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Jack Wilshere: Footballers are great role models… but they need to be able to go partying, like I did

Jack Wilshere says “footballers are great role models… but they need to be able to go partying, like I did”, revealing he has no regret.

The former footballer, has shared an interesting perspective on the role of footballers as role models, acknowledging that they’re often looked up to, especially by younger fans, but he’s also defending their right to let loose and enjoy themselves off the pitch.

It’s a balancing act – being a public figure while still wanting the freedom to live like anyone else his age and in their spare time when they’ve finished work.

Wilshere’s comments likely stem from his own experiences. Back in his playing days, he was known for the occasional off-field incident, like being spotted smoking or partying, which didn’t always sit well with the media or some fans expecting a squeaky-clean image. And so often we hear about what the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish get up to away from football.

He argues that footballers shouldn’t be held to an impossibly high standard 24/7, especially when they’re young and navigating fame. Partying, as he sees it, doesn’t undo their talent or work ethic on the field.

Jack Wilshere said to the The Sun: “I always thought that I was sensible enough to know the right times when to go out, when not to go out. And I think as well, even now, like, it’s important that that the players have some downtime.

“Of course, the world has changed a little bit, and there’s so many things that that young people, young players can do.

“The downtime is it’s just as important and the people around you have, because as I’ve just mentioned before, it’s not always your journey is never gonna be one that just goes up and up and up even I mentioned my journey and, yeah, I was in the team, but there was some still some some challenges that I faced.

“And your ability to sort of get home, shut the door, and and switch off from that is is really important.

“And I think that’s, probably something that we don’t speak enough as as coaches, you know, because I think when you’re a coach and you’re there, like, you you want the players to work hard.

“Whenever they’re there, you want a certain intensity and training.

“But, actually, when they get home and shut the door, their ability to just switch off and and, recover and prepare for the next day, but also not think too much, I think that’s important. Don’t know much about, like, Andrew Tate and all of that.

“But when I think about role models and, like, I think about my son, and then I’ve got, another son who’s five, like, they have role models. Like, they love Bellingham. They love Saka. Like, that that is their role models. That’s their you know, when I grew up, I had David Beckham.

“I had Joe Cole. I had Frank Lampard. I had that, and I think we do have them. I think, as you said before, there’s there’s social media. There’s smartphones, and people have more access to the things going on in the world that, we didn’t as kids.

“You know? I didn’t know what was happening in America, and now all I need to do is put my phone on and and it’s everywhere.

“And and kids are the same, and then we just have to be careful about, the messages we expose them to, which I try to do in in my house and, try and limit their their access to them type of things and and try and give them opportunities to have role models.

“And, yeah, of course, as Archie’s thirteen, as you said, he gets older, Things might change. But at the moment, like, he’s his role model is is footballers, and he wants to be a footballer, and he’s driven to do that.

“And, of course, not everyone has has football, and not everyone looks at football. So I just think you need to be careful about the messages that we expose them to, and social media companies have a role to play in that for sure.”

In 2010, he garnered media attention after being arrested in connection with a “fracas” 18 days after his full England debut in a friendly match against Hungary at Wembley.

He received a police caution, revealing that he had acted as a mediator during the incident.

Then pictures surfaced of Wilshere with a cigarette while in a Las Vegas pool with goalkeeper Joe Hart following England’s exit from the 2014 World Cup group stage in Brazil.

He said: “I don’t ever really look back and think, ‘I should not have done that’.”

These days, he is a first team coach working under current head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup at Championship club Norwich City.

Prior to that, he was head coach of the Arsenal under-18 team, guided the team to the final of the 2022–23 FA Youth Cup in his first season in charge, defeat to the West Ham.

Jack says of coaching: “It’s a completely different skill set. You have to learn how to lead people.

“You have to learn how to inspire people and keep them inspired and convince them to buy into something.”

Mail Sport cause a stir after posting video of Jack Grealish ‘leaving Newcastle pub worse for wear’

British Heart Foundation ambassador Jack Wilshere is backing their new campaign, which sees a line-up of football legends, celebrity fans and real-life heroes taking part in an unprecedented four-week charity relay to inspire the nation to learn lifesaving CPR.

The likes of ‘Big Sam’ Allardyce, Glenn Hoddle, Tom Lockyer, Graeme Souness, Dion Dublin, Troy Deeney, comedian and Swansea fan Elis James, actor along with lifelong Derby County fan Robert Lindsey and Bristol City fan Sir Tony Robinson are among the stars who will be walking, running, cycling and supporting the epic 4,000km challenge which gets underway on 25th March.

They will also be joined by the likes of Graeme Souness, Dion Dublin, Troy Deeney, comedian and Swansea fan Elis James, actor and lifelong Derby County fan Robert Lindsey and Bristol City fan Sir Tony Robinson.

The Sky Bet EFL ‘Every Minute Matters’ Relay sees them to complete one leg of a 28-day relay that will cross England and Wales and take in every one of the 72 clubs in the English Football League before reaching Wembley Stadium on 21st April.

Instead of sponsorship, all those taking part in the Sky Bet EFL ‘Every Minute Matters’ Relay will instead be asking the public to donate their time – and take just 15 minutes to learn CPR using our RevivR tool.

CPR can make the difference between life and death. Each month more than 2,500 people suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the UK and tragically less than one in 10 survive, often because those around them don’t have the confidence to perform CPR. Every minute that passes reduces the chances of survival by up to 10%.

Ambassador Jack Wilshere is backing the campaign: “In my personal life, seeing my daughter Siena battle bravely with a heart condition from an early age has given me a unique insight and passion for raising awareness of heart conditions. And in my professional life, I’ve seen that cardiac arrest can impact anyone – even fit and healthy professionals in the peak of physical fitness like Tom Lockyer.

“We need more people to recognise that anyone from any background can learn CPR. That’s why I’m calling on football fans to give up just 15 minutes of their time to learn the life-saving skill of CPR – as you never know, one day you might be able to save a life. I’m confident football fans will seize the opportunity to step up and play their part and I look forward to seeing the campaign smash its target of 270,000 people learning CPR.”

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