Robin Morgan: France 98 and Elmo beef

Robin Morgan joins Who’s the GOAT? World Cup Edition to relive the tournament that first made him fall in love with football – France ’98.

From unforgettable World Cup moments and cult heroes to shocking villains, tournament catfishes and the greatest player to ever grace the biggest stage, Robin works his way through the GOAT categories with plenty of laughs along the way.

Expect nostalgia, football debates, comedy and a few controversial opinions as we celebrate the greatest sporting event on the planet.

⚽ In this episode:

• Robin’s first World Cup memories
• The greatest World Cup player of all time
• World Cup heroes and villains
• The biggest tournament catfish
• Favourite World Cup moments
• Football nostalgia and plenty of comedy

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, leave a review and share it with a football-loving friend. Every subscription really helps the podcast grow.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back. This is Who's the Goat Podcast, special edition for the FIFA World Cup. And we've got a guest, a friend of the show, a friend of mine, presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, dad, football coach. Anything else? Just um just good guy. Good guy. Robin J. Morgan. How are you doing, mate? I'm good, man. How are you? Yeah, very good. Very good. Looking forward to the World Cup?

SPEAKER_02 0:25

Yeah, I think so. It's a weird one. Like I feel like every single every single one since I've become an adult, people are like, oh, it's not the same, it doesn't have the same buzz. I think, you know, as a as a Welshman, it feels different to four years ago. But I think also just vibes for this one, it feels um it feels a bit strange, right?

SPEAKER_01 0:43

It's um it's an expensive World Cup. When Wales didn't get in, I said I was happy because it was going to be the shit World Cup. Yeah. But at the same time, I'm excited now. So interesting.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

What what made you excited? But Mike, I I was in I was in Sports Direct. Shout out to Mike Ashley. I was in Sports Direct, Big Mike, friends of the show. Um I was in there the other day and got both my kids like a big wall chart for their rooms. I feel like that's that's quite a nice sort of like, oh, we're cooking now, you know?

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Yeah, and that's I suppose a huge because number one, they do huge things in Sports Direct. Um it's what a seven-week tournament.

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Yeah, it's um, and you know, the biggest, the most amount of teams, is it ever?

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Big up to Cape Verde's finally got through. So there we go. Absolutely huge.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

We um me and the kids did a little family sweepstake this morning at breakfast time where we sort of wrote out all the names, we put pick names out of a hat, um, and then we sort of did them for our extended family as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

So we've I was gonna ask then because you've only got two kids, so that would have been a short sweep steak.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, um, but no one got Cape Verde.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Furious. Ah never mind. Can I be part of your family?

SPEAKER_02 1:47

Um, yeah, I think so. You need to marry into it, but okay, of course. We're we're bigamists, so it's fine.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

It's all yeah, that's good. I'm gonna ask my wife if she's okay with me taking on a mobile.

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Don't do that, just uh just be just come straight in.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Yeah, straight away. So cool. So this is goat for the world cup. So we're gonna go straight into this, but firstly, I need to understand the context of why you're saying this. So I need to understand your first World Cup, just so I know exactly where you're standing.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

So I was born in '89. So uh, you know, I I would I would love to say that I was in in nappies absolutely smashing Italian 90, but was was not, and then also don't have any memories of USA 94. Okay so the May, the first World Cup I remember visit like you know vividly is uh France 98. Okay. Um 1998, France World Cup. Uh I I think I I was I liked football, I was into football. I supported, I think, Newcastle at the time. I had like a proper Newcastle brown ale shirt.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

I had so is this because of Aspirella with the personalities?

SPEAKER_02 2:53

I no, I don't know. I think I I I loved Andy Cole, I loved Sheera, I loved Gianola. I think he was he was an absolute legend.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Beardsley as well.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

Beardsley was great. Um but I think I had this um when I was a kid, I had this like do you remember pogs?

