Joey O’Brien talks to SportsJOE about his Fifa rating, safaris and going to Celtic Park

It's time to get back to work. July is usually when most of us get to leave home for two weeks of drinking relaxation in the sun but for Premier League footballers, it is when the preparation for next season begins. For West Ham though, they will start playing competitive games a little earlier than everyone else. They were awarded a place in the Europa League due to their disciplinary record last year, and will host Lusitanos of Andorra in a first round qualifier at Upton Park next Thursday. Irish defender Joey O'Brien is one man hoping to impress new manager Slaven Bilic in these early games. O'Brien featured in less than half of West Ham's league fixtures last season and is determined to force himself into his new boss's plans as early as possible. To that end, he made sure he had a very relaxing summer so he can hit the ground running against the mighty Andorran's.

"I had four weeks off and I went on a safari to Kenya and to the Seychelles with my wife," said O'Brien, who was speaking on behalf of West Ham's shirt sponsor Betway. "The safari was one of the best things I've ever done. It wasn't scary but it was just amazing to see lions up close and to see how they live."

Getting to go on safaris and sojourns to the Seychelles are one of the many perks of being a Premier League footballer - another one being the ability to take your driving test in a Ferrari, if you so choose. O'Brien says a car was his first big purchase when he started earning good money from football, and also reveals which of the players at West Ham drove around in the flashest vehicle.

"My first big purchase was probably a car, a BMW M3," O'Brien said. "I got a bit more sensible after that and get mostly jeeps. If you got a picture of our car park at West Ham it would be pretty great. When Alex Song was here last year he used to drive into training in a Rolls Royce."

Considering Song was recently pictured wearing shoes that light up, it isn't that surprising that the Cameroonian would also cruise around in one of the most decadent cars in the showroom. [caption id="attachment_30055" align="aligncenter" width="594"] O'Brien treated himself to a BMW M3 early in his career.[/caption] Song is just one of many top quality international players that O'Brien has played with and against during his career. However, despite playing in such a competitive league, the Dubliner was a surprise choice as the tenth fastest player in the English top flight, according to EA Sports. Raheem Sterling, Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez would apparently all be left chasing O'Brien in a footrace.

"I don't know about that," O'Brien laughed. " I saw that but there must have been a fault in the speed machine. FIFA [EA Sports makes the game] definitely make me better than I am."

O'Brien has won five caps for Ireland since making his debut in 2006 and is still hopeful of making a comeback, if things go well with West Ham this year. "I didn't get to play much football at all last year so if I get back to playing week in, week out hopefully I can get back into the squad," O'Brien said. He read last week's story about Ireland allegedly being offered $10,000 a man not to kick Lionel Messi in a 2010 friendly at the Aviva in disbelief. He wasn't in that squad but had strong views about the situation. "I found it laughable," O'Brien said. "Even people talking about it is ridiculous. There's no way there was any ten grand given." [caption id="attachment_30050" align="aligncenter" width="468"] O'Brien thinks there's no chance the Irish team were paid to go easy on Messi.[/caption] When O'Brien isn't playing football, his main hobby is... more football. When asked if he watches the Ireland team even when he isn't involved, he is almost offended. While some players might like to completely get away from the game when not playing matches or training, O'Brien remains immersed in his profession. He was a big Celtic fan growing up, and that love didn't lessen even when he started playing in England. "Some players don't like watching football but I love it," O'Brien said. "I always like watching Champions League games and other Premier League matches. I was a big Celtic fan growing up and when I started playing with Bolton, I still went to a lot of games. I used to drive up after my matches on a Saturday and be back down for training."

Joey O'Brien was speaking on behalf of Betway, official principal sponsor of West Ham United. Betway offers odds on more than 30,000 betting markets, available live and in-play across a huge range of sports.