Ben Turner reveals the Cardiff City star he disliked most

Ben Turner reveals the Cardiff City star he disliked most

Former Bluebirds defender Ben Turner enjoyed five years in the Welsh capital and has spoken about his career in a recent podcast



Ben Turner has spoken about his career and Cardiff City crops up frequently


Former Cardiff City defender Ben Turner has lifted the lid on some of the characters and stories from his life as a Bluebirds player.

Turner, who enjoyed five years with Cardiff and featured regularly in the club's first foray into the Premier League, is currently playing for Notts County, but has opened up on what has been a colourful career to date.

The 32-year-old grew to become an important player for Cardiff and endeared himself to supporters in the Welsh capital.

And, during a period which straddled both the Premier League and the top flight, Turner encountered a number of team-mates while at Cardiff City Stadium.

While undoubtedly most were pleasant acquaintances, there was one player in particular who rubbed him up the wrong way.

When asked, on the Only Football Fans Podcast, which team-mate he disliked during his career, Turner, who also played for Coventry City, Peterborough, Oldham and Burton, replied: "Juan Cala at Cardiff," going on to say he thought the spaniard was "a d***head".

In total, Cala, who joined from Sevilla when City were in the Premier League, made just 11 appearances in all competitions and, having complained that the club had made him train with the academy, was released by Cardiff in December 2014.

In a Q&A section of the podcast, Turner identified another former Cardiff City when he was asked who his funniest team-mate was.

"Craig Noone at Cardiff," he added.

"He was quiet, would have a few beers, but had mad dance moves. He would dance himself into a sweaty mess, but just loved it.

"I just thought, 'I'm having that, that guy is here for a good time'."

There were clearly joyous times at City during Turner's stay, of which Noone was clearly a part, and one Christmas trip to Dublin sticks out in his memory.


Such was his commitment to having a good time with his pals, Turner flew home for a family christening before jetting back out to the Emerald Ilse on the same day to ensure he didn't miss a night out with his Bluebirds pals.

"I got double booked. I was godfather for my nephew's christening on the Sunday, so I'd sorted all that with my brother," said Turner, who still keeps in contact with Mark Hudson, Jon Parkin, Craig Conway, Noone, Don Cowie and Kev McNaughton.

"Then the Cardiff Christmas do got arranged, Saturday night and Sunday night, so I thought, 'what am I going to do?'

"I went on the do Saturday night with the lads. I've gone from the night out to the airport, flew back to Birmingham, did my nephew's christening at 11, flew back to Dublin at half one, dressed as John Rambo, and met them straight back in the pub.

"It was ridiculous. A lot of them thought I wouldn't do it. But I said to the ones I was close to, 'No, I'll be back'.

"I got absolutely mobbed, a pile on. I thought I was going to get glassed up to my cheeks, they were ramming it in my face!

"There was nothing left of my costume, my gun was snapped in half, bullets everywhere.

"It was good. I turned up steaming because I was drinking on the plane and I hadn't stopped from the night before.

"And you know when you just walk back in and they think I won't come back, it was just class."

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Thanks for posting this.

I liked Ben Turner he was a decent but limited defender. However, after reading that he seemed more interested in the social life and drinking aspects of being a professional footballer than the football itself.

I have no idea if Juan Cala was a dickhead, maybe he though Cala was a dickhead for being more professional or not getting involved in the often schoolboy antics of a team or perhaps he was a dickhead... but the bragging about getting tanked up on a plane and leaving a family event for a piss up strikes me as completely immature.

Professional footballers are so privileged and while I know they are young men and want a bit of fun, the career is short and I am surprised and disappointed that this was the sum of Turners experience that he brags about.

Turner, to me, seems a bit of a dickhead here.

Maybe the fact that Cala was picked ahead of him, alongside Caulker, influenced how Turner felt about him

We'll never know as he's not said in that article why he disliked him !! Cala seemed pretty passionate when he played for us though.

Loved Ben's goal celebration against liverpool at Wembley

Thanks for posting this.

I liked Ben Turner he was a decent but limited defender. However, after reading that he seemed more interested in the social life and drinking aspects of being a professional footballer than the football itself.

I have no idea if Juan Cala was a dickhead, maybe he though Cala was a dickhead for being more professional or not getting involved in the often schoolboy antics of a team or perhaps he was a dickhead... but the bragging about getting tanked up on a plane and leaving a family event for a piss up strikes me as completely immature.

Professional footballers are so privileged and while I know they are young men and want a bit of fun, the career is short and I am surprised and disappointed that this was the sum of Turners experience that he brags about.

Turner, to me, seems a bit of a dickhead here.

Well team spirit gets people through a lot.

He loved a diagonal.

He loved a diagonal.

He loved the hoofball

Thanks for posting this.

I liked Ben Turner he was a decent but limited defender. However, after reading that he seemed more interested in the social life and drinking aspects of being a professional footballer than the football itself.

I have no idea if Juan Cala was a dickhead, maybe he though Cala was a dickhead for being more professional or not getting involved in the often schoolboy antics of a team or perhaps he was a dickhead... but the bragging about getting tanked up on a plane and leaving a family event for a piss up strikes me as completely immature.

Professional footballers are so privileged and while I know they are young men and want a bit of fun, the career is short and I am surprised and disappointed that this was the sum of Turners experience that he brags about.

Turner, to me, seems a bit of a dickhead here.

its a 5 minute { maybe less } extract from a 2 hour podcast mate..