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FOR a fascinating insight into a footballer in his prime, playing for one of the most popular clubs in the world, read Jamie Carragher's book, Carra: My Autobiography.
The Liverpool vice-captain, the club's current longest-serving player at 12 years, tells his story just like how he plays - no-nonsense, no holds barred.
But perhaps the most controversial chapter is the one about his international career - one which he is decidedly ambivalent about.
Carragher confesses that, while he always puts in 100 per cent while wearing the England jersey, he feels much prouder representing Liverpool Football Club than the national team.
He went on to say that, after his penalty shoot-out miss that contributed to England's quarter- final exit at the 2006 World Cup, he felt that: "At least it wasn't for Liverpool."
He even retired from the national team last year, preferring to focus on playing for the Reds.
While one admires his total devotion to his club (as well as his refreshing honesty), it is a sad indication of how professional sportsmen view national commitment as a lower priority than playing for their paymasters.
Asking a sportsman to represent a country often means having him shed blood, sweat and tears for nothing but pride in return.
While the Olympics have shown that many athletes still give their all for country, a little bit of monetary gratitude can go a long way towards boosting their morale.
Singapore rewards its medal- winning athletes much more than many other countries, and last week raised its rewards for Paralympic athletes as well.
Yet, there are still whispers of criticism about such monetary rewards, claiming that they devalue the patriotism that every one of these national athletes must feel.
Excuse me, but Carragher just provided an excellent example of the modern sportsman's ambivalence towards "national service". And it's England - one of the few World Cup-winning nations - he's talking about.
In fact, not only do the medal- winning Olympians and Paralympians deserve such rewards, but any world-class triumph should also be so rewarded.
The World Cup victories of young bowler Jasmine Yeong-Nathan and swimmer Tao Li deserve every bit of our appreciation.
Let's not undermine their sacrifices by pinning a far-too-lofty moral obligation on them. We should feel lucky that these athletes do not have other paymasters that may lessen their desire to represent the Republic.
Reward them now, or they might do a Carragher later.
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