Away from the frenetic lifestyle of a professional darts player, most on the tour are ardent enthusiasts of other sports, with football, rugby, snooker and golf seemingly among the preferred pastimes.
When time permits, many actively partake too. And when Winmau Darts caught up with former Masters champion Joe Cullen, he was tasked with selecting his ideal five-a-side football team from his fellow PDC tungsten professionals.
Immediately – and starting between the sticks – the Rockstar did not hesitate in naming a fellow Manchester United supporter for the goalkeeper role. A player who, so he says, once had links with the Old Trafford club – or so the story goes:
“I don’t believe that … he had trials once — apparently,” he quipped, before still selecting him as his number one. “You’ve got Nathan Aspinall in goal.”
Moving forward, the Yorkshire thrower then included the reigning World Champion:
“Luke Littler likes to play, so I’ll have him… he’s left-footed as well, I think, so he looks a bit classy. I’d have him in midfield doing all the work, spreading it about.”
MORE ELITE DARTS COVERAGE: Check Out Our Devoted PDC Area
The inevitable question soon followed – would Cullen include himself? Of course he would:
“Yeah, I’m in there. Definitely, I’m in there… you’ve got me up top doing nothing.”
Scoring goals clearly not at the forefront of Cullen’s thinking there – a somewhat curious omission for a striker, you might argue. Moving on, he added another Englishman into the equation:
“Ross Smith just pulling the strings.”
Then, perhaps hoping his next selection would catch the attention of a close friend, the Rockstar opted for a Geordie inclusion:
“Chris Dobey… but the old version, heavier. Stick him at the back – he’s not the most mobile, is he?” Cullen joked, drawing laughter.
Does Joe’s Darts Footie Side Have A Deep Bench?
There were, however, a few notable omissions. The Ferret may have to settle for a place on the bench:
“You can’t have Jonny Clayton — he’s rugby injured.”
So, in summary, that is Cullen’s quintet: The Asp in goal, Joe himself up front (apparently contributing very little), a larger version of Dobey anchoring the defence, Ross Smith orchestrating play like a darting rendition of Lionel Messi, and The Nuke operating as midfield general.
DARTS PLAYER MERCHANDISE AND COLLECTABLES AT OUR DARTSWORLD STORE!
Certainly, not quite as daunting a proposition on the astroturf as facing that collective on the oche – but they might just surprise you.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC and Winmau
