Latest news with #BenGreenhalgh
Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I joined Inter Milan after winning a TV competition then won the Champions League and body doubled for Cristiano Ronaldo
JOSE MOURINHO was the last Inter Milan manager to lead the club to Champions League glory. And an ex-pro golfer turned player-manager in the Isthmian League South East Division had a front-row seat after winning a place in the Italians' squad on a TV talent show. 15 Ben Greenhalgh won Football's Next Star in 2010, earning a pro contract at Inter Milan 15 Greenhalgh filled in as Cristiano Ronaldo's body double Credit: INSTAGRAM @bengreenhalgh17 15 He is now player-manager at Margate in the eighth tier Credit: INSTAGRAM @bengreenhalgh17 15 The winger nutmegged Patrick Vieira as a teenager Credit: Sky 1 And he'd already had a stint as Cristiano Ronaldo's body double. Ben Greenhalgh won the first and only series of Football's Next Star, which aired on Sky in 2010, earning a six-month professional contract at Inter aged just 17. And, only months later, he found himself sitting just behind Mourinho as he masterminded a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final to complete the Treble. Greenhalgh was not part of the matchday squad ,in fact he never made a first-team appearance for Inter. READ MORE ON INTER MILAN SAN SIRO HERO Acerbi beat cancer twice before guiding Inter to Champions League final But he DID get a winner's medal at the Bernabeu. Now a player-manager at non-league Margate, Greenhalgh, 33, told SunSport: 'Looking back, it's absolutely mental. To be part of Inter's best season ever is incredible. 'I sat two rows behind the dugout. 'I didn't celebrate much, I almost wish I'd run on the pitch and got even more involved. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 'I jumped at the opportunity to take the Champions League medal. We got given about five extras. 'They might have been for players Mourinho cast out who weren't there like Ricardo Quaresma and Marko Arnautovic. Where are they now: The unusual careers of former footballers 'It's the best story I'm ever going to have in football. It will stick with me forever and I'm really happy about that.' The Champions League final on May 22, 2010 came 401 days after Greenhalgh made his Welling United first-team debut on his 17th birthday. But his stratospheric rise from Bexley to the Bernabeu came from his victory on the short-lived TV talent show. He was actually unaware of the trials when his Kent FA team went for what they thought was a regular training day in London until spotting cameras, Inter coaches and presenter Jamie Redknapp. Out of 20,000 hopefuls, Inter's scouts whittled it down to 40 before a final ten were invited out to Milan. Greenhalgh admitted: 'No one knew what was going on because a show like this hadn't been aired before. It's the best story I'm ever going to have in football. It will stick with me forever and I'm really happy about that. Ben Greenhalgh 'Now those shows are quite nostalgic. 'I don't know why it's never come back because it did really well. One night it beat Strictly for viewers. 'I watched it in Italy, already playing for Inter. People were trying to contact me and find out if I was the winner. 'I remember my Facebook crashed with friend requests.' Redknapp took 17-year-old Ben under his wing, even giving the youngster his mobile number to mentor him. Ironically, Greenlagh reckons his career could have turned out better had he NOT won the show - because Redknapp said his dad Harry would have signed him at Tottenham. 15 Greenhalgh picked up a Champions League winner's medal in 2010 despite not playing Credit: Getty 15 Jose Mourinho had an 'aura' about him but made the kid feel at ease straight away Credit: AP 15 Greenhalgh impressed the Inter scouts to win out of 20,000 entrants Credit: SKY 1 15 Jamie Redknapp presented the one-off Sky TV show Credit: SKY 1 15 Greenhalgh would love to see another similar series Credit: SKY 1 But the winger would not trade the Inter memories, winning the Champions League and training under the Special One. Greenhalgh, who had Inter kits growing up, said: 'It's pretty surreal given just how monumental Inter Milan are as a football club. 'Meeting Jose was very nerve-wracking. 'He had an unbelievable aura, he was the best manager in the world then. 'He was so respectful to me and put me at ease straight away. 'Suddenly, I was thrown into training with Lucio, Quaresma, Mario Balotelli, Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito, Samuel Eto'o, Javier Zanetti made everything look effortless at 39. 'I nutmegged Patrick Vieira but it didn't make the show!' But Greenhalgh's opening training session at Inter was not his first time rubbing shoulders with footballing stardom. Because aged just 16, he got a gig as Ronaldo's body double through a football choreographer friend who worked on Nike and adidas adverts. Greenhalgh also played the likes of fellow left-footers Mesut Ozil, Robin van Persie and Gareth Bale, protecting the players from going into tackles and risking injury. I nutmegged Patrick Vieira but it didn't make the show! Ben Greenhalgh Greenhalgh said: 'Cristiano was my idol. No one could shock me as much. It was crazy, he'd just won the Champions League at Manchester United. 'We had a couple of funny moments. 