SPEAKER_01 3:09

Yeah, I remember pogs, the circular.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

I don't really know what you did. I think you just like sort of dicked them on other people's pogs. But I I had a pog maker for a present, which I think was basically just like a cut like a cutter in the shape of a pog.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Do you remember do you remember um badge makers?

SPEAKER_02 3:26

So I think it was I think it was essentially that, right? Um, and I remember making an Andy I out of like a match of the day magazine. I cut out a picture of Andy Cole and put and I had a fucking Andy Cole pog. Wow. And he was he was an absolute killer with it. It was great.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

He was. He was what a what an underrated striker. Oh, superb.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

I mean that that York Cole combo for United was just utterly insane, right? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

But he was also lethal on his own, essentially, at Newcastle. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

He was ridiculous at Newcastle. So so good. But all that to say, I was quite into football for 98. Yeah, primary school, nine years old. Primary school, so what would I have been? Sort of year four, year five? Yeah, no, so it would have been the summer from year four to year five. And I know this because in year five I moved schools because my parents moved house. And wow. And so in that summer, there we we weren't living in the in the house that my parents still live at because it was like an absolute shower, and they were doing like loads of building stuff. So my dad had a friend who had a house in Mountain Ash. So for three months over this summer period, we were we were living in Mountain Ash and doing kind of like the commute into school for that.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

That explains so much about that inner rage inside you.

SPEAKER_02 4:31

Do you think that valleys?

SPEAKER_01 4:33

The valleys inner rage of you.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

I've got the valleys running through my core, it just doesn't come out into my fucking accent, you know.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Like so tell me, so just for the Cardiff people listening now, so which school did you go to originally?

SPEAKER_02 4:42

I went to Marlborough primary, and then we moved to the mood to Roth Park, and then that fed into Cardiff High. Ah, I've got you. Yeah, I've got you. But um but yeah, dad, dads from the valleys always go up there like once one you know, go up there once a week and stuff. So I feel like I'm I'm sort of secret, secret valleys. Yeah. Um, and then uh this house in Mountain Ash had this massive long garden all the way down at the back. So me and my my brother's two years older than me. So we would watch uh a f uh a World Cup game, and then during halftime we'd go out and have like 15 minutes of just angry, angry football playing between two of these massive trees that are in the back, and then come back in having probably got into a fight and then watch the second half. But I'm a lot of that World Cup I remember being in that house, and and I always misremember the Roberto Carlos free kick from being that World Cup. It wasn't just before exactly, but it was Brazil France, and that's like iconic football, you know, like Carlos with that free kick against it. Was it Bartez? It would have been Bartes.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

It would have been Bartes, it would have been Bartes. I think that World Cup um for me, so I'm I'm I'm a few years old than you, so 1990 was my first experience of World Cup. Um, 94 was great, but the time delay 98 was perfect because of the you know, it was only an hour. Awesome. Um and I think it was just more like the adverts. You think of the Brazil advert? Was that 98 or 2002?

SPEAKER_02 6:18

I think it might have been 2002. Because I remember like all the shirts had those kind of those Nike shirts that had the circle and like the ball and stuff. I mean, they're they're sort of I think because it was like France Brazil doing so well in those ones, yeah. I think that those two sort of blur into but they do.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

Let's let's let's the Ronaldo arc as well. That's what they blur into too. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:39

For sure. Um, but um, but let's talk about 2002 in a little bit. Um but yeah, 98, I think I got properly into it. Um it was just it was just supporting. I think I probably would have been supporting England.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

I think that was for Welsh people the last time people did support England. I think there was it was alright to support England back then in 98.

