Perfect Days is a Wim Wenders film released last year.
It tells the story of Hirayama, who works as a cleaner in a public toilet in Tokyo, devoting himself every day to cleaning surfaces as thoroughly and diligently as possible. The film was praised at the Cannes Film Festival, winning two awards, and was nominated for an Oscar at last month’s ceremony. The Guardian called it “a Zen meditation on beauty, fulfillment and simplicity.”
This is the film that Tottenham goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman talks about when talking about the mentality of a backup keeper. Whiteman is a valued and popular member of the Spurs squad, but he has not appeared in any games this season after recovering from a broken leg in pre-season. But his answer to the question of where he finds his motivation to continue giving his best in training every day is typical Whiteman.
Firstly because it underlines his personal commitment to his profession; his determination to maintain his own high standards in everything he does. And secondly, because few other Premier League footballers would illustrate their own career by referencing arthouse cinema featuring a Japanese toilet cleaner.
“He cleans the toilets,” Whiteman says of Hirayama’s character, “but he does it the best he can, so they’re squeaky clean. It shows that no matter what you do, you have to do it well. There is no point in doing something wrong; so don’t do it. »
Whiteman, 25, has been at Tottenham for 15 years, made one first-team appearance under Jose Mourinho and enjoyed two loan spells at Degerfors in Sweden, where he lived alone in a log cabin with water supplied by a nearby lake.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Whiteman recently read Where I Lived, and What I Lived For, part of Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 book Walden, in which the transcendentalist writer lives alone on the edge of a pond in order to be able to “only face the world”. essential facts of life.
Whiteman is a fascinating interviewee – not only for his life as a footballer, but also for his life outside the game.
Few players have a backfield like him. Whiteman is creative and passionate about his photography and art, and in February he recorded an hour-long show on independent online radio station NTS called “Sweet Tooth w/Alfie.” It starts with jazz producer David Axelrod’s The Warnings and continues from there, jumping genres, through Cocteau Twins and Elliott Smith.
The idea for the show was born during the 2022 World Cup. Whiteman had just returned from his second loan in Sweden and had some time on his hands. He goes on vacation to Tokyo and a friend introduces him to Femi Adeyemi, the founder of NTS. The two connected over their shared interest in music and stayed in touch. Adeyemi suggested Whiteman put on a show.
Music has always been an important part of Whiteman’s life. His father was a jazz guitarist and Whiteman starting his NTS show with Axelrod was a personal tribute to him – a nod to the way a young Whiteman used to hear this song in his car. Whiteman senior used to take Alfie to the famous Soho jazz club Ronnie Scott’s and so, growing up, he saw performances by Roy Ayers, Lonnie Smith, Eumir Deodato and British funk pioneers Cymande. Even now, Whiteman still digs through his father’s record collection.
What Whiteman loves most about music is the sense of exploration. He goes to Reckless Records in Soho and buys records online, but he also frequents garage sales to buy cassettes, in case he likes what he hears. “I’m not looking for something in particular that I know what it sounds like and I have a favorite album,” Whiteman says. “I like the musical discovery aspect.”
The last gig he went to was with his friend Pigbaby supporting Vegyn at EarthH in Dalston. “It was a great show; This is all quite experimental.
Whiteman’s particular musical tastes set him apart slightly from the rest of the team, but he laughs when it’s suggested he force his teammates to listen to Boards of Canada before games. The dressing room playlist, he reveals, is usually chosen by a member of staff, or James Maddison, or sometimes Giovani Lo Celso, now that Eric Dier has left. Drake and Lil Baby feature prominently. Sometimes they just listen to Smooth Radio.
In the past, Whiteman has attempted to maintain a distinction between his life as a professional goalkeeper and his many hobbies and interests. When he first posted a mix online, he did so under his mother’s last name.
“I have always separated my private life and football,” he explains. “I feel the stigma of ‘You’re a footballer, that’s all, and everything else is a distraction’, which I think is a total mistake. You need a wide range of things in life that stimulate you to be a balanced person.