'The media got hold we were in a gym shooting an advert and suddenly about 100 cameramen hovered outside. 'I was dressed as Ronaldo so I ran down the street under an umbrella. All the journalists followed and Ronaldo slipped out the back door unnoticed. 'Doing Ozil was probably the best one because we're similar creative players and used to have kickabouts between sets.' Greenhalgh, though, had to give up his job as 'Ronaldo' because he couldn't abandon training to fly from Milan to Madrid to film more adverts. In the end, he stayed at Inter for 18 months, which included a fruitful loan stint at Como, scoring eight goals in 12 games. Como wanted to make a deal permanent when his extended Inter contract expired in 2011 but Italian football's financial disarray meant the club could not afford to pay him. So he returned to England, joining Brighton in League One. 15 Greenhalgh is still playing 50 games per season at 33 Credit: MARGATE FC 15 He had an 18-month stint as a PGA professional golfer alongside non-league football Credit: INSTAGRAM @bengreenhalgh17 15 He got down to a scratch handicap while dropped out of the Inverness team Credit: INSTAGRAM @bengreenhalgh17 15 The winger spent 18 months with the Italian giants Credit: Inter Milan 15 Greenhalgh wants to keep playing until he turns 40, just like Ronaldo Credit: INSTAGRAM @margatefc_ 15 He is hoping to climb the managerial ladder in the long run Credit: INSTAGRAM @margatefc_ The Seagulls were flying on their progression through the leagues and he could not break into the team and suffered a similar struggle at Birmingham. That saw Greenhalgh drop back into non-league, returning to where it all started at Welling, still only 19. It was a stint at Inverness, though, that ironically launched Greenhalgh into a pro career in a different sport. He added: 'I haven't got John Hughes to thank for much at Inverness for dropping me… but he made me a very good golfer. 'I was on the course every day. I went to Scotland a six handicapper and got down to scratch. 'Back in England, I passed my playing ability test to become a PGA professional. 'I did it for 18 months, won one pro competition, breaking the course record at Addington, which I can cling on to. 'But I couldn't play the big tournaments because of my football matches at the weekend. I was a footballer playing golf.' CAN'T JAV IT Now settled as coach of Dartford's academy and 'building something' as player-manager at Margate - who lost in England's eighth-tier play-offs last month - Greenhalgh wants to keep playing like his body double Ronaldo until he is 40 before climbing up the ladder as a gaffer. But whatever else Greenhalgh achieves - whether as a footballer, coach or golfer - he will always have that Champions League medal, even if an Inter legend comes calling again. Greenhalgh explained: 'Zanetti's partner messaged me five years ago asking if he could buy my Champions League medal off me for the Inter museum. 'I might have made money but I knew I'm obviously never again going to top it so it'd be hard to part with it. 'The Libertines sponsor Margate's kit and this year we've gone Inter Milan style because of my links. 'I want to try and get Zanetti a Margate shirt to put it up in his restaurant. 'Hopefully, it's a good year for Inter Milan and hopefully it's a good year for Margate.'
The Sun
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I joined Inter Milan after winning a TV competition then won the Champions League and body doubled for Cristiano Ronaldo
JOSE MOURINHO was the last Inter Milan manager to lead the club to Champions League glory. And an ex-pro golfer turned player-manager in the Isthmian League South East Division had a front-row seat after winning a place in the Italians' squad on a TV talent show. 15 15 15 15 And he'd already had a stint as Cristiano Ronaldo's body double. Ben Greenhalgh won the first and only series of Football's Next Star, which aired on Sky in 2010, earning a six-month professional contract at Inter aged just 17. And, only months later, he found himself sitting just behind Mourinho as he masterminded a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final to complete the Treble. Greenhalgh was not part of the matchday squad ,in fact he never made a first-team appearance for Inter. But he DID get a winner's medal at the Bernabeu. Now a player-manager at non-league Margate, Greenhalgh, 33, told SunSport: 'Looking back, it's absolutely mental. To be part of Inter's best season ever is incredible. 'I sat two rows behind the dugout. 'I didn't celebrate much, I almost wish I'd run on the pitch and got even more involved. 'I jumped at the opportunity to take the Champions League medal. We got given about five extras. 'They might have been for players Mourinho cast out who weren't there like Ricardo Quaresma and Marko Arnautovic. Where are they now: The unusual careers of former footballers 'It's the best story I'm ever going to have in football. It will stick with me forever and I'm really happy about that.' The Champions League final on May 22, 2010 came 401 days after Greenhalgh made his Welling United first-team debut on his 17th birthday. But his stratospheric rise from Bexley to the Bernabeu came from his victory on the short-lived TV talent show. He was actually unaware of the trials when his Kent FA team went for what they thought was a regular training day in London until spotting cameras, Inter coaches and presenter Jamie Redknapp. Out of 20,000 hopefuls, Inter's scouts whittled it down to 40 before a final ten were invited out to Milan. Greenhalgh admitted: 'No one knew what was going on because a show like this hadn't been aired before. It's the best story I'm ever going to have in football. It will stick with me forever and I'm really happy about that. Ben Greenhalgh 'Now those shows are quite nostalgic. 