Walker, who has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups, and a Champions League with City, shared how his father\u2019s harsh feedback was initially difficult to handle. \u201cI used to hate going to football with him,\u201d Walker said speaking on his podcast You\u2019ll Never Beat. \u201cNo matter if I played good or bad, I\u2019d get in the car and be reduced to tears. He\u2019d say I wouldn\u2019t have done this right, I wouldn\u2019t have done that right.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite the intensity of his father\u2019s criticism, Walker recognizes now that it came from a place of care and desire for him to succeed. \u201cHe didn\u2019t do it because he wanted to hurt me. He did it because he cared,\u201d Walker said. The England international also credited his mother, Tracey, for providing the \u201ccaring support\u201d that balanced his father\u2019s approach.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Walker recalled that his father\u2019s approval was hard to come by, even as he began to achieve success at the highest levels of football. \u201cSometimes it was very, very tough to get in that car,\u201d he said. \u201cMy mum would be going, \u2018Michael, leave him alone, he\u2019s done well.\u2019 I could have scored three goals, but he would have said, \u2018No, you should have scored six.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It wasn\u2019t until Walker had established himself at Manchester City that his father began to acknowledge his progress. \u201cOnly when I\u2019ve got older in my career, he actually says, \u2018All right, well-played son\u2019. After a couple of years at City, I think he was then like, \u2018You know, he actually can play football,\u2019\u201d Walker joked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While Walker chooses a different approach when it comes to his own children, he still applies some lessons from his father. \u201cI don\u2019t do the same with my kids in terms of critiquing them, but I still feel that some of the things in life\u2014where he\u2019s taught me to be a winner\u2014I\u2019m trying to embed that into the boys,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Walker revealed that he doesn\u2019t let his children win easily when they compete against him, believing that experiencing losses early on will help them develop resilience. \u201cIf I keep letting them win, when they lose, it\u2019s going to be traumatic for them,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll play a little game in the garden or something, and I\u2019ll give it my all because I feel that it\u2019s going to instill that into them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While Walker chooses a different approach when it comes to his own children, he still applies some lessons from his father. \u201cI don\u2019t do the same with my kids in terms of critiquing them, but I still feel that some of the things in life\u2014where he\u2019s taught me to be a winner\u2014I\u2019m trying to embed that into the boys,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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