TO thousands of football fans he is a cult hero, famed for his grit, graft and inspiring leadership on the pitch.
But ask Watford captain Troy Deeney about his idol and he will not cite legends Pele, Messi or Ronaldo.
Troy Dooney says his mum ‘is a warrior and an angel’ for working three jobs while raising kids aloneCredit: Troy Deeney
Troy has recorded a video poem as a gift to his hard-working mum for Mother’s DayCredit: Troy Deeney
For the striker, the person he believes is most worthy of a pedestal is his hard-working mum Emma Deeney.
Opening up about his turbulent upbringing in an interview with The Sun, Troy said of Emma: “She is a warrior and an angel.
“People always say to me, ‘It must be so much pressure and so difficult playing out there in front of 60,000 people.’
“I always say, ‘No, not really.’ Playing football and earning great money isn’t difficult.
“Working three jobs and raising kids alone, which is what my Mum did. That’s difficult.”
Premier League footballers aren’t typically known for their spontaneous poetic outpourings.
But, ahead of Mother’s Day on Sunday, Troy has chosen to pay tribute to his beloved mum Emma, 50, by recording a video poem as a gift.
In the heartfelt, three-minute clip, which he released today on his social media channels, Troy praises his brave mum for being his rock during what has at times been a difficult life.
‘She taught me to never give up, no matter what’
Expelled from school at 14, the footballer has struggled with alcohol and gambling in the past, along with mental health issues.
Most controversially, at the height of his footballing career he was jailed for kicking a student in the head outside a nightclub in 2012.
It is little wonder, then, that he tells his mum in the message, written in collaboration with spoken word artist Casey Bailey: “You were my only ray of sunshine when life was full of rain. You’re my constant, the one I could rely on from the start.”
Indeed, Troy insists it is the values his mum instilled in him growing up which helped guide him during his post-prison struggle to get back to the top.
Troy Deeney has struggled with alcohol, gambling and his mental health in the pastCredit: Reuters
Troy Dooney is dating model Alisha Hosannah
In his first football season following his release, Troy secured his status as a talisman player for Watford with a heart-stopping injury-time goal against Leicester in the Championship play-off semi-final at Wembley.
He references his career in the video but tells his mum: “Even that goal at Wembley is nothing to your smile.”
He said: “She has always taught me to never give up no matter what you have been through.
“She taught me drive, manners, respect. And above all, be a nice person.”
Emma raised Troy, brother Ellis, now 28 and playing for Telford United, and sister Sasha, 23, in a tower block in Chelmsley Wood, Solihull.
At one time, it was Europe’s largest council estate.
Troy’s dad Paul Anthony Burke is not his biological father. When Troy was a child, Paul Anthony was in and out of prison — or on “business trips” as they were explained to him as a youngster.
When Troy was 11 Emma and his dad broke up. Two months later he came back.
Troy — whose two other siblings Kayden and Joel, both 13, are from his parents’ subsequent relationships — said: “Dad wanted her to get back together with him. My mum was adamant that she wouldn’t.
Working three jobs and raising kids alone, which is what my Mum did. That’s difficult.
“My dad was a ‘somebody’ in Birmingham. He had a reputation and he wasn’t used to being told no.
“He had never been violent to us before but during that incident he reacted badly and he attacked me and my mum.
“What is amazing to me is that deep down, she must have hated him for that. But she never showed us. We never saw those tears.
“She never painted a bad picture of him. She always said, ‘He is your dad’ and she would work with social services to ensure it was safe for us to have visits with him.’ ”
Despite the turmoil, Troy remained close to his father and was devastated when Paul Anthony died suddenly in 2012 after a short battle with cancer of the oesophagus.
Troy said: “He was a soldier. He found out in March and died in May. This big 6ft 3in guy who had been like Batman to me just shrivelled and was reliant on a wheelchair. It was very difficult.”
During his three months in Prison, Troy allowed his mum Emma to visit him once
Emma raised Troy, his brother Ellis and sister Sasha, in a towel block in Solihull which used to be Europe’s largest council estateCredit: Troy Deeney
It was during this time the footballer got involved in the notorious brawl which landed him in prison.
During his three-month spell inside he only allowed Emma to visit him once.
He said: “I called her every week but I just wanted to get through it on my own. I felt I had disappointed her.
“After I got out and returned to Watford I knew I had to make it work. I turned things around because of the work ethic she had passed on to me. I wanted her to be proud.”
When he was growing up, Troy watched his mum work a variety of jobs to keep food on the table.
“She worked in Aldi and in the evening cleaned the local bookies. At the weekend we used to go leafletting. I used to pick my brother and sister up from school, take them home and make them beans on toast and then mum would get back, taking them to their sports clubs before going out to work again.