'I don't know why it's never come back because it did really well. One night it beat Strictly for viewers. 'I watched it in Italy, already playing for Inter. People were trying to contact me and find out if I was the winner. 'I remember my Facebook crashed with friend requests.' Redknapp took 17-year-old Ben under his wing, even giving the youngster his mobile number to mentor him. Ironically, Greenlagh reckons his career could have turned out better had he NOT won the show - because Redknapp said his dad Harry would have signed him at Tottenham. 15 15 15 15 15 But the winger would not trade the Inter memories, winning the Champions League and training under the Special One. Greenhalgh, who had Inter kits growing up, said: 'It's pretty surreal given just how monumental Inter Milan are as a football club. 'Meeting Jose was very nerve-wracking. 'He had an unbelievable aura, he was the best manager in the world then. 'He was so respectful to me and put me at ease straight away. 'Suddenly, I was thrown into training with Lucio, Quaresma, Mario Balotelli, Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito, Samuel Eto'o, Javier Zanetti made everything look effortless at 39. 'I nutmegged Patrick Vieira but it didn't make the show!' But Greenhalgh's opening training session at Inter was not his first time rubbing shoulders with footballing stardom. Because aged just 16, he got a gig as Ronaldo's body double through a football choreographer friend who worked on Nike and adidas adverts. Greenhalgh also played the likes of fellow left-footers Mesut Ozil, Robin van Persie and Gareth Bale, protecting the players from going into tackles and risking injury. Greenhalgh said: 'Cristiano was my idol. No one could shock me as much. It was crazy, he'd just won the Champions League at Manchester United. 'We had a couple of funny moments. 'The media got hold we were in a gym shooting an advert and suddenly about 100 cameramen hovered outside. 'I was dressed as Ronaldo so I ran down the street under an umbrella. All the journalists followed and Ronaldo slipped out the back door unnoticed. 'Doing Ozil was probably the best one because we're similar creative players and used to have kickabouts between sets.' Greenhalgh, though, had to give up his job as 'Ronaldo' because he couldn't abandon training to fly from Milan to Madrid to film more adverts. In the end, he stayed at Inter for 18 months, which included a fruitful loan stint at Como, scoring eight goals in 12 games. Como wanted to make a deal permanent when his extended Inter contract expired in 2011 but Italian football's financial disarray meant the club could not afford to pay him. So he returned to England, joining Brighton in League One. 15 15 15 15 The Seagulls were flying on their progression through the leagues and he could not break into the team and suffered a similar struggle at Birmingham. That saw Greenhalgh drop back into non-league, returning to where it all started at Welling, still only 19. It was a stint at Inverness, though, that ironically launched Greenhalgh into a pro career in a different sport. He added: 'I haven't got John Hughes to thank for much at Inverness for dropping me… but he made me a very good golfer. 'I was on the course every day. I went to Scotland a six handicapper and got down to scratch. 'Back in England, I passed my playing ability test to become a PGA professional. 'I did it for 18 months, won one pro competition, breaking the course record at Addington, which I can cling on to. 'But I couldn't play the big tournaments because of my football matches at the weekend. I was a footballer playing golf.' CAN'T JAV IT Now settled as coach of Dartford's academy and 'building something' as player-manager at Margate - who lost in England's eighth-tier play-offs last month - Greenhalgh wants to keep playing like his body double Ronaldo until he is 40 before climbing up the ladder as a gaffer. But whatever else Greenhalgh achieves - whether as a footballer, coach or golfer - he will always have that Champions League medal, even if an Inter legend comes calling again. Greenhalgh explained: 'Zanetti's partner messaged me five years ago asking if he could buy my Champions League medal off me for the Inter museum. 'I might have made money but I knew I'm obviously never again going to top it so it'd be hard to part with it. 'The Libertines sponsor Margate's kit and this year we've gone Inter Milan style because of my links. 'I want to try and get Zanetti a Margate shirt to put it up in his restaurant. 'Hopefully, it's a good year for Inter Milan and hopefully it's a good year for Margate.' Greenhalgh's final prediction FORMER Inter Milan Champions League winner Ben Greenhalgh believes his old side will be crowned Kings of Europe again. Ex-Inter man and Football's Next Star winner Greenhalgh was sat behind the Bernabeu dugouts as Diego Milito scored twice for Jose Mourinho's side against Bayern Munich to secure a 2-0 victory in the 2010 final. And the Margate player-manager reckons fans are in for a treat on Saturday night. Greenhalgh said: 'It's going to be a really good game of football, a top game. 