Bad boy turned England international on how to drop the attitude and fulfill your potential
“My coach keeps telling me I’ve got bags of ability, but he says my bad attitude lets me down. How can I change my ways?” Ian Porter, via email
Jay Bothroyd:
“My agent sat me down earlier in my career and basically embarrassed me: he said I was underachieving and wasting my career.
That night I went to bed upset, so the next day I became determined to turn it around: I changed my approach to training, my eating and my mindset.
I was a bit of a problem child, but having someone close to me saying that really made me re-evaluate my life.
If I got the chance to go back further and speak to myself at 16, I’d tell myself not to waste time.
Football is not a long career, and if you don’t appreciate it then you’ll regret it forever.
Even when things aren’t going your way, it always helps to remind yourself that you’re doing something you love. My aim was to get back to playing in the top flight again – which I’m doing – and, if there was a chance, play for my country – which I have.”
Jay Bothroyd attended the UK final of EA Sports’ FIFA Interactive World Cup. For more info, visit fifa.com/fiwc