“When I talk about it, now people imagine I had an impoverished childhood, especially when I tell people we used to have to put coins in the side of the telly.
‘Momsy’ by Troy Deeney
YOU were here before I made it, here before the fame,
Before the drama, the comeback, before I loved the game.
And I swear there’s something different in the way you say my name,
It’s just “Troy” but still no one else says it the same.
Is that the history we share, maybe it’s the love,
Maybe it’s just the way you care, or all of the above.
But one things for sure, even when times were tough,
And all we had was you, you were more than enough.
Early years we shed tears, you held me through the pain,
You were my only ray of sunshine when life was full of rain,
You’re my constant, the one I could rely on from the start,
Now I hold you in my heart like these memories in my brain.
When we were fixing up the house, KCI and Jo Jo playing,
It connected but I weren’t praying like they were praying.
All my life I never had to pray for someone like you,
Cuz I have you, the foundation of everything I do.
Kindest person that I know, you see the best in people,
Praise for the positive, forgiveness for their evils,
We came from having nothing, but now that you have something,
You never look down, you treat everyone as equals.
You’re like a jelly bean, the comparison is simple,
Life made your shell hard, but you’re soft in the middle,
Stayed sweet, when life could have made you so sour,
You’re my superhero, and kindness is your power.
I remember how we struggled, still you provided,
You kept food on the table, kept siblings united,
Working more than one job, time always divided.
So when I look at you I know what the meaning of pride is.
And I didn’t always make you proud, I know I got it wrong,
I put those tears in your eyes when I was meant to make you strong,
Put myself in places that I know I don’t belong,
But I made it back, and you stood with me all along.
Through my trials and tribulations, mistakes and situations,
You haven’t just been there for me you’ve been amazing,
We’ve rode the choppy seas, it wasn’t plain sailing,
But we took the tidal waves and used ’em for elevation.
Now were here, I’m glad I get to see you live in style,
Life’s a marathon, but feels like it’s been 100 miles.
We don’t know our destiny, but you always see the best in me,
So even that goal at Wembley is nothing to your smile,
I call you momsy, sometimes mom, but never mum,
What can I tell you, I guess that’s just growing up in Brum.
You taught me to be proud of who I am and where from,
Now I hope I make you proud, like I’m proud to be your son.
“But we were really happy. Mum never complained, there was always music playing in the house and we were always dancing around. It was a great childhood.
“She made sure there was always food on table and we didn’t go without, even if stuff was on credit.”
While Troy admits he was a “total mummy’s boy” at home, at school he liked to play the class clown and was expelled at 14.
When he was 15 he missed out on the chance to be signed by Aston Villa because he did not turn up for three days of the trials.
He went back to school but left at 16 with no qualifications and became an apprentice bricklayer earning £120 a week.
His big break came when he was spotted playing for local side Chelmsley Town by the chief scout of Division Two side Walsall who offered him a trial.
Troy credits turning his life around after prison thanks to the work ethic his mum passed on to himCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
Even then he had to be dragged out of bed to attend and he played with a hangover.
But his talent shone through and he joined the club. Four years later he signed for Watford.
Troy, who has worked with Prince William on the royal’s Heads Together mental health campaign, admits his mum might be surprised by his impromptu video.
He said: “I have never really said this stuff out loud to my mum. I pop round for a cup of tea or take the family round for Sunday lunch, which is one of my favourite things to do. But I am old school and I don’t really open up that much about my issues with her because I don’t want her to worry.”
Troy is dad to Myles, ten, and five-year-old Amelia by his ex-wife Stacey.
He also has three-month-old baby Clay with his new partner, graphic designer Alisha Hosannah, 27, and step-daughter Isla, five.
Troubled past
Troy revealed he has worked through his troubled past with the help of a counsellor.
The therapy began as an obligation when he was released early from prison but the footie star chose to have it more frequently, attending weekly sessions.
He said: “When I started I was reluctant. Now I can’t do without it.
“I was very selfish. It was what Troy says goes. Now I am older and a parent and there are no more excuses.” Troy has been known to splash out on lavish gifts for his mum. In 2017 he gave her a new car for her birthday and also bought her a house.
He said: “Whoever you are, it is nice to treat your parents to stuff. When I was growing up, my mum’s cars were always battered.
“She had an old red Sierra, it was either the second or third gear that didn’t work and we always had to get out and push it in the cold.
“But this year I didn’t want to just buy something.
“I wanted to do something that shows her the kind of man I am trying to become, so that’s why I made the video.
“I hope she likes it more than flowers.”
From Kolasinac at Arsenal to Troy Deeney at Watford – the hardest players at every Premier League club
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
