Sheen: 'Dad ruined footballing dream'

Frost/Nixon star Michael Sheen has admitted that his father ruined his childhood dream of becoming a footballer.

The 39-year-old actor revealed that he was invited to play for the Arsenal youth team when he was 12, but his father declined the offer, insisting that Sheen was too young.

"We were at Pontin's on the Isle of Wight and [former Arsenal player] Tony Adams's dad was there - with Tony Adams - on holiday.

"His dad saw me playing football and went up to my dad and said, 'How would you feel about him doing this?'" he told Esquire.

"My dad said, 'Well, he's only 12 and it would mean living in London, so if you're still interested when he's 16, we'll talk about it again.' It was too late by then, but I'd got into acting, thankfully."