'If PSG don't score early on, and Inter show the defensive manner in which they play, and how well they are well-packed and well-organised, I think it will frustrate PSG. 'Inter are a team that definitely jump at teams when they're frustrated. They play in that manner and they've got that brilliant fighting spirit. 'If they can antagonise them in that way, which as a fan is good to watch, it's good to watch how well Inter seem to wind other teams up. 'I think if they can manage to let the game go in that manner and stop the attack and threats that PSG have early on, then I think they'll grow in confidence in the game. 'But if they let PSG get too much confidence, I think they'll be tough to come back and beat.' Greenhalgh, though, is confident his old side will come out on top against PSG in Munich. He added: 'I'm going to go for 2-1 Inter Milan in extra time. I think Inter Milan will score first then PSG will need to go on the front foot for the final 15-20 minutes. 'Then I think Inter Milan will do them in extra time. 'Lautaro Martinez has been such a good leader. He reminds me of Diego Milito leading that front line. 'Martinez will be the matchwinner. 'Inter as a club need to win the Champions League to get them back to the good days.'
The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I joined Inter Milan after winning a TV competition then won the Champions League and body doubled for Cristiano Ronaldo
JOSE MOURINHO was the last Inter Milan manager to lead the club to Champions League glory. And an ex-pro golfer turned player-manager in the Isthmian League South East Division had a front-row seat after winning a place in the Italians' squad on a TV talent show. Advertisement 15 Ben Greenhalgh won Football's Next Star in 2010, earning a pro contract at Inter Milan 15 Greenhalgh filled in as Cristiano Ronaldo's body double Credit: INSTAGRAM @bengreenhalgh17 15 He is now player-manager at Margate in the eighth tier Credit: INSTAGRAM @bengreenhalgh17 15 The winger nutmegged Patrick Vieira as a teenager Credit: Sky 1 And he'd already had a stint as Cristiano Ronaldo's body double. Ben Greenhalgh won the first and only series of Football's Next Star, which aired on Sky in 2010, earning a six-month professional contract at Inter aged just 17. And, only months later, he found himself sitting just behind Mourinho as he masterminded a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final to complete the Treble. Greenhalgh was not part of the matchday squad ,in fact he never made a first-team appearance for Advertisement READ MORE ON INTER MILAN But he DID get a winner's medal at the Bernabeu. Now a player-manager at non-league Margate, Greenhalgh, 33, told SunSport: 'Looking back, it's absolutely mental. To be part of Inter's best season ever is incredible. 'I sat two rows behind the dugout. 'I didn't celebrate much, I almost wish I'd run on the pitch and got even more involved. Advertisement Most read in Champions League CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 'I jumped at the opportunity to take the Champions League medal. We got given about five extras. 'They might have been for players Mourinho cast out who weren't there like Ricardo Quaresma and Marko Arnautovic. Where are they now: The unusual careers of former footballers 'It's the best story I'm ever going to have in football. It will stick with me forever and I'm really happy about that.' Advertisement The Champions League final on May 22, 2010 came 401 days after Greenhalgh made his Welling United first-team debut on his 17th birthday. But his stratospheric rise from Bexley to the Bernabeu came from his victory on the short-lived TV talent show. He was actually unaware of the trials when his Kent FA team went for what they thought was a regular training day in London until spotting cameras, Inter coaches and presenter Out of 20,000 hopefuls, Inter's scouts whittled it down to 40 before a final ten were invited out to Milan. Advertisement Greenhalgh admitted: 'No one knew what was going on because a show like this hadn't been aired before. It's the best story I'm ever going to have in football. It will stick with me forever and I'm really happy about that. Ben Greenhalgh 'Now those shows are quite nostalgic. 'I don't know why it's never come back because it did really well. One night it beat Strictly for viewers. 'I watched it in Italy, already playing for Inter. People were trying to contact me and find out if I was the winner. Advertisement 'I remember my Facebook crashed with friend requests.' Redknapp took 17-year-old Ben under his wing, even giving the youngster his mobile number to mentor him. Ironically, Greenlagh reckons his career could have turned out better had he NOT won the show - because Redknapp said his dad Harry would have signed him at Tottenham. 