James Milner has revealed just who it was he first idolised as a boyhood Leeds United fan, stating it was the name of Tony Dorigo which first adorned the back of his shirt as a supporter.
The Liverpool star, who began his career at the Whites and continues to hold a great affinity for the club, made the revelation in his book Ask a Footballer.
The Wortley native, who won the Champions League with the Reds last season, further revealed a host of other players including Tony Yeboah and Lee Bowyer whose names he wore on the terraces at Elland Road.
"The first one, you probably wouldn’t guess," the 33-year-old wrote. "It was Tony Dorigo.
"I told Andy Robertson that recently – and Robbo hadn’t heard of him. Mind you, Robbo won’t have heard of anyone unless they played for Celtic.
"But yes, Tony Dorigo. I’m starting to wonder whether I had some deep-rooted desire to be a makeshift left-back, but on reflection I think it was just because he was fast and he was a good player.
"I had Tony Yeboah after that. He was a real hero of mine. He scored a few worldies – the volley against Liverpool at Elland Road, that thunderbolt away to Wimbledon.
"I had a Lee Bowyer shirt at one point too. Alan Smith was one of my favourites, a local lad who had done what all of us in the academy wanted to do.
"I really liked Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, but I never had his shirt. You had to pay by the letter in those days, so maybe that’s why my dad, a proper Yorkshire fella, steered me away from it."
Ask a Footballer was published on October 31 and is available from all good outlets and retailers.