Ultimately, what is the difference between spending your free time trying to reduce your disability and spending it listening to records or taking photos? (Whiteman is interested in documentary-style photography and admires the way Jeff Wall and Alex Prager structure their scenes.) Why would it be a distraction to spend time at Pirate Studios but not on a golf course? For Whiteman, it’s simply about being authentic to who he is.
“As the ‘stereotypical footballer’, we are pigeonholed and put in the same basket,” says the goalkeeper.
“If you talk about hobbies, a lot of footballers play golf. They take a whole day off and put a lot of time into it, and I don’t see any difference between doing that and doing a show on NTS, for example, or taking photos. People like different things in all walks of life. This should be celebrated. This is also one of the reasons why I have kept quiet about my life away from work. I’m just Alfie with my friends.
In part, Whiteman does not want to use his football career as a “platform” for his other interests, which he wants to develop organically. He has already worked very hard to get to where he is in the game, having signed for Spurs when he was 10 years old. Tottenham spotted Whiteman while he was playing for the Norsemen, a popular amateur club based not far from Spurs’ Enfield training ground. He also played in the league on Sunday for the Edmonton All Stars.
Whiteman has always been a Spurs fan and of all the players who have progressed from the academy to the first team in recent years, no one could claim to be more Tottenham than him. He grew up near Broadwater Farm, the housing estate just over 20 minutes’ walk southwest of the land. He attended Park View School, just a little further away. He then moved near South Tottenham station, just off the High Road that most fans use to get to matches, and now he lives just “two roads” from the stadium, meaning he walks there for matches.
Whiteman’s commitment to the region is evident during this event at Project 2020, a community center located just steps from the stadium. There is a recording and podcast studio where Whiteman answers questions from a long line of schoolchildren about football, music, career choices and how to deal with disappointments.
“I’m also a local resident, so I talk to my fellow citizens,” Whiteman then explains. “The kids had some really interesting questions. It’s always fascinating, the mind of a child, because he doesn’t know the rules. They have not yet been affected by the pressures of the world and the things you cannot do. Their curiosity is truly inspiring.
It has been a frustrating season for Whiteman, who did not go out on loan but stayed on to be part of the pre-season squad under Ange Postecoglou.
But after a strong start, Whiteman broke his leg and then had to spend months recovering before he could return to full training. He feels “very lucky” to work with Guglielmo Vicario (“an incredible professional and an exceptional goalkeeper”), who has made the number 1 spot his own since arriving from Empoli. With Fraser Forster established as the number 2 and Brandon Austin as well, Whiteman knows how tough the competition is to play against.
“The reality of the goalkeeper position is that there is only one,” he explains. “You don’t get replaced and replaced and, playing for a big club, the competition will be fierce. When you’re not playing it’s always difficult because everyone wants to play, that’s why I was loaned out to go play games. The main thing is to focus on training today, doing well, then tomorrow, and being ready, because you never know when an opportunity may present itself.
So, every day, Whiteman trains as best he can because these are the standards and values he lives by. A bit like Hirayama from Perfect Days.
“It’s very intrinsically motivating,” he says. “I think in everything I try to do – whether it’s making the bed, eating the right things, or just picking up a piece of trash – I want to do it right. I feel like people don’t understand how intense training can be. It’s not just a kick. It’s competitive and it’s fast.
“You show up on the training pitch every day trying to prove to the coaches and manager that you deserve to be there, that you deserve to be part of the team. Motivation simply comes from my desire to do well in everything I do.
Which leads me to wonder if, given the frustration of working hard and not being part of the team, Whiteman’s hobbies provide him with a much-needed creative outlet.
“I feel like I’ve always had it,” says the former England Under-19 international. “It’s just me being who I am. I take photos and have been passionate about music for a long time.
“Whatever you do, you need a disconnect. If you’re having a bad day, you can’t let that dictate everything about your life. That’s why it’s good to have good people around you and things you enjoy. These creative endeavors, or whatever you want to call them, really benefit my professional life because they give me a larger purpose. And I’m learning. I really think it’s beneficial.
“You need to have variety in your life.”
Whiteman was speaking at Project 2020, a community center in Northumberland Park, which offers a range of free engagement activities for young people in Tottenham.
(Top photos: Tottenham Hotspur FC and Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)