Fatherâs tough love made me player I am â Walker
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Kyle Walker began his career at boyhood club Sheffield United
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England and Manchester City defender Kyle Walker says the tough love of his father helped him become an elite player.
Walker has enjoyed a glittering career at City, winning the Premier League six times as well as two FA Cups, four EFL Cups and the Champions League.
He has been capped 90 times by England and is widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world.
Speaking on the Youâll Never Beat Kyle Walker podcast the 34-year-old opened up on the influence his dad Michael has had on his career.
Walker said his father âmade me be the person and player that I amâ and at the start of his career it was about âproving my dad wrongâ after he criticised his performances as a youngster.
âI used to hate going to football with him,â said Walker, who has also played for Sheffield United and Tottenham â and had loan spells at QPR, Aston Villa and Northampton.
âNo matter if I played good or I played bad, Iâd get in the car and Iâd be reduced to tears. Heâd say I wouldnât have done this right, I wouldnât have done that right.
âHe didnât do it because he wanted to hurt me. He did it because he cared.â
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Published26 July 2022
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Walker acknowledged his mother Tracey provided the âcaring supportâ he needed and it took him a long time to win over his father with how he played on the pitch.
âSometimes it was very, very tough to get in that car, my mum would be going âMichael, leave him alone heâs done wellâ,â Walker said.
âI could have scored three goals. But he would have said, âno, you should have scored sixâ. Only when Iâve got older in my career, he actually says âall right, well played sonâ.
âAfter a couple of years at City. I think he was then like âyou know, he actually can play footballâ.â
Walker said he does ânot do the sameâ with his own children in terms of critiquing their performances, although he does tap into some aspects of his fatherâs parenting style.
âI still feel that some of the things in life â where heâs taught me to be a winner â Iâm trying to embed that into the boys,â he added.
âWith my kids now, I donât let them win. If I keep letting them win, when they lose, itâs going to be traumatic for them.
âWeâll play a little game in the garden or something and Iâll give it my all because I feel that itâs going to install that into them.â
Download and listen to the full version of the latest Youâll Never Beat Kyle Walker podcast on BBC Sounds.