SPEAKER_02 7:02

So I I worry about this because like I remember so Euro 96 was I think the first tournament I probably sort of got involved in. So I remember uh letting I remember my probably one of my years year three or year four in in Marlborough, like before I left. I remember they let us watch one of the England games and England and England had won. And I remember us all like basically like chanting on the way back into class, just like like thugs like hooligans, and our and our teachers being, you shut the fuck up. And I don't know whether that was like a you're being unruly kids or how dare you support England, you little stupid Welsh children.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

So then your father was like, he's leaving this school and supporting England, going to an English supporting school.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

The school has no control over these children. We're gonna move my son to Mountain Ash so he so he learns his heritage. I think that's it.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:49

Um so I think 96 was the first one that I got involved in. But yeah, I I I probably would have supported England in '98. But then yeah, I don't know at what point that sort of fades away. Because I suppose it turned.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

It turned. As a maybe well, it could go into the, I suppose, one of the segments later, the villains of the World Cup. Sure. And 98 had a few different villains.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

Okay, who who are you thinking?

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Well, Beckham was a villain in 98.

SPEAKER_02 8:13

So that was the Beckham Argentina one, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Simeone was a villain in 98, wasn't he? He's still playing that that role as well, Simeone. Well, because he dresses fully in black as a manager. He reminds me of um, do you know on the mask, the film with Jim Kerry?

SPEAKER_02 8:29

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

The other guy with the slick black hair. Yeah, sure. He's very much like him.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

But he he he dresses like in these black suits, black shirts, black ties, like if it was a a Mexican soap opera, there'd be a funeral and some really fit person from the from the past would come back in and try and like a man's funeral, and he's like, he, yeah, he is the bad guy, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:46

He is, he is the villain. But yeah, so that that that for me, I think, was the turn-in. I actually watched that game. That was my leavers party for school in Kogan Leisure Centre. Shit, man. We watched that game. So all these kids now listening, you know, listening, um, their leavers party. They have firstly a jumper at the start of the year. We didn't have jumpers with everybody's names on them. We didn't sign anyone's shirts um like we're footballers. You probably went through that signing shirts.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Uh high school we would have done. So like year 11, we would have done that. So that would be like 2005.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Yeah, we didn't have that. We just had go to Kogan Legend Centre, they put it, they'll roll the TV out like they used to, and we watched that game. Um Beckham, oh, I just kicked the thing. Beckham got sent off. Yeah, and he was the villain for a while.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

But it was just like I remember that from the Beckham documentary, because that was sort of like the height of Beck's, wasn't it? It was like he was he was Golden Boy, he was getting getting them through. And that wasn't the World Cup that he it was it was the qualifiers against Greece that he scored that free kick to get them to qualify, right? But that that that was his redemption arc, I think.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

Yeah, but that was the redemption arc, yeah. That was the redemption, so that would have been 2002 when he scored that those goals.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

Um, but yeah, 98 was was was great, the final was good. Um I just and and I think that first World Cup I think stays with you, right? Like my son, we talked about this on the on the original version of the pod, but yeah, the my son got really into Qatar last time because he had the sticker album. My daughter's got a World Cup chart. We've done the sweeps. I'm trying to get my daughter to like she does like it. She keeps asking when Liverpool are playing, because she knows that my my son likes Liverpool, so I think she keeps asking when Liverpool are playing. But I think yeah, I'm hopeful she'll she'll get into it. She's had a good year, she's had her first year with a club, with a football club. Okay, yeah. Um you coaching? I'm not coaching her one. No, uh I don't believe in women's football, Leroy. Um you only want Welsh language boys. I think uh the women's game should be banned again. Um so no, she's she they they've had enough, they've they've got some brilliant coaches, and they they do not need me poisoning the uh poisoning the talent pool. She's she's pretty good though. Smash her, get up, get up, get in there. Um no, she's she's gonna be good, I think. I think she's gonna be good.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