15 Greenhalgh picked up a Champions League winner's medal in 2010 despite not playing Credit: Getty Advertisement 15 Jose Mourinho had an 'aura' about him but made the kid feel at ease straight away Credit: AP 15 Greenhalgh impressed the Inter scouts to win out of 20,000 entrants Credit: SKY 1 15 Jamie Redknapp presented the one-off Sky TV show Credit: SKY 1 15 Greenhalgh would love to see another similar series Credit: SKY 1 Advertisement But the winger would not trade the Inter memories, winning the Champions League and training under the Special One. Greenhalgh, who had Inter kits growing up, said: 'It's pretty surreal given just how monumental Inter Milan are as a football club. 'Meeting Jose was very nerve-wracking. 'He had an unbelievable aura, he was the best manager in the world then. Advertisement 'He was so respectful to me and put me at ease straight away. 'Suddenly, I was thrown into training with Lucio, Quaresma, Mario Balotelli, Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito, Samuel Eto'o, Javier Zanetti made everything look effortless at 39. 'I nutmegged Patrick Vieira but it didn't make the show!' But Greenhalgh's opening training session at Inter was not his first time rubbing shoulders with footballing stardom. Advertisement Because aged just 16, he got a gig as Ronaldo's body double through a football choreographer friend who worked on Nike and adidas adverts. Greenhalgh also played the likes of fellow left-footers Mesut Ozil, Robin van Persie and Gareth Bale, protecting the players from going into tackles and risking injury. I nutmegged Patrick Vieira but it didn't make the show! Ben Greenhalgh Greenhalgh said: 'Cristiano was my idol. No one could shock me as much. It was crazy, he'd just won the Champions League at Manchester United. 'We had a couple of funny moments. Advertisement 'The media got hold we were in a gym shooting an advert and suddenly about 100 cameramen hovered outside. 'I was dressed as 'Doing Ozil was probably the best one because we're similar creative players and used to have kickabouts between sets.' Greenhalgh, though, had to give up his job as 'Ronaldo' because he couldn't abandon training to fly from Milan to Madrid to film more adverts. Advertisement In the end, he stayed at Inter for 18 months, which included a fruitful loan stint at Como, scoring eight goals in 12 games. Como wanted to make a deal permanent when his extended Inter contract expired in 2011 but Italian football's financial disarray meant the club could not afford to pay him. So he returned to England, joining 15 Greenhalgh is still playing 50 games per season at 33 Credit: MARGATE FC Advertisement 15 He had an 18-month stint as a PGA professional golfer alongside non-league football Credit: INSTAGRAM @bengreenhalgh17 15 He got down to a scratch handicap while dropped out of the Inverness team Credit: INSTAGRAM @bengreenhalgh17 15 The winger spent 18 months with the Italian giants Credit: Inter Milan 15 Greenhalgh wants to keep playing until he turns 40, just like Ronaldo Credit: INSTAGRAM @margatefc_ Advertisement 15 He is hoping to climb the managerial ladder in the long run Credit: INSTAGRAM @margatefc_ The Seagulls were flying on their progression through the leagues and he could not break into the team and suffered a similar struggle at Birmingham. That saw Greenhalgh drop back into non-league, returning to where it all started at Welling, still only 19. It was a stint at Inverness, though, that ironically launched Greenhalgh into a pro career in a different sport. Advertisement He added: 'I haven't got John Hughes to thank for much at Inverness for dropping me… but he made me a very good golfer. 'I was on the course every day. I went to Scotland a six handicapper and got down to scratch. 'Back in England, I passed my playing ability test to become a PGA professional. 'I did it for 18 months, won one pro competition, breaking the course record at Addington, which I can cling on to. Advertisement 'But I couldn't play the big tournaments because of my football matches at the weekend. I was a footballer playing golf.' CAN'T JAV IT Now settled as coach of Dartford's academy and 'building something' as player-manager at Margate - who lost in England's eighth-tier play-offs last month - Greenhalgh wants to keep playing like his body double Ronaldo until he is 40 before climbing up the ladder as a gaffer. But whatever else Greenhalgh achieves - whether as a footballer, coach or golfer - he will always have that Champions League medal, even if an Inter legend comes calling again. Greenhalgh explained: 'Zanetti's partner messaged me five years ago asking if he could buy my Champions League medal off me for the Inter museum. Advertisement 'I might have made money but I knew I'm obviously never again going to top it so it'd be hard to part with it. 'The Libertines sponsor Margate's kit and this year we've gone Inter Milan style because of my links. 'I want to try and get Zanetti a Margate shirt to put it up in his restaurant. 'Hopefully, it's a good year for Inter Milan and hopefully it's a good year for Margate.' Advertisement Greenhalgh's final prediction FORMER Inter Milan Champions League winner Ben Greenhalgh believes his old side will be crowned Kings of Europe again. Ex-Inter man and Football's Next Star winner Greenhalgh was sat behind the Bernabeu dugouts as Diego Milito scored twice for Jose Mourinho's side against Bayern Munich to secure a 2-0 victory in the 2010 final. And the Margate player-manager reckons fans are in for a treat on Saturday night. Greenhalgh said: 'It's going to be a really good game of football, a top game. 