PETER CROUCH had to overcome savage bullying, sometimes by his own fans, before going on to become on the of the Premier League’s most popular strikers.
The 6ft 7in former Tottenham and Liverpool man has played over 400 top-flight games, scored 22 goals in 42 England appearances and married to one of England’s most beautiful women, Abbey Clancy.
But, in an interview with the Telegraph, the Stoke man admits his size made him a magnet for bullies early on in his career and that he saw no future before toughening up and having a laugh helped him go from easy target to excellent target-man.
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Crouch said: “Right from school I got mockery for the way I look.
“I took it to heart early on. I admit there were times when I doubted myself.
“And once you’ve played for England, it goes off the scale, everything’s highlighted.
“I got booed by my own fans when I came on in my first game for England.
"You go through things that are ridiculous. But you get to the stage you realise everyone’s got an opinion.
“I had strong characters around me like my dad and that helped.
“There were times when I couldn’t see a way through. But they believed in me, I was lucky.
“And I had to develop a thick skin. I learned how to laugh at myself. And give a bit back.”
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Now the only reason he gets picked on is when Stoke team-mates see how much food and good living the wafer-thin forward enjoys without putting on an ounce of fat.
The Sunderland transfer target can stuff himself all summer while less genetically gifted players like Charlie Adam struggle to stay match fit.
Crouch said: “I love my food, like a nice Italian. I’m lucky, I never had to watch my weight.
“In the summer I go off, don’t do much in the way of exercise, eat what I like, come back exactly the same weight. Which p***** off a few I can tell you. The way Charlie Adam looks at me…”
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