Lovely, lovely. So back to 98. Yeah. So we've got some iconic moments. You mentioned the final, um, and I think the final goes down in terms of it depends where you're from, doesn't it? I think if you're in France, the final is all about obviously Zidane's brilliance. If you're from anywhere else in the world, it's just the question of Ronaldo because that was the coronation of Ronaldo, wasn't it? In terms of who he was at that time, you know, he went from being on the bench in '94, didn't play, but he was the already like the prospect. Then he went over to Holland, ripped up Holland, went to Spain, Barcelona, and ripped it up, and then it was the time for him to be crowned king. And he was getting there, wasn't he, in terms of his goals.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

But it's just I I and what was it? Was it illness? Is that what people were saying? That he had like a tummy bug or something.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

No, he had actually uh a fit. He had uh shit. Yeah, he had he had two fits in his sleep during the day. So after the the little meeting, he went to sleep and he had a fit.

SPEAKER_02 11:57

Man, and there's me thinking that he just had a lineker and he was just shitting himself on the pitch.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

No, no, no, no, no lineker, no lineker. And leave Gary out of it because Gary's World Cup record is unimpeachable. Yeah, no, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

No, absolutely, and he and he's um he's he's a good guy, he likes the environment, he fertilizes pitches as well mid-game, which is great, which is great for him.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Yeah, just mucks it up. Can't um yeah, so it was there was actually a documentary on it. And um so Roberto Carlos was his his roommate and he found him having this fit. Um Christ. And then he did he doesn't remember it, and then he went to the you know, done the warm-up. They didn't do a warm-up, actually. No Brazil player came out onto the pitch for the warm-up. He was out of the team first, then he was into the team, and he was just, you know, he was still he was a shell, basically.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

Yeah, um, yeah. I don't think I sort of realised that as a kid, you know, you just kind of like it it didn't come out until a few years later.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

There was a huge um I think it was like a Senate um investigation in Brazil, they took it really seriously, but I think there was a lot of pressure from Nike as well to get him to play. Um so yeah, so he wasn't the same, you know, for a few years after that in terms of injuries.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

I I think of sort of like modern and then his haircut went to shit as well. Let's let's talk about that. Um but I think I always think of like modern football being like incredibly corporate and like uh losing the ethos of the game and stuff. But interesting that like Nike was sort of being like, no, you you have to get this guy to play.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

This is back in '98, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:30

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah, I mean, a host nation winning the World Cup, it's great, right? That's that's what you that's what you that's what you go towards, that's what you know you build or your infrastructure towards as soon as you've got the bid, isn't it? So you know, fair play, fair play to France. And that France team were were great, and I think I think a lot of people in the UK probably liked it because they were mostly you know a lot of Premier League players as well, you know, like that the the Venga the Venga influence was obviously making it.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Well they were Premier League players after I think Henri came afterwards.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

Oh, right, okay, sure.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Yeah, I think I think he was still at Juve at that time.

SPEAKER_02 14:01

Interesting. I suppose similar to Petit as well, and the sort of like Yeah, I think Vieira was already there, maybe just there.

SPEAKER_01 14:07

Um maybe, yeah, I don't I don't know, but I think it was that it was almost like that was the time when you know the Premier League started turning a little bit in terms of you know Wenger's influence.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

I love those stories of like Venga Wenger's influence coming into Arsenal, and it's like what are you eating? It's like like chips and pizza and 17 lagers, and you're like, okay, well they're athletes, so maybe maybe don't do that.

SPEAKER_01 14:29

Can we keep the ketchup? No, no, no, no, no ketchup, crazy why because you're gonna be invincible in a few years' time.

SPEAKER_02 14:34

Was it was it Capello who banned uh England players having ketchup during that session?

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Yeah, I just think he enjoyed I don't think he liked England Capello the way he Yeah, I think he was just like, Oh yeah, I'll take the job.

SPEAKER_02 14:46

Well, this is what I think about like too sure, because I think like he's made some very unpopular decisions in terms of squad selection, but I think the correct ones, because I think England have always been these big these big name players who've never been able to gel as a team, whereas he's going, I'm not picking the most talented players, I'm picking the most cohesive team. And I think it would be really funny for um all af after all of the historical stuff with with England in Germany for a German coach to win them the World Cup. I think that would be that would be definitely poetic.