'If PSG don't score early on, and Inter show the defensive manner in which they play, and how well they are well-packed and well-organised, I think it will frustrate PSG. 'Inter are a team that definitely jump at teams when they're frustrated. They play in that manner and they've got that brilliant fighting spirit. 'If they can antagonise them in that way, which as a fan is good to watch, it's good to watch how well Inter seem to wind other teams up. 'I think if they can manage to let the game go in that manner and stop the attack and threats that PSG have early on, then I think they'll grow in confidence in the game. 'But if they let PSG get too much confidence, I think they'll be tough to come back and beat.' Greenhalgh, though, is confident his old side will come out on top against PSG in Munich. He added: 'I'm going to go for 2-1 Inter Milan in extra time. I think Inter Milan will score first then PSG will need to go on the front foot for the final 15-20 minutes. 'Then I think Inter Milan will do them in extra time. 'Lautaro Martinez has been such a good leader. He reminds me of Diego Milito leading that front line. 'Martinez will be the matchwinner. 'Inter as a club need to win the Champions League to get them back to the good days.'
New York Times
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Ben Greenhalgh won a TV show, joined Mourinho's Inter and lost his Champions League medal on a golf course
'And next he's gonna meet the big boss, Jose Mourinho. I think it will finally sink in that he's an Inter Milan player when he's given that shirt,' Jamie Redknapp, the former England midfielder and Sky presenter, says. Ben Greenhalgh laughs as he remembers what happens next. 'I nearly leave Mourinho hanging in a minute!' Advertisement We are watching a rerun of Football's Next Star, the television show that was broadcast on Sky One in 2010 with the prize of a six-month contract at Inter for the winner. More than 7,000 boys entered before being whittled down to the final 10, who stayed together in a villa overlooking Lake Como. 'Every week, it was a case of, 'We want to be here next week, and that's all we were fighting for',' Greenhalgh says. 'I don't think we were ever fighting for who was going to win.' Essentially, it was football's version of the X Factor with Marco Monti, the technical director at Inter's academy, playing the role of Simon Cowell. Greenhalgh not only ended up winning the show and signing for Inter but, remarkably, also finished the season with a Champions League medal around his neck (he later lost it on a golf course, but that's another story). It was a surreal experience for a 17-year-old A-level student who had never been around professional football before. 'Look, that could have been terrible!' Greenhalgh says, cringing as we watch the moment when Mourinho, who was Inter's manager at the time, congratulates him and waits for the handshake that almost never comes. Greenhalgh was too busy trying to take in the enormity of it all. A TV show that he had entered in the early stages 'as a laugh' was now turning his life upside down, propelling him from the fringe of the first-team at non-League Welling United, who were playing in the sixth tier of English football at the time, to training alongside some of the greatest players in the world at Inter. Those close to Greenhalgh were every bit as excited as him. 'I'm still with Grace!' Greenhalgh says, his face lighting up as the camera pans to his girlfriend. 'I've got three kids with her now!' Greenhalgh's relationship with Inter didn't last anything like as long, which was probably to be expected. By the start of 2011, the left winger was back in England, on trial at Brighton, following a successful loan spell with Como in Serie C, Italy's third tier. He rejoined Welling later the same year. Advertisement The experience at Inter, however, was unforgettable. Greenhalgh brings along to the interview a signed shirt that Patrick Vieira gave him, tells stories about Mario Balotelli and his Lamborghini, marvels at the way the Inter players worked so hard for Mourinho and, more than anything, feels privileged to have had a front-row seat for the most successful season in the club's history. 'My six-month contract began in January (2010), so it went to the end of the season,' Greenhalgh explains. 'Everything was high-flying because they were on for the treble at this time – they've got through the group stage in the Champions League, they're in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia and they're top of the league as well. It was some experience.' Inter created history by winning all three competitions, and although Greenhalgh played for the reserves and the under-18s rather than the first team, he was in the right place at the right time when it came to the Champions League final against Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu. 'Before the final, we played a game at Real Madrid City (the Spanish club's training ground) against Bayern Munich,' he says. 'It was called the 'UEFA Under-18 Challenge', and that's now become the UEFA Youth League. We also won 2-0 (the same scoreline as the first team). 'Some of us then travelled with the match-day squad, staying in the team hotel, and then sitting just behind them at the game. Just being able to experience those types of matches was ridiculous, really.' And what about the medal? 