FORMER England star David Batty calls up one of his former team-mates “to see if he’s still alive”.
Gary McAllister played with the midfielder at Leeds where the pair won the First Division in 1992.
Batty retired from football in 2004 and has lived an elusive life on a farm ever since.
He reportedly makes minimal contact with those from his football past, though does reach out to McAllister once a year.
McAllister told talkSPORT: “Maybe not this year, but he tends to phone maybe the week before Christmas just to see if I’m still alive and say hello.
“Family okay? Yeah, I’ll speak to you next year.”
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He added: “I think he’s on a farm. I don’t think he keeps in touch with anybody in football.
“He was never a massive football fan.
“He’d come in after maybe Milan were playing Juventus in the semi-final of a European Cup and he’d go, oh, it was a great game last night. And he’s like, who’s playing?”
Batty made 558 career appearances and won 42 England caps.
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But he never planned to continue in football after he quit playing and he has been living off grid ever since, snubbing invites to reunions and messages in group chats.
His old Leeds United team-mates wished him a happy birthday in their group chat last month.
But there was no response from the 57-year-old, whose silence didn’t stun ex-White striker Mark Viduka.
The Aussie told The BBC: “I don’t think anyone has seen him since we played together.
“Everyone was wishing him happy birthday – but he’s not even in the group.”
