David Batty

David Batty ( born December 2, 1968 in Leeds ) is a former English footballer. The defensive midfielder has spent most of his career at Leeds United and completed for the English national football team between 1991 and 1999 a total of 42 matches.

Sports career

Batty grew up in Leeds on, went through the youth teams of Leeds United and made his debut on 21 September 1987 in the second division in a 4-2 victory against Swindon Town. He quickly became a regular in the team and got into the 1989/90 season in the first division. Leeds and Batty quickly established themselves in the elite league and a good fourth place in the first season was crowned by the championship in the 1991/92 season. In addition, he was appointed to that time in the England team and performed his first mission on 21 May 1991 at Wembley Stadium against the team of the Soviet Union. In addition, he was appointed to the cadre of the 1992 European Championship in Sweden.

The following year proved to be in Leeds to player sales, such as Eric Cantona at Manchester United, difficult, and it was followed by a sporting crisis. After the 1992/93 season Batty was then transferred in October 1993 after an argument with the coach Howard Wilkinson for a transfer of 2.75 million pounds to the runner- Blackburn Rovers.

In Blackburn Batty has its good performance not continue and his contribution to the championship of the club in the season 1994/95 was due to numerous injuries minimal with only five league inserts - too little for an official champion medal. Another negative point was the collision with his team-mate Graeme Le Saux in the Champions League match against Spartak Moscow, as Le Saux him while they both wanted to play the ball, fouled.

Batty joined in March 1996 for 3.75 million pounds to Newcastle United. The club was coached by Kevin Keegan and Batty completed a powerful midfield, with the aid of Newcastle in Batty's first two years, won the runner-up respectively. After a weak third season, finished only 13th place at the end of Newcastle, Batty took part in the 1998 World Cup in France. After four missions in the games Batty finished the world championship but with a negative experience from when he puts his penalty against Carlos Roa missed in England's second round defeat in the penalty shootout against Argentina.

Following several months of injury period after the World Cup Batty returned in December 1998 to his hometown club Leeds United back. There, the new coach David O'Leary built by a weak phase of the association with emerging talents such as Alan Smith and Harry Kewell in a new successful team on. In the following three years Leeds played in the expanded group of championship contenders, with Batty, however, had to contend with other injuries. A broken leg saw to it that he could not attend the Euro 2000 in the Netherlands and Belgium and even the continuation of his career had to be put into question.

In the game against AFC Sunderland Batty made ​​his comeback and later reached the semi-finals with Leeds in the Champions League, which lost the club against Valencia. When impacted by the year 2002, the financial problems of the club and the resulting player sales in a decline of athletic performance, Batty was excluded after the resignation O'Leary of the new coach Terry Venables from the team and permanently ordered to the reserve team. Because of ongoing knee problems given an opportunity to return to the first team was denied despite the existing contract until 2004 even by the club's management. Nevertheless, Batty then completed in the 2003/ 04 further appearances in the first team before then end of the season ended his career as a footballer.

Achievements

  • English Champion: 1992
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