SPEAKER_01 15:12

It would be hilarious having to put statues up of a German guy.

SPEAKER_02 15:14

If only there was a German word to enjoy that, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

The thing is, as well, with that in terms of the team selection, um, he announced the team. Well, he didn't announce the team, it came out a few days uh a few hours before.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

Well, Maguire was shitting the bed the day before.

SPEAKER_01 15:28

Well, that's the thing he said, like what I want is team players, someone who can be in the hotel for seven weeks, and Maguire's like, fuck you. His mum's like, you shit.

SPEAKER_02 15:38

His mum getting involved is so funny. So funny.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

I my mum did have a you know, she did kick off when I didn't get into the Cardiff schools under 14s. Yeah. So I you know, I understand where mums are coming from.

SPEAKER_02 15:49

It's what it's what mum, it's motherly love, right? Yeah, it's motherly love. Whether you defend your son, whether he has not got on the England team, or whether he's uh allegedly committed crimes in Europe, in Greece. You know, like I think I think you know that's what mums do. That's what mums does.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

That's what they do. That's what they do. So let's talk about some of the goals. So do you remember the goals of 98?

SPEAKER_02 16:07

You know, I think if you told me some of them now, I think I would I would remember, but um not not not many, I don't think.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

Okay. The one goal is Michael Owen's goal. Sure. Everybody, everybody remember, everybody tried that the next day.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

The burst from the halfway line, the sh the shrug-off with the left hand because he was a little dut, wasn't he? He was a tiny, he was a tiny, tiny guy. Um he was a kid, he was like 18. 18, right? I think that you always hear that discourse now, don't you, about like whether you uh at what point you peak, you've basically got like Sterling peaked quite early, which is why he's sort of like people are like, oh why is he not playing as well now? Because like he started really, really young, like same as Rooney, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:46

People forget that.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

People forget the mileage the players have, but then you look at like a Cristiano Ronaldo, but the guy that that guy's like a freak.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

Yeah, yeah. But then did was he did he play as much as Rooney at that age? Yeah, well. He is a freak, don't get me wrong, and he does you know, you know, in terms of how he looks after his body and how he lives his life. Yeah, but I suppose also that he's different, he's a different shape as well, isn't he?

SPEAKER_02 17:09

Yeah, I suppose, and I suppose you you can't argue that he's been at his peak for the last sort of like well, you know, it's not as if at 34 he was still smashing it.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

Like, yeah, I mean, you know, Saudi League.

SPEAKER_02 17:22

I I love the Saudi League. I want to get more than a rehad comedy festival.

SPEAKER_01 17:26

So like I mean if his excellency was would bestow on me a contract to play football in Saudi Arabia, yeah, I would be that mix between Ronaldo and John Fashion. That's what that's what I would be.

SPEAKER_02 17:39

I want them to do uh live at the Apollo, but like on Design, so that's what I'm hoping for.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Coming up. Firstly, I just want to thank His Excellency.

SPEAKER_02 17:47

Yeah, yeah, oh yeah, oh man, I love His Excellency. I think he's I think I think he's the best.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

The shades? Is it the shades?

SPEAKER_02 17:55

It's just all of it. I think it's sitting sitting ringside with nobody around you. What a what a what a ball of move.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

It's like he what it's like he's in his own little cinema. That's what he does. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:04

He's in his own personal everyman with some really posh pick a mix next to him.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Yeah, that's what he's doing. That's what he's doing. So we talked talked about the goal, but I think we need to go into who your World Cup GOAT is in general now. That's what that's what I'm asking. I think I mean just for World Cup performances, though.

