As a 19-year-old Premier League footballer at Swansea, Ben Davies at all times took an eternity to go away the membership's coaching floor. In these days, he drove an previous Volkswagen Polo with guide home windows – a lot to the amusement of the remainder of the squad – and autograph-hunting supporters saved him busy.
“Ben would wind down the window, say howdy, have a photograph, signal one thing, wind it again up after which 15 yards on one other fan would cease him and he'd do it once more,” says Alan Curtis, Swansea's assistant supervisor on the time. “However he did it with out fuss. He was a beautiful boy and he's a gentleman now.”
It's a story that chimes with Davies's down-to-earth and uber-professional character, the frequent denominator in conversations when those that know him finest focus on the Wales defender poised to win his one centesimal cap in Monday's World Cup qualifier towards Belgium. The 32-year-old would be the fourth males's participant to succeed in the milestone, after Gareth Bale, Wayne Hennessey and Chris Gunter.
“Enjoying for Wales means every part to him and that basically reveals,” says Gunter. “He's at all times main, in numerous kinds: setting requirements, driving the group and being an individual the squad can depend on. He's as passionate as anyone I've seen play for Wales and, rightly, he can be celebrated and talked about for years to return.”
There's a catalogue of moments that encapsulate Davies, none greater than his goal-saving block to disclaim Slovakia's Marek Hamsik at Euro 2016. Curtis references a line from Invoice Shankly. “A soccer crew is sort of a piano. You want eight individuals to hold it and three who can play the rattling factor. I'm not calling Ben a piano provider, however he's a kind of individuals that each crew wants.
“He can be Mr Consistency, unflappable, on the identical aircraft whether or not he's enjoying Kazakhstan or the world champions. Because the years have passed by, he's develop into indispensable; I'm certain when Craig Bellamy picks the crew, the primary identify down on the crew sheet can be Ben.”
He's Wales's de facto captain within the absence of Aaron Ramsey, who final performed for his nation in September 2024. Davies has been on the gamers' committee for a number of years and was a part of the historic run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals. He additionally featured at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
“He thinks about each a part of the sport,” Gunter says. “He's not one to go on the pitch, do the session, return to his room and then you definitely don't see him. He's massively concerned in every part.”
For many of his profession Davies has been an unsung hero, content material working within the shadows of superstars: Bale and Ramsey on the worldwide stage, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, the godfather to his youngsters, at Tottenham, who signed him in July 2014. He was Mauricio Pochettino's first recruit at Spurs, ending Davies's lengthy affiliation with Swansea, the membership he joined aged seven and rejoined after two years residing in Viborg, Denmark.
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“We had been on the finish of a pre-season camp in Chicago and on account of fly residence the following day,” says Curtis, Swansea's honorary membership president. “However Spurs had been flying out to Chicago the identical day so he needed to keep. He realised it was a giant alternative, one thing he couldn't flip down, however I bear in mind it breaking his coronary heart and all of the boys consoling him. They had been real tears; he was very, very keen on the membership and the realm.”
Eleven years later Davies is Tottenham's longest-serving participant and has labored underneath seven managers, his endurance an emblem of the regard wherein he's universally held inside the sport. His sport time has dwindled in latest seasons – he's but to play within the Premier League this marketing campaign – however his performances for Wales are repeatedly monstrous. Bellamy instructed Davies's show towards Canada final month, a pleasant defeat in Swansea, was the very best he had seen him play.
“It goes again to how he's as an expert,” says Gunter, appointed head coach of Wales's Beneath-19s final yr. “Even when he's not enjoying he makes certain he's in the absolute best place in order that when he's on the pitch, he makes essentially the most of each single minute. When he turns up for Wales, you wouldn't know if he's been enjoying or not.”
As a participant, he has lived within the Premier League for greater than a decade however, as an individual, Davies prefers to maintain himself to himself. “I feel this sums him up: at his marriage ceremony his two finest males had been from his old fashioned,” Curtis says. He's articulate and personable, however politely declined a request to speak at size about his impending achievement to keep away from pre-empting something and guarantee whole deal with efficiency.
Davies is shiny; he has an Open College diploma in enterprise and economics, therefore his attendance on the Monetary Occasions's enterprise of soccer summit, and final yr secured his Uefa A training licence with the Soccer Affiliation of Wales. Bellamy believes Davies has the makings of a supervisor, however might additionally envisage him working as a director of soccer or chief government. “Ben might keep within the sport in a lot of roles, which is exclusive for gamers, as a result of usually it's teaching or administration,” Gunter says. “He's an clever and impressive man.”
Bale is Wales's most-capped male participant with 111. “Ben undoubtedly received't be fascinated with breaking Gaz's document – he would swap his caps for crew success – however he 100% might do it,” Gunter says. “If he did it actually rapidly it will be superb as a result of that may most likely imply that Wales are competing on the World Cup subsequent summer season and that may be his fourth main match, one thing no Wales participant has carried out.”
For his half, Davies spoke at Wales's press convention on Sunday. “I'd have been pleased if I'd have picked up one cap for Wales in my life rising up as a child, so it's an extremely proud second for me and my household however, on the similar time, there's a job to be carried out,” he mentioned.
Davies deserves his second within the solar. “I used to be lucky as a result of my one centesimal cap got here throughout lockdown,” Gunter says. “That was a blessing within the sense nobody was actually allowed within the stadium and it was all just a little bit unusual. Sadly for Ben, he's going to have a load of consideration on him.”
