THE BURY BECKHAM
Kieran Trippier modelled his game on the England superstar...and now he’s taking the World Cup by storm
KIERAN TRIPPIER has 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,’ smiles 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 match.
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 encounter with Sweden. ‘We’ll maybe keep the telly on for people to watch,’ he jokes.
Understandably, Trippier is in good spirits, and not just because he is part of a young England side that has 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 shootout triumph over Colombia — and a vital member of the team. He is a key component of a defensive unit growing in stature 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 more or less every session when I was in the youth team. You can always improve on everything and crossing was the one I really wanted to work on.
‘I used to watch Beckham and Andrea 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 and 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,’ says Trippier. ‘I got let go at 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. It was just about working hard on the training pitch.
‘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 raves about Southgate. ‘I can’t speak highly enough of him,’ he says. ‘He’s been excellent for me. And the formation is perfect. He encourages me to get forward as much as I can.’
That said, he is also part of a wellorganised defensive unit. ‘It’s developed well,’ Trippier said. ‘ We’ve been with each other out here for a long time now. We’ve got a great understanding, we work hard, we talk a lot in unit meetings and during training. Also with the manager. The manager sets the tone.’
A Swedish reporter quotes 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,’ replies 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.
‘ We just need to focus on ourselves, play like we do, and in my eyes we can hurt anyone.’
He hopes, like all the players, to give cause for more celebration back home. ‘We see it on social media, it’s crazy,’ he says. ‘You see people throwing pints in pubs. We just 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 any hope of a successful professional career. ‘He’s the one I really looked up to,’ said Trippier.
‘I used to go and watch him every week and watch him training with Oldham. I’d just be kicking a ball against a wall. Because he was a professional he was the one I wanted to follow.’ To be fair it worked out pretty well.