England and Prem icon living off grid – ‘Nobody can get hold of him’ | Football | Sport

Most people dream of a quiet life after retirement, but one former England international has taken this concept to the next level. That’s because, according to fellow ex-pros, David Batty has essentially gone off grid since retiring from the sport.

A player for Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United during his heyday, Batty eventually retired in 2004 after returning to Elland Road. He was a regular for England during his career, featuring 42 times for the Three Lions, including representing his nation at the 1998 World Cup in France.

But eyebrows were raised among his former team-mates when Batty was wished happy birthday in a group chat last month, after the West Yorkshire-born star turned 57. However, much to the surprise of the cohort, there was no response.

That wasn’t the case for Mark Viduka, who played with Batty at Leeds, as he told the BBC that Batty has essentially gone into exile. The Aussie said: “I don’t think anyone has seen him since we played together. Everyone was wishing him happy birthday – but he’s not even in the group.”

He continued: “In this day and age, everyone shows off everything they do in every moment, like what they had for breakfast. Who cares. If anyone was not going to be like that, it was Batts.”

Coaching, management or punditry seem to be the paths most players go down after hanging up their boots, but according to Batty’s agent, Hayden Evans, his post-football choices haven’t come as a surprise either. He added: “It was clear from day one that he would never go into coaching, for example, and never seek that as a route back into football.

“David has been as good as his word, which is him through and through. He always said, ‘When I retire, that will be it. I won’t have anything to do with the football industry.’”

He doesn’t appear to have been lying either, given that Batty appears to have snubbed most, if not all, football-related activities. Former team-mate Mark Atkins remarked: “We have tried to get him to the dos we have had, but nobody can get hold of him. He’s not that type of person. Even if he was living five miles away, he wouldn’t turn up because he’s a very personal guy, really.”