From The Guardian:
Whatever happened to Nicky Butt? If felt like an insulting agenda to put to a man who has just agreed to his first interview for years but it also felt appropriate. Three years ago Butt was such a performer at the World Cup that Pele singled him out as the best player. Sixteen months ago Butt was still a Manchester United midfielder appearing in an FA Cup final. This time last year he was a £4m signing by Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle United, a capture. Now he is on loan at Birmingham City. They have just been beaten twice at home and today go to West Bromwich Albion for a derby that must be won to avoid early-season depression. "I know what you mean," Butt said.
It was one of many deadpan answers. Butt does not feel "comfortable" sitting down discussing his life and times but that is a shame because his is a rare, pared-down view of an overblown industry. As such it is welcome. A 30-year-old who has won six league titles, two FA Cups, a European Cup and 39 England caps revealed that in his Manchester home there is not one picture of his achievements on the wall. Then he paused and said: "Well, one. But it's not up. In the house I don't have any football stuff. If you've football six days a week you want to get away from it."
Surely the medals are there, treasured? "Me Dad's got some, some are in the bank, Mum's got a couple. I don't have any. Some people have stuff all around the house; I don't. Simple as that."
"I remember my first day, on trial at 13 - there were 500 kids at Littleton Road in Salford.
"I remember my first day when I was 16 and I signed full time. And I remember my last day. It was agonising but in a football sense it had to be done. Everyone at United knew that, even the manager. If you're not happy in your football, then you can see it in your everyday life. Training all week and not getting a reward for it is difficult. It was Chicago, pre-season tour, things were happening at home. I just got pulled aside and told that the club had accepted an offer from Newcastle. I flew back on my own. It was a long flight, it wasn't a nice flight. Things going through your head, 'am I doing the right thing, am I not?' I'd been there so long, so many friends there. 'Am I doing the right thing?'
As Newcastle's season disintegrated, Butt's lowest point came against his former colleagues in the FA Cup semi-final. "It was difficult because of my United connections but I went out there to play as well as I could for As Newcastle's season disintegrated, Butt's lowest point came against his former colleagues in the FA Cup semi-final. "It was difficult because of my United connections but I went out there to play as well as I could for Newcastle. It didn't work for me, it didn't work for anybody but obviously it came back to me. I can take that, that's part and parcel of being a so-called bigger player. But I felt like I was the scapegoat for the fans that day. There were a lot of lies spoken, like how I snubbed the fans, which is a lie. I didn't, I just felt so embarrassed about getting beat 4-1 off my old team I didn't feel like doing laps of honour. I thought the best thing to do was just to get off the pitch. I'm not one for milking things anyway, and not something that doesn't deserved to be milked. We'd just been beat, battered 4-1. I just wanted to get off. Besides some fans booed me, so I didn't want to clap them.
"Then some individuals said I was seen walking through the press room with Alex Ferguson, his arms round me, laughing and joking. Which is a lie. I was walking through the press bit with a man I admire and always will admire, someone who gave me my chance, someone who I have known since I was 12. I just happened to bump into him and we had a chat. I can assure you there was no laughing. Then I heard I didn't go home with the team, that I travelled to Manchester. Which is a lie. I got on the plane with my team-mates and I flew back to Newcastle with my team-mates.
And Pele?
"I'm not being funny or anything but there were a lot better players than me at that World Cup. I know that, everyone knows that. He was talking to an English journalist when he said that. If he was talking to a Brazilian journalist he would have said Ronaldinho or whoever. Don't get me wrong, it was a really nice thing to hear. But if you start listening to things like that . ."
Butt's earthy Mancunian drawl trailed off. If he had started listening to things like that he would have pictures of himself on the wall.