I went from playing alongside Nicolas Anelka to lining up next to gas fitters and decorators!

From Big Macs to big bucks for Blades star

CHRIS BASHAM used to play football with painters and decorators.

But the Sheffield United ace has come a long way since his Stafford Rangers days, having painted a perfect Premier League picture for himself.

Basham has been one of the Blades’ outstanding performers this term in their first season back in the top flight.

The reliable defender played in every game for the South Yorkshire club as they finished ninth and came within a whisker of qualifying for Europe.

Accolades

His reward has been a new two-year deal at Bramall Lane and deserved accolades as the club’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year.

However, it has not always been fame and glory for the likeable centre-back (left). Having been released by boyhood club Newcastle United when he was 16, the teenager worked in a Mcdonald’s to make ends meet.

And after resurrecting his career at Bolton, he quickly found himself on loan at semi- professional outfit Stafford Rangers.

“I had to clean my own boots at

Stafford and, to be fair, I had to do that at Blackpool as well,” said Basham, who is now the Blades’ longest- serving player, with almost 300 appearances under his belt.

“I signed for Blackpool when they were in the Premier League and I thought it would all be luxury, but it was really tough to play there.

“When I was at Stafford it was one of them where you’d train with the team on a Friday night and on a Saturday we’d just turn up and play games.

“I was making mates with lads who were painters and decorators. They were coming to games in their overalls, so that was a shock to the system.

“But from being at Bolton and playing with Nicolas Anelka, to going to Stafford and playing with a gas fitter and an engineer was a bit weird.

“But it was a great learning curve, just like when I was at Rochdale. We got to the play- offs and Keith Hill was a demanding manager.

Of his days serving Big Macs, he said: “I got released from Newcastle when I was 16 and then I had two years at Gateshead College.

“I needed to get myself out and about for work and about five miles from the college there was a Mcdonald’s. I had a little moped and I used to ride there and pick up my money from doing night-time shifts.

“I learnt a lot about industry and it’s proved to be a good thing because it’s shown me how to live my life. It’s shown me to have respect for everybody.

“It shows you can work for something and still have that dream at the end of it as well. It makes you feel how privileged you are to have that dream having been around the block.

“I still drive through that Mcdonald’s and there’s still the same staff working there. I’m the one playing in the Premier League, but it’s still nice to say hello.”

Relishing

At 32, Basham is relishing the chance to blossom in the Premier League, but he’s right when he stresses that the Blades can be incredibly proud of their achievements this season.

“There was a little bit of disappointment we didn’t get the European place that the boys deserved,” admitted Basham. “The lockdown didn’t help, but it’s been tough for everybody.

“Everything was just a little bit upside down for us, but when you look back at how well we did, we’ve got to be proud because I think were outstanding.

“We had a ninth-place finish in the Premier League. And the clean sheets that we kept – Dean Henderson was unbelievable in goal.

“And we’ve got international boys coming through like John Egan, which is fantastic.”