David Batty (part two) ⭑ From A-Z since '92
David Beckham went into hiding. Paul Ince locked himself away in the hotel. David Batty, meanwhile, was in the bar, watching a replay on television, cringing at Kevin Keegan confidently predicting he'd score.
This is part of my (eight year long, it'll fly by) attempt to write about every Leeds United player since 1992. For more about why I'm doing this, go back to Aapo Halme, and to read all the players so far, browse the archive here.
When England were knocked out of the World Cup by Argentina in summer 1998, it was almost the breaking of one David B. But not David Batty.
Like Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle in 1990, and Gareth Southgate in 1996, and Paul Ince a few minutes before him, David Batty missed a penalty in the deciding shoot-out. Not just any penalty: the last kick, the shot that sent England home. He'd only come on the pitch in extra-time; he'd only taken one penalty kick before in his life, in a schoolboy game. "It were saved," he said.
So was this one. It was struck hard, right-footed across his body, destined for the corner of the net if it hadn't been the right height for goalkeeper Carlos Roa, guessing right, to save it. England were out of a World Cup, again, so the nation expected a villain. David Batty fit the mould: Newcastle United's dour midfielder from Yorkshire with a reputation for stifling creativity, who had ended the previous season by incurring a six game ban when he was red carded at former club Blackburn Rovers and shoved the referee, David Elleray.
But it was David Beckham who got England into the mess Batty couldn't get them out of. At the start of the second half, with the score 2-2, he'd kicked out at Diego Simeone and been sent off. Worse, he was the handsome young hero England were expecting to lead them to a World Cup win. Even worse, he had a high profile pop-star girlfriend, Posh out of the Spice Girls. Expectations of him were high, so the nation felt let down in a way Batty could never. Beckham, not Batty, was the David B. to blame: effigies were burned outside pubs, papers printed dartboards of his face, people sent death threats.
After the match, Beckham was led out of the stadium amid heavy security, his head down. He went into hiding, fleeing paparazzi down New York side streets. Paul Ince, who had missed England's second penalty in the shoot-out, locked himself away in the hotel. Batty, meanwhile, was in the hotel bar, watching a replay of the game on television, cringing when he heard Kevin Keegan on commentary confidently predicting he'd score.
Batty had gone straight on, face to face with his fate, showering and dressing, phoning his wife and parents, then going to meet the press with his head held high. "Glenn (Hoddle, the manager) asked me if I wanted to take one and I agreed," he told them. "All I could see was scoring and taking us into the next round. I was really confident even though it was the first penalty I have taken since I was a kid. It hasn't really sunk in yet. I am upset but I'm still proud of the way we played."
Two months later he did another interview, still regretting nothing. "At the end of the day, I've done my best. It wasn't good enough, the keeper saved it. As far as I'm concerned that's it." The only unfinished business was personally answering 1,500 people who had written to him since. "The response has been unbelievable," he said. "Every one of those letters has been supportive."
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