PETER CROUCH has opened up about his struggles to make it as a footballer in his latest podcast with his wife Abbey Clancey.
The former England man reflected on how his 6ft 2in stature made it difficult for him to find acceptance early in his career.
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The former striker, who now works regularly as a commentator for TNT, was reflecting on his career with wife Clancy as part of it Host a podcast.
Crouch spoke about making his debut for QPR aged 18 and feeling like “the whole world was laughing at me”.
He told Clancy: “At first I would have given anything to have a normal body. [Because] You just want to fit in, don’t you?
“I made my debut and I felt like the whole world was really laughing at me.”
“I’m 18 years old, I’m arriving and I have 30,000 people shouting ‘Freak’ at you.
“[Fans were thinking] ‘What is that? He doesn’t look like a football player.”
Clancy then asked her husband what some of the worst ridicule he’s faced from fans were.
Crouch replied: “Well, ‘freak’ was the worst. ‘Does the circus know you’re here?’ was one of the songs. Pretty funny to be fair.”
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Clancy then interrupted to say, “It’s not funny if you’re a teenager.”
The former striker revealed that his mother and sister came to watch him play in the first few days, but soon stopped after the abuse in the stands.
He said: “But in all honesty, I’m there to be shot at. I gave myself the opportunity of a lifetime. I think my mother and sister came to see me play and this must be the pinnacle of my life as a I did it now [after making his debut].
“But they stopped coming very quickly.”
He said he eventually got over it due to his persistence, saying, “You just want to get over it. I want my debut to be my debut and think ‘I’m done playing now’ and go unnoticed.
“Obviously you want to go under the radar and score goals, but you don’t want to be under the radar just because you look different.”
Crouch said his breakthrough came in a game against Gillingham when he came off the bench at 2-0 down to the R’s and scored a goal and an assist.
He would spend just one season at QPR, before moving on to Portsmouth and then Aston Villa.
Crouch became one of the Premier League’s most recognizable strikers in a career that saw him play for Liverpool, Tottenham and Stoke.
He also made 42 appearances for England and scored 22 goals for the Three Lions.
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