Jonathan Walters LOVES a pint of Guinness.
So he was understandably upset when after his first international call-up from Giovanni Trappatoni in 2010 – he was that Trap had banned his Irish boys from the booze.
The Italian remains one of the most respected managers in the history of the game and is famed for his man-management skills.
However, he might have misjudged the situation slightly when he took over as Ireland boss in 2008 and immediately stopped the squad form enjoying a drink while away on international duty.
Not to be denied by his manager, former Stoke and Burney striker Walters revealed he came up with a cunning plan to deceive him by trying to pass his beloved Guinness off as a cup of tea or coffee.
Speaking to the Liquid Football podcast which is produced by JOE in partnership with Paddy Power, Walters explained: “When I first joined the Ireland team, Trapattoni was the Ireland manager and he banned drinking and anything like that.
“We had some big players in the squad like Robbie Keane, Richard Dunne, Damien Duff and some older players who were coming to the end of their international careers.
“And the way to get around the drinking ban was, you’d sit in reception, we’d come in and there was a guy called Guido who’d look after all the players in the hotel.
“We’d say ‘Guido, put a pint of Guinness in the teapot’. So there we were in reception and Trappatoni is walking past given us a wave thinking we’re just having a coffee!”
Walters’ affection for the odd pint of Guinness did his international career little harm as he went on to earn 54 Ireland caps, scoring 14 times.
He represented his country at Euro 2016 after hitting both goals in the 2-0 aggregate victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off.
“I know it takes a minute and a half, or two minutes to pour the perfect pint of Guinness but it was just anything to get a drink in you,” he added.
“That was our secret way of disguising it and no-one knew.”
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