We never had Premier League footballers pegged as literature-lovers but, hey, even we make mistakes.
For the National Literacy Trust, Premier League stars have revealed their favourite children’s books as well as their favourite ever read in the hope of getting more youngsters turning pages.
Even some Irish internationals got in on the campaign with Shay Given revealing that he loved reading Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl as a kid while Angela’s Ashes is his favourite adult read.
Meanwhile Stoke City forward Jon Walters just brought a children’s book to the photoshoot (we’re not going to suggest any reason for his failure to mention an adult title). Turns out he’s a big fan of the BFG, or Crouchy as he’s known in the dressing room.
Not to be too cynical about Joey Barton’s selection of The Republic for his favourite book but we’re pretty certain that he would pronounce Plato as “Platto”.
Other notable choices includes club suck-ups Jonjo Shelvey and Adrian who picked The Official Swansea City Quiz Book and The Official 2014/15 Hammers Yearbook respectively.
The list of selections in full is as follows and, bizarrely, no Manchester United player took part.
Emiliano Martinez, Arsenal: Dragon BallZ & Sergio Kun Aguero: Born to Rise – My Story
Shay Given, Aston Villa: Artemis Fowl & Angela’s Ashes
Lukas Jutkiewicz, Burnley: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows & The Winter of Our Discontent
Mark Schwarzer, Chelsea: Green Eggs and Ham & Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia
Adam Lallana, Liverpool: The Gruffalo & Over The Line
Mile Jedinak, Crystal Palace: It’s Lovely When You Smile & Marching Powder
Gareth Barry, Everton: Dragons at Crumbling Castle & The Da Vinci Code
Curtis Davies, Hull: Peace at Last
Dean Hammond, Leicester: Paddington & The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Frank Lampard, Manchester City: Awful Auntie & The Making of Modern Britain
Siem De Jong, Newcastle: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory & Angels and Demons
Joey Barton, QPR: The Republic & Some Dogs Do
Morgan Schneiderlin, Southampton: La Cicatrice & The Soul Of A Butterfly
Jon Walters, Stoke: The BFG
Jack Rodwell, Sunderland: The Hobbit & Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Jonjo Shelvey, Swansea: The Gruffalo’s Child & The Official Swansea City Quiz Book
Ben Davies, Spurs: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone & The Damned United
Boaz Myhill, West Brom: Where The Wild Things Are & The Secret
Adrian, West Ham: West Ham United FC 2015 Annual & My Life Story
H/t to The Guardian