'We managed to get one because… they were just handing them out in the changing room afterwards!' Greenhalgh says, smiling. All of which explains why the supporters at non-League side Margate, who play in the Isthmian League South East Division (the eighth tier of English football), sing what they do on a match day. 'Champions League, he's won that too. Now he's at Margate, playing in blue.' Advertisement Greenhalgh, who is the player-manager at Margate, breaks into laughter. 'That's a good song. I've had some bad songs,' he says. 'At Tonbridge Angels – and I loved it when I was there – I'm about to take a free kick on the edge of the area, and they go, 'We got Super Ben Greenhalgh, he runs around the park…' 'I'm listening to it thinking, 'Oh wow, I've got a song.' 'And then they go, 'He looks like (British TV celebrity) Rylan Clark', and I think, 'Oh no!'' In his younger days, when he was still at school and before he grew a beard, Greenhalgh looked more like Cristiano Ronaldo, so much so that he was a body double for the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player in a television commercial. 'I started coaching for a guy called Mike Delaney, who also ran a company called Select Sports Artists,' he explains. 'Mike was one of the big ones at the time when it came to body-doubling adverts and he managed to get me Ronaldo, which was obviously massive. I was 16 and this was Ronaldo in his prime. And, fair play to Ronaldo, I've been to so many shoots where the players are there for 10 minutes maximum. But he was there for about three to four hours. He was even doing kick-ups with us.' That line of work provides another chapter to a colourful life story that includes a playing CV unlike any other. Greenhalgh's list of clubs, in order, reads: His time at Inter jumps off the page and, naturally, is a constant source of ribbing on the non-League circuit. 'I get banter all the time about it,' says Greenhalgh, who is also the academy director at Dartford Town, whose first team are one league above Margate. 'When it comes down to it, it's always going to be the thing that I'll be known for. It's been 15 years and it's still memorable.' Looking back, the fact that he joined Inter via a reality TV show was always going to pose challenges for him in Italy. There was even a wrangle at the outset between Welling and Inter, Greenhalgh recalls, over whether the non-League club were entitled to a transfer fee for him, delaying his registration. 'Welling started asking Inter for £100,000,' he says. Advertisement Greenhalgh also felt under added pressure to prove himself, not helped by the way the reserve team coach spoke about him in front of the other players. 'I remember him introducing me and it was like, 'He's won a TV show, he's with us now.'' Perhaps that kind of reaction was inevitable, even if it didn't need to be announced in that way. With or without his unusual backstory, Greenhalgh quickly realised that elite professional football is a dog-eat-dog world, especially for those who are still trying to prove themselves. 'When you're in the reserves or the under-21s of a top club, the chances of you breaking through are so slim. So these players are doing absolutely everything to get in, even injuring people,' Greenhalgh says. 'I used to play against a right-back who went on and played for Bayer Leverkusen. Not a very good footballer, in my opinion. But he would smash me every training session.' Not that Greenhalgh is in any way bitter or resentful about any part of his experience at Inter. He had the time of his life at the club, still speaks to several of his former team-mates and cherishes all the memories, including the episode on the television show when he was thrown in at the deep end with the first team. 'That was probably one of the biggest times ever in football where I did freeze a bit,' he says. 'I hadn't warmed up and you're suddenly playing with Lucio, (Ricardo) Quaresma and players like that, who you've seen on TV. I got the ball and I'd just pass because you didn't want anything to go wrong.' Some of the Inter first-team players went out of their way to be friendly towards Greenhalgh, including Vieira, who gave him a shirt that he had worn in the Milan derby. Greenhalgh also warmed to a teenage Mario Balotelli. 'At the time, I was 17 and he was 19 – he did not look 19. He was absolutely huge. He could have still played for the under-21s, that's what we found funny. Advertisement 'To be fair to him, he'd come and watch us. He rocked up in his Lamborghini for one game and he blocked the gateway for the coach to come in. The coach driver gets out and says, 'Can someone move this?' And he just said, 'No.' So they ended up having to park down the road and all their players had to walk.' As for Mourinho, Greenhalgh was fascinated by his approach. 'Interestingly, he wouldn't run training sessions too much. But you respected him because of his aura. Everything he said, you believed. 