West Ham midfielder Joey O’Brien has revealed that he used to make overnight drives from Bolton to watch Champions League nights at Celtic.
O’Brien has enjoyed a decade long career in English football but remains a big fan of the game with one club in particular enjoying a special place in his heart.
The 29-year-old has made almost 100 appearances for West Ham over the last four seasons but revealed to Irish website Joe.ie that some of his favourite times were hitting the M74 on route to Celtic Park.
“Some players don’t like watching football but I love it,” O’Brien said. “I always like watching Champions League games and other Premier League matches. I was a big Celtic fan growing up and when I started playing with Bolton, I still went to a lot of games. I used to drive up after my matches on a Saturday and be back down for training.”
In midweek West Ham found themselves drawn to meet Andoran opposition in the Europa League first qualifying round, courtesy of finishing top of the Premier League Fair Play League.
That meant an early return for Slaven Bilic’s squad but O’Brien has no complaints after a summer break that was far from predictable.
“I had four weeks off and I went on a safari to Kenya and to the Seychelles with my wife,” said O’Brien, who was speaking on behalf of West Ham’s shirt sponsor Betway.
“The safari was one of the best things I’ve ever done. It wasn’t scary but it was just amazing to see lions up close and to see how they live.”