“Some of these messages, behave” - Ex-Chelsea star Danny Drinkwater responds to fan claiming he’s hit ‘rock bottom’ after being spotted ‘on site’
Former Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater has hit back at a troll on social media who mocked his post-retirement activities. The fan claimed that the Englishman had hit rock bottom after hanging up his boots.
Drinkwater signed for the Blues from Leicester City in 2017 for a reported £35 million fee. The midfielder arrived at Stamford Bridge a Premier League winner, helping the Foxes triumph a year prior.
However, Drinkwater struggled to establish himself as a regular starter and his career took a nosedive at Chelsea. The former England international spent loan spells at various clubs over the years, including Burnley and Aston Villa, before announcing his retirement at the age of 33 in October last year.
Now that he's off the pitch, Drinkwater has taken to other hobbies to keep him entertained during his retirement. He posted a picture of himself at a construction site on his Instagram story with a caption that read 'On Site Today...'.
In response to the picture, a troll messaged Drinkwater and ridiculed him, stating:
"F***ing hell Danny you've hit rock bottom."
The former Chelsea midfielder offered a response of his own as he wrote on Instagram:
"Some of these messages, behaveee. I love being on site grafting! It's a choice."
During his time with the west Londoners, Danny Drinkwater managed just 23 appearances, recording one goal.
What former Chelsea star Danny Drinkwater said in his retirement announcement
Danny Drinkwater announced his retirement at an early age last year after his Chelsea contract expired. He came through Manchester United's academy and won the Premier League with Leicester in 2016.
Despite this, the Englishman was forced to hang up his boots after failing to establish himself at Stamford Bridge and unsuccessful loan spells. Speaking on the High Performance Podcast in October 2023, he took the chance to make it official.
He said (via The Guardian):
“It’s been a long time coming maybe, especially with the last year, but I think it’s time to officially announce it now. I think I’ve been in limbo for too long. I’ve been wanting to play but not getting the opportunity to play at a standard or a level where I felt valued. I’m happy not playing football but I’m happy playing football, so do I just shake hands with the sport?"
Drinkwater then admitted that while it was a tough decision to make, ending his career through injury had he been playing regularly would've made it more difficult. He said:
“It’s all I’ve known. It’s been my life since I was six, seven years old. It was never going to be an easy thing. If I was playing week in, week out and I had to say I’ve got to stop, maybe through injury or through just age, not being able to get about the pitch like I’d like to, I think it would be trickier.”