Tim Howard insists a phone call from Barack Obama was never going to faze him – because he’d felt the full force of Sir Alex Ferguson’s infamous hairdryer.
The Everton keeper emerged from last summer’s World Cup as an all-American hero after a sensational performance in the 2-1 extra-time defeat by Belgium.
They don’t usually like a loser in the States. But Howard captured the heart of a nation by breaking the tournament record for the number of saves made in a single game.
It prompted President Obama to give Howard and team-mate Clint Dempsey a bell. At one stage there was talk of naming an airport after him!
Typically, Howard has taken it all in his stride. He said: “The call from the president is all set up.
“You get a knock on your door from the team administrator, you’re downstairs in five minutes, and off you go.
“You just try not to say anything stupid, because forever you’ll be remembered as the guy who said something stupid to the president.
“But, put it this way, going into Sir Alex’s dressing room is more daunting because you know that the president of the United States isn’t going to yell at you.
“When Alex Ferguson yells at you, that’s absolutely the worst thing in the world!”
Howard’s year ended on a low note when he suffered a calf injury in the Boxing Day defeat to Stoke that will sideline him when the Toffees travel to Newcastle on Monday.
The 35-year-old didn’t quite make the grade under Fergie at Old Trafford after United imported him more than 11 years ago.
But David Moyes rescued him in a £3million deal in 2007 and he has become a key player in Everton’s fortunes.
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