100 Quotes by Troy Deeney

For me, when I was growing up I was told the police weren't on our side. From being stereotyped because we drive nice cars to being judged for the clothing we wear, I was told I would never be given the benefit of the doubt.

Actually, I used to think that it was normal to feel bad, like, Doesn't everybody feel like this? It was only when my drinking really got out of control that people went, 'Troy, you need to see somebody.'

Just because footballers earn a lot of money, it doesn't mean we're not human.

Certainly when I was a kid, in the early '90s, men couldn't show weakness. It was very much a case of suppressing pain and getting on with it. I remember when I was six years old, I was playing football with kids who were three years older when, one day, I fell over and began to cry. And my dad was like, 'Don't ever let someone see you cry.'

If I scroll down my Instagram replies, the tenth one down features a racist emoji - which is not unusual. So I follow the protocol, which is to block the user and report the message under the category of 'hate speech and symbols.' Then I am told that an emoji with a monkey and a banana is not considered racist.

Even now, as a footballer I've experienced many types of racism. Whether that's abuse on the field or from the crowd, it's never easy to deal with, but social media is now the biggest platform for these cowards to share and target their hate.

During therapy I have realised that my work ethic comes from my mum, Emma. She used to work two or three jobs at a time to keep food on the table in our council flat in Birmingham. She taught me to stay disciplined, to go to Sunday school, all those things.

When I got to jail, it was a blessing in disguise because it made me reevaluate and check who I am as a person.

My dad had always worked hard to make sure that I had nice stuff and he died at 47 so I just want to make sure that if something like that happens to me, my son would have everything ready.