From childhood idols to matchday rituals, get to know Vale’s promotion-winning midfielder George Byers as we put some fun, alphabetical questions to our no.7...
A - Away - What's your favourite away ground to play at?
Elland Road.
B - Breakfast - What's your go-to food for breakfast?
Three poached eggs, smoked salmon and avocado, on two slices of sourdough.
C - Childhood - Who did you support growing up?
Glasgow Rangers.
D - Debut - Who did you make your debut against?
Charlton Athletic.
E - Emoji - Which emoji do you use most?
Ooh, probably the laughing face!
F - Fashion - Who's got the best and worst dress sense in the squad?
The best? Not many are even good! I’d put myself up there. The worst is Ronan Curtis [laughs].
G - Goal - What's the best goal you've ever scored?
Tough one. I’d probably say my first professional goal against Millwall - left foot, half-volley!
H - Holiday - What's your dream holiday destination?
Last year I went to Abu Dhabi and loved it, so I’ll say there.
I - Inspiration - Who did you look up to as a child?
Steven Gerrard.
J - Joker - Who's the biggest joker in the dressing room?
There are a few! I’d have to say Chizzy [Ethan Chislett].
K - Karaoke - What's your favourite karaoke song?
Sweet Caroline.
L - Lesson - What's the biggest thing you've learned in your career?
Not to get too high or too low.
M - Music - Who's your favourite artist to listen to?
At the moment? Sam Barber, country music.
N - Netflix - What was the last series or documentary you watched?
Can I say a current one? I’m currently watching This City Is Ours.
O - Opposition - Who's the best player you've played against?
David Silva.
P - Phobia - Is there anything you're scared of?
Not massively, but heights.
Q - Quiet - What do you do to relax?
Have a bath.
R - Regret - Is there anything you've regretted in your career?
Nothing at all.
S - Superstitions - Do you have any pre-match rituals?
A hot bath before a game [laughs].
T - Time - If you could travel back to any period in history, which would you pick?
Tough one again! I’m going to say the ‘90s, purely from a football perspective. I was born in ‘96 but caught the back end of it!
U - Unknown - What's one thing we might not know about you?
I don’t even know! We’ll have to leave it as an unknown [laughs].
V - Vale - What's the best thing about the club?
The family feel around the place. I’ve been lucky to have that at most of the clubs I’ve been at, but I really felt the togetherness here, and that comes from Carol, Kevin and Patch.
W - Wisdom - What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
When you’re a young player, it’s easy to get carried away when things go well, but if you have a bad game and see things being said or written, it’s important to stay focused and away from negativity.
X - Xylophone - Can you play any musical instruments?
No, absolutely not! [laughs]
Y - Year – Have you set yourself any goals for this year?
We’ve just achieved it, promotion!
Z - Zodiac - What's your star sign?
I’m a Gemini.
This interview was conducted in April 2025.