by There is a common misconception that Ben White is a footballer who doesn’t like football. It has been repeated over and over in recent years that, over time, it has simply been accepted as fact by the outside world.
It is not true. Well, not quite. White doesn’t particularly like watching football, but he sure likes playing it. He loves the sport, the competitiveness, the battles on the field, the feeling of winning and pushing himself, day after day and session after session.
Everything else around the game? White is not too fussed. But the ferocity of elite-level competition? That is his passion. “He trains like he’s playing a Champions League final almost every day,” Mikel Arteta once said of his £50 million defender.
“I know people say I don’t like football,” says White. “I go home and football is not on my mind. I can be a normal person, relax. [But] when I’m here, it’s tough.”
Within Arsenal, White is loved by the coaching staff for his relentless desire to win. It is the competition that puts fire in the belly, the idea of dueling opponents and coming out on top. Even at home, he says, his competitive streak takes over.
“I want to win everything I do,” he says. “Me and my master play a lot of games at home and I won’t let her win. I remember being young and always wanting to win and play aggressive and do as much as I can to win.”
Among those competitions with his wife, Milly, are the card game Uno and bat and ball competitions. If he starts losing, he jokes, “the ball is lost”.
For Arsenal, White is one of Arteta’s heroes. He regularly plays through pain – “it’s so important to be there [and] I’m there every week,” he says – and on the pitch he’s the player who brings a much-needed street edge.
Arteta recently spoke about training his players in the dark arts of football. White, a master of the sneaky ride and cynical foul, may be the one player who doesn’t need extra homework. An example would be if he suddenly loses his runner. Rather than let it go, the 26-year-old will happily bring it down.
“If I don’t do that, they’ll probably score,” he says. “It comes back to doing anything to win. I know I’m not going to stop everyone and I know I’m not the best one-on-one defender, but I can do things to help the team in game situations against their winger .”
An example was the win at Newcastle United last weekend, when White faced Anthony Gordon. “Before the game we have instructions about the processes they need to be able to hurt us and he was one of them. My job was to stop him from rolling inside, so I had to get as tight as possible, or fake it. It’s going in if not.”
White’s cunning extends to set pieces, where he is tasked with being as annoying as possible. This often involves blocking the opposition goalkeeper and, in the six yard box, it is the man who draws the attention of the defenders. “There are all kinds [going on],” he says. “Stand on your feet, elbows. It’s all right. All I have to do is stand in the way and see what happens.”
None of this is to minimize White’s technical prowess. One doesn’t become an Arsenal regular under Arteta without tactical awareness, passing range and a willingness to get the ball into tight spaces. In recent weeks, he has shown these qualities by stepping inside from right-back, effectively doubling as a midfielder.
White plays down the importance of transition, although it is undoubtedly a complex role. He wouldn’t say it himself but others in Arteta’s squad have been less successful in adapting to the unique demands of that position.
“There were a lot of instructions about where I need to be, when I need to be,” he says of the recent change. “I think when you have Mikel as your manager, he makes it simple for you. I think most of the players could play in that position, because the most important thing if you want to play for Arsenal is that you have to be so technically gifted, strong and fast. I think most players could do it.
“I’m comfortable playing there, but things are completely different to watch. Like me, playing center back and right back, I just have to look forward – I’m never worried about what’s behind me. this [role] it’s a whole different part of the game.”
Last season, White started 36 of 38 Premier League games as Arsenal made an unexpected title challenge. This season, he says, the team is better. Before Monday’s trip to Sheffield United, Arsenal have won six league games in a row.
“We’ve improved a lot,” says White. “If we were in the same position this year, I think it would be very different. There is nothing to lose. We’re going to go out there, do our best and try to perform like we have in the last few games.”
