Is it every footballer's dream to be included in the national team? As it turns out, not everyone. 26-year-old Arsenal FC defender Ben White has refused to play for the English team at the upcoming Euro 2024. You can place bets on matches of the upcoming Euro 2024 (and other sporting events) on Mosbet az.
Why did Ben refuse a place on the national team?
The coach of the British national team, Gareth Southgate, talked about his refusal to come. Southgate announced the squad for the upcoming friendly matches against Brazil and Belgium and added: that White is not available by his own choice. Southgate denied any conflict between White and the assistant: Ben would have made the squad - if he had wanted to. "In his current form, he certainly deserves a place in the squad. Last week, Edu (Arsenal's sporting director) called us and said that Ben doesn't want to be considered for the national team. It's disappointing, as he's a player I like. Ben would have been in this squad, but he's unavailable to us. I must respect his choice.
I spoke to him after Qatar, and there was a clear lack of interest from his side. I don't quite understand why. But I want to leave the door open for him because he's a good player. There are absolutely no issues between us. I have to say that he has no disagreements with Steve Holland (Southgate's assistant), which were mentioned in the articles, I don't like that. That's not the reason Ben is unavailable."
"He's a bit mysterious," "To know him, you need time," "He doesn't celebrate or show happiness": teammates about White
White is 26 years old, at the peak of his form (ranking in the top 6 for playing time at Arsenal), and has renewed his contract with Arsenal until 2028 (with an option to extend for another year), even though his previous contract ran until only 2026. White might not even watch the Euros on TV. Ben has admitted multiple times that watching football is not one of his favorite activities. "I don't watch football. All I want when I come home is not to think about it." Perhaps White doesn't need the Euros.
Here's what he said in October 2021: "Football is very intense. Every day you need to give your all. All I want when I come home is not to think about football, so I can come to training fresh in the morning and give my all again. I watch my own game to analyze it. I watch the national team matches. But I'm always busy: I don't sit in front of the TV just to watch a match. I didn't watch football when I was younger, and I still don't. I just loved the game and constantly played it, but didn't watch it. So I don't know much about previous generations. I know Vieira was a very good player, but not the details."
... And in March 2023: "If I hadn't become a footballer, I probably would have worked with my dad. He used to be a gardener. I think that's why there was no pressure on me when I was growing up. I started playing football, but it wasn't a problem for me to do the same thing my dad did.
I didn't watch football when I was a child. If football was on TV, I would get bored of it after five minutes and go out to play football on the street. Even now, I don't watch football, I prefer highlights of my own game, watching which I can improve. I am obsessed with being the best and most successful, it applies to everything I do. So if I had taken up gardening, everything would have been exactly the same."
In a recent video (from March 14, 2024), dedicated to White's contract extension, his teammates found it challenging to describe Ben.
"He's a bit mysterious," "To know him, you need time," "He doesn't celebrate or show happiness," "He remains calm." However, each of his partners called White a true warrior.
This season, he has already played 39 matches for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta is clearly pleased: "It's great news that Ben is committing his future to the club. He is a key player for us, a top-level professional with a winner's mentality, and one of the guys who sets an example for others every day. His skills, determination, and positive attitude are very important, but he's also a wonderful person."
White has already participated in the national team twice but was not allowed on the field
White already has experience playing for the national team. But it's only been negative.
Before Euro 2020, the defender received his first call-up to the national team, and made it to the extended squad. Southgate didn't include him in the final squad along with 6 other players. However, White still went to the tournament: he replaced the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold. England reached the final, but White wasn't trusted with a single minute on the field.
At the 2022 World Cup, White was included, but he left Qatar after two matches on the bench against Iran (6-2) and Wales (3-0). The national team's press service explained his departure due to personal reasons, but British media wrote precisely about a conflict with coach Steve Holland. They also added that the player supposedly wasn't happy with the training base in Al Wakrah and that he had communication issues with his teammates.
