wave of positivity surrounding his performances in Russia.
“I’ve not met him but I would love to – I’m a massive fan of him,” said Trippier, who has been nicknamed the ‘Bury Beckham’ for his dead-ball delivery and crossing. “Hopefully, down the line, we can cross paths and have a chat. “I used to watch Beckham and Pirlo, players like this, over their careers they have got a fantastic right foot on them and everyone knows that. “Beckham was the one I always looked up to - the technique, his crossing, on the move or set pieces. He’s the one I used to look up to on crossing the ball for sure.” Only Neymar and Kevin de Bruyne have created more chances at this World Cup than Trippier - ‘not bad for a Bury lad’ - and despite the starry accolades, it is the influence of older brother Kelvin Lomax in his development that he is keen to acknowledge. “When I was younger my brother was playing for Oldham,” Trippier said. “He was League One and League Two, and he’s the one I looked up to.
“I used to go and watch him every week, watching his training sessions at Oldham, playing there, kicking it against the wall.
“I just looked up to my brother because he was a professional and he was the one I wanted to follow.
“Unfortunately, he is not playing now but he’s the one who has helped me a hell of a lot. He was a full-back. He was a right-back and left-back.
“He played a few games in the Football League and he’s had a big impact on my career.”
Former City youth coach Steve Eyre also played a key role and the 27-yearold still speaks to him every week, though Trippier had to move away from the Blues to make the senior grade, arriving at the England team via Burnley and his current club Tottenham.
Given his local connections and his Old Trafford affinity, many United fans might be wondering why he never became a successor to Neville, especially after seeing Spurs pick him up for a modest £3.5m.
Neville was an inspiration alongside his more celebrated United teammate.
I looked up to my brother because he was a professional and he was the one I wanted to follow
Kieran Trippier
“All I can do is keep doing the best I can and any opportunity I get I’ll try and put balls in like David Beckham,” he said.
“He was a fantastic player, I can’t speak highly enough about what he’s done - captained England, the caps he had and winning trophies all around Europe. Gary played a similar position to me. He’s a Bury lad, just round the corner from me.
“Defensively he was a quality player throughout his career at United and with England. Just look at the trophies he’s won, they speak for themselves.”
A number of Trippier’s family members will be in Russia for the quarterfinal having watched the Colombia triumph back in Summerseat, where a 20ft high flagpole displays a huge St George’s Cross with ‘Trippier 2’ on it.
“For so long we didn’t win a penalty shootout and the joy of our fans back home, it was incredible,” he said.
“All the boys sense it and want to win more games to let the fans celebrate like they did and give them happiness and hopefully Saturday we can do that.”
● Four pages of England World Cup previews: See M.E.N. Sport