David James has detailed his experience of declaring bankruptcy and how an obsessive personality led to heavy drinking during his time as a Liverpool player, with the former England No1 outlining how competitive dressing room cultures can drive players to continue spending to keep up with team-mates’ lavish lifestyles.
In an interview with the Pub Talk podcast, hosted by Alan Brazil and former Arsenal star Ray Parlour, James said that there was a determination among players to earn more than the team-mate sitting next to him but the biggest issue following his bankruptcy was not being able to help others through his foundation or other charitable interests.
The 51-year-old made an estimated £20million during his playing career, earning about £50,000-per-week during his spell at Portsmouth, but was declared bankrupt in May 2014. In November of that year, he auctioned off some of his most prized possessions, including more than 100 match-worn shirts.
James said: “There’s the famous old saying that money can’t buy you happiness. But there is the reality that if you haven’t got any of it then it is tough. If you’re competitive, keeping up with the Joneses… you see someone with a nice watch on, you’re thinking ‘next time I buy a watch, I’m going to get a better one’.
“I was sat in the Portsmouth changing room and one of the lads walked past with the latest pair of jeans on which probably cost £400. I reasoned, we all do this, we all go out and buy the best clothes, we wake up in the morning, get dressed, go to work with our best clothes on, put our training kit on, train, come back, get dressed, go home.
“So these best clothes were literally only for going from home to training and back. I thought ‘what am I competing against here?’ So I went completely the other way.
“Then the bankruptcy came in. Even though I could spend money, I was always helping other people. It was ‘I’ve got a bit more, I can do this’. When you haven’t got any money, you can’t help other people. And that was more problematic than me being able to get something.”
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He added: “With regards to happiness, if you go back to the '90s if someone is earning £500 a week and the guy next to you is on £501, you want to be on £502. That’s the competitive nature of football.”
James also discussed the influence of alcohol during his playing days and how his 1992 move from Watford to Liverpool led to him drinking as a way to bed in with his new team-mates. The 53-times capped England international was a central part of the 'Spice Boys' group at Anfield, featuring the likes of Jamie Redknapp, Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler.
“I wasn’t a drinker at Watford,” he said. “I went to Liverpool and my first interaction with the players was pre-season, ‘come on let’s have a drink’ and I thought ‘I’ve got to do this’ to bond with the lads.
“Like my smoking [he started aged 15 and smoked for 15 years], I just carried on doing it. I haven’t had a drinking problem but I’m obsessive about it. It’s more about the social side.”