SPEAKER_02 18:22

Okay, I think I think I think it's okay. Let me let me run you through the the options, okay? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I loved Oliver. I I used to love, I used a I was a bit of a keeper when I was at high school and stuff. So I I love mad keepers. I think Oliver Khan, I think, is fucking insane. I think he's he's he's mad and brutal. Um I Neuer, I think, you know, changed the game for keepers, and I think I think he he deserves he deserves some um deserves some some props. What I really like is a player who explodes at the World Cup and everyone really loves them, you know, like a James James Rodriguez. Like that.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Yes, well that's gonna go into the next thing. So he's gonna be he's gonna it's gonna be called catfish of the World Cup. Yeah, that's what he is, that's what he was.

SPEAKER_02 19:04

No, I I agree with you there. Because I think like every like I think was it Shabalabba from like um South Africa as well, who scored that incredible opening goal. But yeah, I think in terms of GOAT World Cups, and we mentioned him earlier, I think it's Zidane for everything. Because Zidane is not like obviously a genius as a footballer, like I also love the fact he's a number five despite not being a central defender, things like that like really make me happy. But in terms of World Cup memories, if you can't discuss his headbutt the for me, a beautiful headbutt.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

Great, great power to respect and honour your family at that level and say fuck your World Cup.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But like the the power of it, the fact he did it in someone's chest, that's objectively funny. The fact that he's had a monk's haircut for the majority of his life, that's very funny to me. Um the the fact that he just didn't see he just completely saw red. Um and I think everyone remembers I was in um a pub in Cat's watching that with uh some school friends. My friend Duncan had I think had ordered two platters of ribs and was just going through those on his own. Wow. Legend legend of a guy. Yeah, um, and we were sort of having some beers. It was in I think it was called the social in Cathays. I'm not sure if it's still called that anymore. Um but I was just going, did he just fucking handbut him?

SPEAKER_01 20:26

Did he did he just yeah, did he just handbut him in the chest? Is it Kialini he got? No, it was Maserano, I think it was. Oh really? Yeah, yeah. I just think Kealini's a good guy. But he did insult his mum and he said that. Wasn't it his sister? His mum and his sister. Oh, he's just gonna be a good thing. And he just he just turned and just done what he had to do. But um I'm gonna push back though. I'm gonna push back because that's a brilliant moment, and obviously the goals in '98. But you're gonna put him above like Pele in the World Cup gold champion. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

He knocked whales out.

SPEAKER_01 21:04

He did, but he's Pele.

SPEAKER_02 21:07

He is Pele, I agree. I agree, I agree. I mean, like, you know, like I've I've yeah, I mean, if we're if we're talking controversial World Cup heroes, yeah, I mean, Maradon is absolutely in the question. But we we talk about Beckham getting like a stick from the British press for doing a tiny little sort of like rainbow flick onto uh you know an Argentinian leg. Yeah. Zidane headbutted someone in the solar plexus.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

In the World Cup final. In the World Cup final. French media were just like, hmm?

SPEAKER_02 21:34

Yeah, and and lot and lost the final because of it.

SPEAKER_01 21:37

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

Like, in terms of hands of hands of gone, surely's got to be in there. I think it's it's more annoying.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Well, that's the villain of the World Cup. That was what's gonna be.

SPEAKER_02 21:46

But then everyone forgets that second goal where it was like, well, of course, he can do what he wants because then he also can dribble. Like, my my son's team is going from five aside up to seven aside, so we're doing like seven aside training. We're basically trying to teach them that you can. Can't run the entire pitch. You've got to be able to use these positions and pass to everyone. Yeah. Radonna can. Like he can and he could. He also was probably fueled by something else around that time.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

Yeah, yeah. But his genius allowed him to do that. This is it.

SPEAKER_02 22:14

So I think Zidane for me, in my generation, I think I think he's got I think he's I think he's my goat for every for every for all parts of it.

