THE BURY BECKHAM
Trippier modelled his game on English superstar and now he is taking World Cup by storm
KIERAN TRIPPIER had just been informed that only Neymar and Kevin de Bruyne have created more chances for their team-mates at this World Cup.
‘Not bad for a Bury lad,’ smiled England’s right-sided wing-back, who has 12 to his name so far.
It turns out he is actually the pride of Bury right now. On the night of the Colombia game, neighbours piled into his parents’ house to watch the game.
With the television set up in the garden, others who live on the same estate even stopped to watch over the fence, all of them sharing in what eventually proved a joyous occasion for the family.
This weekend, however, Trippier’s family will be in Samara for England’s quarter-final against Sweden. ‘We’ll maybe keep the telly on for people to watch,’ he joked.
Understandably, the Tottenham player is in good spirits — and not just because he is part of a young England side who have done so well in Russia.
He has been one of the successes of the World Cup for Gareth Southgate — firing a superb penalty in the shoot-out triumph over Colombia — and a vital member of the team.
He is a key component of a defensive unit growing in stature as the competition progresses and a player rightly being heralded as England’s finest crosser of the ball since David Beckham.
Trippier says he has never met Beckham, but as a youngster at the Manchester City academy, he would study the former England skipper’s technique and practise under the guidance of a coach who remains a close friend, Steve Eyre.
‘My delivery is something I always used to work on,’ he says. ‘Me and Steve used to stay behind for ages after every session when I was in the youth team at Platt Lane.
‘You can always improve on everything and crossing was the one I really wanted to work on.
‘I used to watch Beckham and Pirlo, players like that. Beckham was the one I always looked at — the technique, his crossing, on the move or in set-pieces. But it still came down to working hard. When I look back on my journey, and I want to thank people for helping me get here, Steve is one of them for sure.’
Before the Colombia game, Southgate made a point of reminding his players about all their individual journeys; the way so many of them had risen from the lower divisions of English football to be there in the last 16.
‘We all have our own journeys,’ said Trippier, 27, as he reflected on his career at England’s base in Repino. ‘I got let go at Man City but I always believed I could play at the top level. It has taken longer than expected and I have had to be patient.
‘At Tottenham, it took two years for me to try to break in there. But I knew my opportunity would come if I worked hard enough.
‘I have always wanted to be in this position where I play for my country in a World Cup. It has been a good tournament so far, but we don’t want to go home yet.’
Trippier raved about Southgate. ‘I can’t speak highly enough of him,’ he said. ‘He’s been excellent for me. And the formation is perfect. He encourages me to get forward as much as I can.’
A Swedish reporter quoted a scout for Sweden’s team who has suggested England lack the fluency and pace to penetrate their defence.
‘We’ve got a good team,’ replied Trippier. ‘The formation we play, allowing our centre-backs to come out and play, we know what we’re doing. I haven’t got an issue with those comments, but we just need to focus on ourselves. We can hurt anyone.
He hopes, like all the players, to give cause for more celebration for England fans back home. ‘We see it on social media, it’s crazy,’ he said. ‘You see people throwing pints in pubs. We want to do well and create more scenes like that.’
And he wants to make Bury proud — and his older brother Kelvin proud.
At one stage, Kelvin played for Oldham, only for injury to wreck his career.
‘He’s the one I looked up to,’ said Trippier. ‘I used to go and watch him because I wanted to be a footballer, as well.’
Clearly, it worked out quite well.