Troy Deeney: Forget Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar… why can’t you be the next Kevin Davies
Watford captain praises Bolton Wanderers cult hero who is among the dirtiest players in Premier League history
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"WHY can't you be the next Kevin Davies?"
It's not a question one hears often but Watford skipper Troy Deeney believes it's more than valid.
The 28-year-old, who Ian Wright says has earned an England call-up, has enjoyed a brilliant time since arriving in the Premier League.
In helping the Hornets avoid the drop and reach the FA Cup semi-final last season, Deeney was excellent, scoring 15 goals and adding nine assists in all competitions.
He's started just as well this campaign and already has two goals and an assist in five Premier League matches, with Walter Mazzarri's team off to a decent start.
Deeney is not your usual footballer and made that clear in an interview with .
Talking about footballers on Twitter, he said: "If they win it's 'great team performance, the fans were great.'
"If they lose it's 'not quite at it today, we'll get it right next week the fans were great.'
"I sit there and laugh. At some point someone's got to look at that and say: 'that's nonsense.'
"Everyone things, now, that to be a professional footballer you've got to look like [Cristiano] Ronaldo, have feet like [Lionel] Messi and great hair like Neymar.
"Come on.
"Kevin Davies. Had a great career - nearly all of it in the Premier League, played for England.
"Why can't you be the next Kevin Davies?"
Deeney reveals that it's something he has spoke to his seven-year-old son Myles about - you can't be Ronaldo, but you can be your own player.
Davies, who retired in 2015, played for Chesterfield, Southampton, Blackburnm Millwall, Bolton and Preston.
His best stint was under Sam Allardyce at Bolton where he spent 10 seasons, scoring 85 goals in more than 400 games.
He won a single England cap in 2010, playing in a qualifier against Montenegro.
Davies, then 33, became the oldest Three Lions debutant since 1950 in that game - and was booked not long after coming on.
Although the exact figures aren't known, Davies is suspected to be the player who has committed and suffered the most fouls in the Premier League era.
His time at Bolton is rumoured to have brought more than 1,000 fouls committed.
He was the most penalised player in the division for three consecutive seasons - 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 - and came second the year before and year after that run.
It's not the first time Davies has received praise from an unlikely source.
One of the best players Britain has ever seen also revealed he looked at the Bolton hero for tips.
None other than Thierry Henry, scorer of 226 goals in 396 Arsenal matches, said as much.
The Frenchman said in 2006: "For another type of game I look at Kevin Davies to see what he does to annoy players.
"Not in a bad way but just looking to see the situation, I put it in my brain and maybe it will pop out without me noticing I did it."