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Kyle Walker's in a bit of a bind. His current club, Tottenham Hotspur, is set to play the first leg of the Capital One Cup semifinals against League 1 club Sheffield United at White Hart Lane today. Born and raised in Sheffield, Walker came up through the Sheffield United youth system and played for the Blades' first team for a season before being sold along with Kyle Naughton to Spurs in 2009. United is his former club. United is also his favorite club, and now he has to play against them in a crucial cup semi-final.
It's not that Walker isn't fully committed to Tottenham Hotspur – he is – but Sheffield United is and always will be close to his heart, and that of his family. Deep down, Walker is a Blade, and probably always will be. In recent quotes given ahead of today's Capital One Cup semifinal leg, he expounded on his feelings about playing his former club and his "mixed emotions."
It's such an important game, especially for me... It's not going to be easy. Hopefully we can get a comfortable lead here because this is our patch, but we need to play the football we have been playing in recent weeks.
It is going to be a far from easy tie, especially up at Bramall Lane. They will chuck everything at us up there.
I have obviously supported the club since I was a boy and played for the club before I came here. I know their spirit and what the coaches will want. It's going to take a lot of hard work for us to get to Wembley.
Walker indicated that his family and many of his friends from Sheffield will be at today's match as well as the return leg at Bramall Lane... but they won't be rooting for Tottenham.
No -- [my family] are Sheffield United fans. Seriously.
They obviously support me and want me to do well, but they will be wanting Sheffield United to go through, although it is a bit of a win-win situation for them because either way they will go to Wembley.
Walker's a professional football player, and obviously he's going to give his all for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club today. The match is important enough that Walker will likely start, as Pochettino is expected to put out a very strong side in the home leg. That said, if Sheffield were to somehow knock off Spurs over two, there's no question which club Kyle Walker will be pulling for in the final at Wembley.