\n<\/p>\n
It is a question that has been repeatedly asked. <\/p>\n
Not least at the various reunions to mark Leeds’ title triumph in 1992 or Blackburn Rovers’ Premier League win three years later.<\/p>\n
Batty was involved in both of those landmark achievements, but ex-Blackburn midfielder Mark Atkins has not caught up with him since their playing days.<\/p>\n
“We have tried to get him to the dos we have had, but nobody can get hold of him,” he said.<\/p>\n
“He’s not that type of person. Even if he was living five miles away, he wouldn’t turn up because he’s a very personal guy, really.”<\/p>\n
Aside from a rare trip to Elland Road to lay a wreath on the pitch in memory of his close friend Gary Speed, following his tragic death in 2011, Batty has tended to keep out of the public eye.<\/p>\n
Viduka, who quietly opened a cafe in Croatia after hanging up his boots, can relate.<\/p>\n
“In this day and age, everyone shows off everything they do in every moment, like what they had for breakfast,” he said. “Who cares? <\/p>\n
“If anyone was not<\/i> going to be like that, it was Batts.”<\/p>\n
Rather than entertaining corporate guests, representing footballers or working in the media, Batty always planned to dedicate his time solely to his family in Yorkshire after retiring.<\/p>\n
It has only added to the cult surrounding a player who former Leeds team-mate Eirik Bakke called one of his “heroes”.<\/p>\n
“If someone tackled you, Batts was always there to stand up for you,” he said. “You don’t find those types of players a lot. You could always rely on him.”<\/p>\n
Batty was more than a mere enforcer, however.<\/p>\n
As well as standing his ground, and aggressively winning the ball back, the England international rarely gave away possession.<\/p>\n
Those qualities quickly struck ex-Leeds midfielder John Sheridan, who was Batty’s “mentor” in his early days at the club.<\/p>\n
“You would think butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth when you looked at him then,” he said. <\/p>\n
“But he was tough as nails. He made the game look very simple by doing the simple things easily.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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