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What happens on tour, stays on tour. At least, that is the usual motto employed whenever high-spirited footballers head off to foreign climes for a couple of weeks of double training sessions, sunshine bonding and high jinks. Former City physio and personal trainer Paul Webster revealed to MEN Sport just how far they will go to avenge their pain – and he marked out the US tour in the summer of 2011 as particularly memorable.
Paul Webster said: “They harassed me every day. One day they wrapped me up in bubble wrap – they had a mass of it, and Vincent Kompany, Micah Richards and De Jong got me and wrapped me in it. They marched me out to the pool and were about to throw me in. I was screaming inside the bubble wrap because I thought if they threw me in – it was quite deep – I would go to the bottom and they wouldn’t be able to pick me up. It was terrifying but everyone was laughing. Luckily the doctor showed up and said if they put me in there, how would they get me out? Shaun Wright-Phillips said ‘He’ll float doc, he’s in bubble wrap!’ He said, he won’t, he’ll go straight to the bottom, take him out.’ So they took me out, ripped my shorts off, marched me into the hotel and in the middle of the hotel stuck me to the piano naked. Another time they stripped me naked, tied up my hands and put me in a lift to the top floor, which was a nightclub. The doors opened and I was there naked in front of a raving nightclub. We had a lot of good fun.”
Paul Webster revealed: To show there were no hard feelings, the players clubbed together. When I got back Wayne Bridge, Shaun and Nigel De Jong, who were the three who really went for me, walked into the medical room and presented me with a nice Rolex, engraved ‘The trip wouldn’t have been worth it without you, thanks for good memories’. I got them back with the massages!”
