Ben White sets record straight on infamous claim about him - 'I just want to forget!'

Arsenal star Ben White claims it isn't true that he 'hates' football, but says he is happy to switch off from the game when he's not playing for the Gunners.

A Sky Sports interview with White went viral shortly after he joined from in 2021, with supporters left aghast when he claimed that and didn't follow the game outside of his workplace.

Many went further and even claimed that White, who walked out of the England squad at the World Cup and has declared himself unavailable for selection for his country, actually 'hated' the game, but he insists his approach is all part of his preparation to sustain a career at the top.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

“No, of course not [he doesn't hate football],” White said in an interview with the former England goalkeeper Ben Foster. “It was a massive thing, there were a few things that I said. Obviously I don’t watch it.

‘For me, it’s not a big deal. That’s why I said it at the time. Training, the amount of videos you have to do every day, it’s so extreme, so when I come home I just want to forget about it.

“[My ] are literally my life, so no football on, don’t talk about it when I come home, mum and dad don’t speak to me about it, it’s just like it’s not my job basically.

“People think that I don’t love it, and obviously I don’t watch it, but I could probably tell you most things about every winger that I play against or the attributes that I’m going to have to come up against on the weekend.

“Playing right-back, there’s so many good left-wingers, every game they’re the best player. If you look at every team, one or two, they’re the best.”

White added that he prefers to forget the pressures of playing top level football for the Gunners when he's at home, but will immediately switch back on the following day.

“It helps me when I come home from football," he said. "I completely de-stress and don’t think about it. The next day I’m 100 per cent focused."

and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our