Gary Neville’s political football

Gary Neville was a fine footballer but he is a confused pundit. He keeps trying to get political when talking about football — and it’s boring. During England’s Euro 2020 semi-final game this summer, he obnoxiously suggested Gareth Southgate, the England manager, had shown more leadership than the Prime Minister. It was an irritating and unnecessary moment of politics in what should have been a moment of celebration.

Now, he’s at it again. In an interview with the Times, Neville has been talking about politics:

‘I’d love half an hour across from Boris Johnson at the despatch box. I’d be angry with myself if I didn’t tear him to shreds just on basic principles of behaviour.’

Neville talks about himself in the third person throughout the interview — never a good sign. He is equally dismissive of Labour’s leader Keir Starmer. Instead, Neville suggests, we should look to football for inspiration of how to do leadership properly.