Former Manchester United captain Ashley Young and seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton were schoolmates coming from Stevenage. Both young boys were avid soccer players and even played together on the school team. In a recently resurfaced video, Young hilariously reveals what he thinks of the Mercedes driver’s skills.
Young was quoted as saying, “He (Hamilton) said he was a better footballer than me, but I think he’s better at his driving.” When prodded a bit further, he revealed, “No, he weren’t too bad. He was an alright player”.
During the interview, Young revealed that the duo were actually in the same year group and played together on the school soccer team for quite a few years. Young believes that he got on well with Hamilton during their time at school.
Considering the demographics of the UK, both would have likely had to battle several social barriers during their school days. Hamilton has extensively spoken about the same.
Lewis Hamilton’s rough childhood years
According to a population survey published by The Guardian, the town where Lewis Hamilton grew up, Stevenage, is one of the most white-dominated areas in the United Kingdom. The White British populace in Stevenage is a whopping 85.06%. Meanwhile, Black ethnic groups only account for about 2.35%.
Although the odds were against both of them, they yet became champions of their own sports and made their communities proud. While talking about his school days, Hamilton acknowledged his soccer days as well.
He was quoted as saying, “I was a central midfielder. My greatest strength was my fitness and stamina. Ashley was a skill player.”
Hamilton is himself a soccer fan and supports Arsenal. As for his childhood days, he explained how he would play every day. He said he would practice in the morning and then play matches after school.
