5 footballers who were also good at cricket
Barring the country of origin and having 11 on-field players, there's barely any common ground between cricket and football.
However, both these sports enjoy a massive fan following with England being the most successful team in cricket as well as football.
Having won the football World Cup back in 1966 under the leadership of Bobby Moore, England also managed to break their deadlock in cricket by grabbing the 2019 Cricket World Cup under Eoin Morgan.
Coincidentally, both these events took place on England's home-soil. The same proves the unconditional love that both cricket and football enjoy in England.
Even though there are other nations like Australia, Netherlands, South Africa among others who play both sports, they are nowhere near to what England has achieved.
Other than the aforementioned facts, the two worlds don't collide in any other aspect. However, in this article, we are about to discuss a handful of footballers who have plied their trade in cricket as well. Please read below;
Five footballers who were also good at cricket
#5 James Milner
Would you believe if you heard James Milner was a recognized talent in football, cricket and long-distance running at the same time?
Though we all know the sport he eventually chose, Milner was a promising cricket talent during his youth days. The Liverpool number seven played for the Yorkshire Schools cricket team and for the local team Horsforth. The England international has hinted at a return to cricket post-retirement from football.
A regular face in Cricket x Football amalgamations, James Milner has left us all in awe with his professional-style batting as well as bowling. He took part in the New Balance cricket event alongside Liverpool teammates Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Gomez.
#4 Gary Neville
We can certainly say that Gary Neville is no amateur in cricket.
From having experienced productive youth days in cricket to donning the role of a commentator on the fourth day of the third Ashes Test at Old Trafford last year, Neville has shown his prowess in a different ball game altogether.
Before embracing football on a full-time basis, the then 17-year-old Gary Neville shared the crease with — overseas star and future Australian Test batsman and veteran — Matthew Hayden for a local club called Greenmount CC in 1992.
Together they shared a partnership of 236 runs. Gary Neville once revealed, cricket toughened him up a lot more than football. The former Manchester United stalwart admires the Australian cricket team.