It is a question that has been repeatedly asked. <\/p>\n
Not least at the various reunions to mark Leeds<\/a>‘ 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 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<\/a> 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