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Troy Deeney: Nine things we learned when he spoke to Louis Theroux

This week’s episode of Grounded with Louis Theroux sees Louis in conversation with outspoken Premier League footballer and captain of Watford, Troy Deeney. Among other things, the two discuss Troy’s childhood on a West Midlands housing estate, his time in prison and the pressures of being a young footballer. Here are nine things we learned…

Listen to Grounded with Louis Theroux: Troy Deeney

In lockdown: Troy Deeney and Louis Theroux

1. Troy has been working hard during the lockdown

In the interview, recorded earlier in the lockdown, Troy says that even though he’s not been playing football, he’s still been busy. “I’m locked in the house, I should be able to see my kids and my missus every minute of every day, but yesterday I was on calls from 9am until 5pm. Alongside that I’ve got to eat, I’ve got to train, I’ve got to walk the dog”. Troy and his partner have a new baby son too. “What’s a good night’s sleep again?” he jokes.

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Troy Deeney

2. As a child, he thought his dad had been on holiday, but he’d actually been in prison

Troy’s dad was in and out of jail throughout his childhood, but he didn’t find out until he was 18. “My mum was an angel in terms of keeping us away from what was the reality of it,” Troy says. “It was always, ‘Dad’s just gone on holiday’”. But when, aged 18, Troy invited his dad to go away with him, he discovered he had never owned a passport. “And then you asked the questions and you understand what it was all about.”

3. Troy says his teeth are a reminder of where he’s come from and what he’s achieved

Tory describes how, when he was a teenager, he was hit in the face by his dad while defending his mum from a violent attack. He says his teeth are still misaligned as a result, and he doesn’t want to change them. Although he’s now “very fortunate”, Troy says, his teeth help him to remember: “Look where you’ve come from and look what you’ve overcome. Don’t get too confident that this can’t all be taken away from you very quickly.”

4. What people said to Troy in prison changed his life

Troy describes how, just as his football career was taking off, he kicked someone in the face during a fight on a night out and was sentenced to jail: “I was embarrassed and ashamed of it, but it happened, and I can’t change it”. In prison, he says, “people just told me I was an idiot, and that’s what I needed.” He remembers them saying, “You’ve got to understand how big of an opportunity you’ve got. Not only for you, but to show young kids from around our area that they don’t have to be like us.” After that, he says, “I just decided that I was going to give it a real good go.”

5. He thinks gay footballers are worried about being the first to come out

When asked why there are no openly gay male footballers playing now, Troy says he thinks people “that are gay or from that community definitely are very worried about having to shoulder the responsibility of being the first. I think once the first comes out, there’ll be loads.” He also says, “I think there is now a bigger platform than ever to be a gay athlete of any nature… I would go on record saying that there is probably one gay or bi person in every football team.”

Troy Deeney on his time in prison

Clip from Grounded with Louis Theroux

6. He never expected to be a professional footballer

Troy at home

Troy had been made redundant from a job as a builder when he was offered a trial at Walsall Football Club. Although he’d always been good at football, Troy says he had never imagined he could have a professional career. “It just wasn’t in my make-up, wasn’t in my path, was never my dream.” But once he was given the opportunity, he went for it. “I realised very quickly that you can transition from my level of football to making... a solid income by playing football, [and] I kind of went, ‘OK, well let’s give this a whirl then.’”

7. He reads the comments below interviews he’s done

“It just gives me balance and perspective on if I’m talking sense really,” Troy says. “Sometimes you see people say, ‘Well, he does have a point, I understand why he’s saying that.’ Or other people might just go, ‘I just hate him.’ OK, that’s fair as well.” But he doesn’t look at what people are saying on social media, since “they’re seeking attention, so a lot of things are said to get a reaction to basically make their day a bit more entertaining.”

8. He thinks football players are put “on a pedestal”

Troy says being a professional footballer means being a role model at a young age. There is “a huge expectation” that players will act responsibly, but they may have no guidance on how to manage the large amounts of money they’re earning. At 31, he says, he’s probably near the end of his playing career, whereas “in a normal line of work, I should just be getting myself together... stop doing the Ibiza holidays, and it’s about time you bought a house now.”

9. He thinks footballers are criticised more than others for their high earnings

Troy says footballers’ salaries are “a very easy target”, and that they’re scrutinised in a way that those of other high earning celebrities, such as movie stars, aren’t. He points out that many players support their wider family too, and their earnings will only be that high for “seven to ten years max”. Troy cites recent calls for players to do more to address the Covid-19 pandemic as an example. He says that as well as the tax that Premier League players pay, “we all have charities, we all have foundations, we all give to people. And on top of that, we still made a donation.”

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