Marco Pierre White

If my first love is gastronomy, then a close second is sport, and by sport I mean just about every sport. I am a big football fan, I love my golf, my rugby, my athletics and, one way or another, I have been associated with all of them.

Up until the age of ten I was a Leeds United fan during the time when Leeds under Don Revie were arguably the greatest team in the country. Then, in December 1971, my Dad bought us a Subbuteo set and my brother said that he would be Leeds. When I asked my Dad who were the next best team in the country he answered Arsenal, and so I played as Arsenal. From that day on I’ve been a huge Gunners follower, although Leeds have always remained my “other” team.

When I was 13 years old I was looking for lost golf balls by the first tee at Sandmoor Golf Club in Leeds as a pair of lady players walked by. One of them asked if I would caddy for her and, at the end of the round, she asked me if I’d like to caddy for her husband that Sunday. On returning to the course on the Sunday, the same woman arrived with Don Revie beside her. She turned out to be Elsie Revie, Don’s wife. Now Revie in those days was a God in Leeds and I would end up caddying for him for quite a few rounds in exchange for some pocket money. I only spoke when spoken to, of course, but he was always very pleasant to me.

Elsie Revie’s playing friend, a Mrs Walker, asked me then if I’d go and caddy at Alwoodley Golf Club in Leeds, a beautiful course designed by the great course designer, Alistair MacKenzie. The club pro there was called Mr Duncan and, one day over a cup of tea in the shop, he told me his Dad invented the Ryder Cup. He made out that his father did not have much money so he met Samuel Ryder who sponsored the competition and put his name to the trophy. I didn’t really believe him but, only five years’ ago, I came across a “George Duncan” while trawling through a computer and he was Britain and Ireland’s first captain in the inaugural Ryder Cup.

You used to see all the great Leeds players around all the time in those days. Every Wednesday night, without fail, I’d bump into Eddie Gray in the chip shop with his missus. His brother Frank went out with a girl who lived opposite me. I’d go round to knock on the front doors of Peter Lorimer and Mick Jones to get their autographs. Imagine doing that now!

At around the same time I was being taught Geography and sport at school by my form tutor. His name was Ian McGeechan. That’s right, the man they call “Mr Lions” for his incredible record playing and coaching the British & Irish Lions rugby team. Of course we were all in awe of him at school, especially as, at the same time as he was teaching us, he was playing union for Headingley, Scotland and the Lions. I’d like to say I have fond memories of the man but, you know how it is when you look back at teachers at school. My main recollection of Mr McGeechan was of him whacking my backside with a slipper if I’d been naughty. It was really painful, too. Corporal punishment was accepted in those days at school. I’d be appalled if a teacher did that to my son but we’ve all moved on, thankfully, from those days. It was a long time ago but I’ve never forgotten it. 

I had a pretty tough childhood because I was a young boy when my mother died and I was brought up on a council estate being teased for being half Italian. Luckily I was in the school football, rugby and cross country teams, and that seemed to halt the mocking somewhat. I have to thank sport for that. Incidentally, although I’m technically half-Italian, I always describe myself as an Englishman with an Italian mother. When England play Italy in football I’m right behind England.

My other sporting link as a child was the great friendship my father had with the famous northern jockey, Johnny Seagrave. Now I’m not massively into the horses, mainly because I’m not a gambler, so it’s ironic that my best sporting friend is Frankie Dettori, who co-owns our chain of restaurants called “Frankie’s” dotted around London. I go to the races to support Frankie who Lester Piggott described as the greatest flat racing jockey of all time. Mind you, the Gods were smiling down on our Frankie that day he won all seven races at Royal Ascot.

Through my cooking and my various restaurants over the years I’ve been privileged to meet a great many leading figures in sport. I met George Best a number of times. He was always shy, unassuming and charming. I shook hands with Bobby Moore, greeted Alan Ball, and got to know Mike Summerbee well. With a “Frankie’s” restaurant now at Stamford Bridge I know one or two Chelsea players, especially Frank Lampard who is a lovely man. Frank Warren’s another friend, a very protective promoter for his boxers, and a gentleman. I did an “Evening with Harry Redknapp” the other night for paying punters and Harry is a man I’d class as a true football man. I liked him very much, too. Soon I’m off to do a charity “Cook-Off” with some of the Liverpool players at Anfield. The only two sportsmen I haven’t met who I’d dearly love to are Muhammad Ali – the greatest sportsman of all time – and Pele, the second greatest.

Still, not even they can say they can match my sporting achievement from six years ago. I caught the biggest pike of the year in Britain for that year, a 31-pounder in a private estate in Oxfordshire. I’ve actually caught four pike over 30lbs, with my biggest weighing in at 32lbs in another year when someone else caught an even bigger one in Britain. Most people are happy if they catch a 20-pounder, so I consider myself very lucky to have caught so many monsters, just as I am to have had so many sporting experiences over the years with people I admire so very much.

“Frankie’s”:  3, Yeoman’s Row; Knightsbridge; London; SW3 2AL. 020 7590 9999.

Watch Marco's video shout to Sportsvibe here.