But we Brits have always been a bit too demanding of our sportsmen.
Thick as a plank (unless he's 100% fit in which case he's genius) and dead strange funny looking - and his mad wife - but he was a great footie player, long ago, before he began getting $1m a week and taking a knock on the toe or ankle every other time he put in an appearance.
Maybe he never learned the sidestep dance and just decided to move to LalaLand instead.