BBC Sport Wales profiles Ben Davies, a Wales and Tottenham stalwart but one who prefers to shun the limelight.
Live on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport website and app, plus live textBen Davies is a reluctant star. He is the rock around which Wales' defence is built, and Tottenham's longest-serving current player, yet Davies is not celebrated like some of his peers.
Then there was the Champions League semi-final in 2019. It was his interception which led to Tottenham's last-gasp winner to seal one of the most dramatic comebacks of all time. Born in Neath, Davies showed promise as a rugby player while studying at Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera but, as a Swansea City season ticket holder, football was his true passion.
He was also still driving an old Volkswagen Polo, complete with wind-down windows, much to the amusement of the rest of the squad. A serious injury to left-back Neil Taylor meant Davies soon made that position his own and, though he flourished there, his manager at the time, Michael Laudrup, said that he saw his future at centre-back - while also predicting "we will see Ben at one of the top five or six clubs in the Premier League".Wales manager Chris Coleman seemed to agree. After just eight appearances for Swansea, Davies earned his first senior cap, starting a home World Cup qualifier against Scotland.
"He was definitely one of the lads in that group that you knew would be a key member and stalwart for Wales, as he's proven in all the years that have come since."Ben Davies, blocking a goalbound shot from Marek Hamsik at Euro 2016, has won 84 caps for Wales When minds drift back to that golden summer in France, the dominant memories tend to be Hal Robson-Kanu's goal against Belgium, Bale's many wondrous moments, or the national anthem in the glorious Bordeaux sunshine before opening game against Slovakia.
"It maybe gets overlooked by some but a lot of people realise how vital that moment was, and just how well he played in that tournament. Wales' players and staff reflected on their achievement with friends and family in Lyon that night, before travelling back to their training base in Dinard, Brittany, the following morning.
By this time, however, he had already joined Tottenham, with whom he would play in one of the most extraordinary ties in Champions League history. At the final whistle, it was telling that then-Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, overcome with emotion, ran on to the pitch and leapt into Davies' arms.
Davies is now Tottenham's longest-serving current player, with more than 300 appearances to his name. True to form and even with one of the world's most globally renowned footballers for company, Davies managed to navigate the journey without much attention, gave Son a hug goodbye on the platform at Cardiff Central and set off to rejoin the Wales squad.Ben Davies is aiming to qualify for a fourth major tournament with Wales
Davies has always been an amenable and articulate interviewee - and is good company when the mics are off - but he would rather not talk about himself at any great length. The defender showed his other, more animated side when he addressed his team-mates in an impromptu post-match huddle after Wales' stirring victory over Croatia last October.
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