'I couldn't believe the manner that the players worked so hard for him, but then also how relaxed training was. There was no intensity to training. But then loads of tactical information, and then absolutely 100 miles an hour on a match day.' Realistically, Greenhalgh was never going to make it at first-team level at Inter, although he does sometimes wonder whether he should have stayed for longer at Como, where he spent half a season on loan and enjoyed his football. Instead, he came back to England in search of a professional club but was left with the feeling that he had been out of sight and out of mind in Italy. It was a different story for Connor Smith, the Irishman who finished second to Greenhalgh in Football's Next Star. 'I still speak to Connor, he's Barnet's assistant manager and they've had a brilliant year (winning promotion to the Football League),' Greenhalgh says. 'After we finished the show, me and Connor trained with Watford for four months because my contract (with Inter) didn't begin until January. I was still back and forth to Italy, but more for the camera stuff. Connor managed to get himself a deal at Watford and that probably propelled his career in England. And I think that's the one thing I always struggled with: my career never took off in England.' Greenhalgh ended up in Scotland at one stage, playing for the former England captain Terry Butcher at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, although it was another sport that grabbed his attention there. 'I was always a reasonable golfer,' he says. 'I was something like a 12 handicapper. But Scotland completely changed me.' Advertisement In fact, he spent so much time on the golf course in Scotland that he turned professional in 2015. Two years later, Greenhalgh posted a picture on Twitter showing him finishing first at a pro-am tournament. 'I ended up winning a little bit of money, but I was still a footballer playing golf,' he says. Over the moon to win my first PGA professional golf competition & to break the course record! Still hasn't sunk in Thanks to @TheAddingtonGC — Ben Greenhalgh (@BenGreenhalgh) July 14, 2017 That much was clear to anyone who played golf against him – and not because of his swing. Greenhalgh – and he shakes his head when he tells this story – used his Champions League winners' medal as a golf marker for a while. 'I took it off the ribbon mainly because I think, when I was young… it was brilliant, but I felt like I hadn't played in it (the final). So we were doing it as a laugh with my friends, just as a story to try and get in other golfers' heads. Like, 'Oh, what's that?' Because everyone uses medallions anyway. 'But it went missing at Aldenham Golf Club and, luckily, I knew the pro, who'd had it handed in. When I look back now, I think I was an absolute idiot doing those sorts of things. From there, I got it back on the ribbon, put it in a glass box and it's at my mum and dad's house now.' Greenhalgh hopes that Inter get their hands on the famous trophy again on Saturday, when they face Paris Saint-Germain in Munich in the Champions League final. There are similarities, he says, between the current side and Mourinho's team. 'They're hardworking and they've got that tenacity where when things are going badly for other teams, they really jump on it. They're almost bullies – and that's what the Inter team were under Mourinho. 'I look back at it now and that was an unbelievable Inter team. But I do think they overachieved – they beat 2010 Barcelona in the semi-final! But that was when Mourinho was at his finest.' It was also when Greenhalgh was living the dream. (Credit: Ben Greenhalgh)
Telegraph
a day ago
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You've never heard of the only Englishman to win Champions League with Inter Milan
The only British footballer in history to get a Champions League winners' medal while playing for Inter Milan would use it as a ball marker in the few years he spent as a professional golfer on the PGA circuit. Ben Greenhalgh laughs at the memory of the confusion it would spread in matchplay. 'That was my way of getting into an opponent's head, to let them know that I might be all right at golf but I had also done a bit in football,' he says. 'It would always throw them off for a few holes.' This is the unusual sporting career of a man who, at 17, won an Inter Milan contract in a TV talent show; became a professional golfer; and was a body double for Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Özil. When Greenhalgh drops into the conversation that he was a British steeplechase champion as a junior athlete, it is hard to believe that, at 33, he has packed so much in. Greenhalgh is currently the player-manager at Margate FC in the Isthmian League south-east division – the eighth tier of the pyramid. In a successful non-league career spent mainly in his native Kent, he has played around 750 games and says he has never missed a match through injury. For seven years he has run the academy at Dartford FC, one tier above Margate in the Isthmian Premier. He has already had one major success: Martial Godo who now, at 22, is a Premier League player with Fulham. But Greenhalgh is best known for winning the 2010 Sky One show Football's Next Star, a Britain's Got Talent for footballers. Presented by Jamie Redknapp and going head-to-head with Strictly Come Dancing in the scheduling over seven episodes it followed 10 young footballers competing to win a contract with Inter. Sadly the proposed second series – to feature Manchester City – never happened. That despite the show coinciding with Inter's 2010 Champions League triumph under Jose Mourinho.