SPEAKER_01 22:23

Yeah, I I mean I love Zidane. I can't put him as the GOAT in terms of World Cups. Um I potentially I won't even say Champions League GOAT because there's other players who've done, you know, well, maybe because he's a Champions League manager who's won the Champions League a few times.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

I think the only reason I wouldn't put in the Champions League goat, I think, is because he never respected Bale. And then he brought Bale on, who then changed the game for Rael versus Liverpool in the final. And I am obviously always a Bale boy.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

You are you are Bale. You are Bale. Okay, all right then. So you're saying that Zidane is the is the goat of the World Cup. Let's go into cat catfish of the World Cup. Yeah, sure. There's always one player, and there's going to be one player at the end of July, everyone's going to be like, this guy is amazing. He's going to go somewhere, and he's going to be absolutely garbage. I'm talking, um, I don't know he wasn't garbage, Rodriguez, but he never really hit the heights of what we thought he would be.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

Yeah, for sure. I think that I I do love those. I mean, like Owen obviously burst, but you know, like that that goes as an 18-year-old. But you I don't think you could say he's a catfish.

SPEAKER_01 23:26

No, Ballon d'Or. Yeah, well, yeah, yeah. Um you can say Elder.

SPEAKER_02 23:30

Was he the last English Ballon d'Or?

SPEAKER_01 23:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:33

That's mad, isn't it? That it's been nearly three decades.

SPEAKER_01 23:36

Ballon d'or the way they turned everything around the day. Okay, sure. It changed it. But El House Doof was uh was a catfish.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

Oh man, I love that guy. He was he was vile, he was spitting, he was who is it, Liverpool and Celtic and Bolton?

SPEAKER_01 23:48

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, he played for Bolton as well. Yeah, yeah. Stephen Gerard was fuming because they were gonna sign like a really good player. Yeah, and then they brought El House Doof and he's like, what are you doing? I love that. You could see just the way straight away. So Gerard never respected him.

SPEAKER_02 24:01

Yeah, I yeah, no, he's he's a perfect example. What World Cup did he light out?

SPEAKER_01 24:06

But that 2000 That would have been 2002. Two? Yeah, 2002.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Yeah, I mean, I yeah, let's let's not go into that just yet. I love that World Cup.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

I love that World Cup Me too, me too. I I love that World Cup because I would have been 21, so I'm on the beers. Uh sure it's the only time I've bet on football and actually won. And it was Ronaldo's arc as well to come back and win. And those three up front for Brazil were just ridiculous.

SPEAKER_02 24:34

Yeah, man. I was in year eight in school, and because of the time difference of those, like we talk about the time difference being annoying, there was a couple of like 7:30, 8 a.m. kickoffs, like like over here. So we'd watch them in like registration in in school, and just had going into school knowing you get you get to watch football, that's insane. That's great.

SPEAKER_01 24:52

Exactly, that's motivating.

SPEAKER_02 24:53

That ball was great as well. Yeah, that one that just had so much flight on it as well. It did, didn't it? So you could you just so it was just I love this time of year, the weather's good, you're in like summer uniform in school, like just wearing like a polo shirt, don't need to wear a blaze or anything. You get to just like dick around in the yard and just play football constantly.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

It's great, yeah. And for some reason, didn't sweat. Sure. Back, I used to I used to be able to play football all day and still be in school. Yeah, every break time and still be in school. If I walk to the shop now, I need a shower. Yeah, that's just the way it is.

SPEAKER_02 25:27

So it's just getting older, man. But I remember like there were some kids in our school who definitely fucking did sweat because I remember like at one point, like our P teacher, like during like pre-gym or pre-PE, came over to us in the changing rooms and goes, Boys, you're getting older, start wearing deodorant. Just like looking at individuals, just like, oh, he's he's he's talking about you, Mr. BM. He's talking about you.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

So we're talking about 2002. I love 2002 because it was just the fans, it was a new world over in Asia as well. So it just felt like a yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:57

I think, yeah, I mean, like quite cool for it to, you know, we we criticize this current World Cup for having three host nations, right? But like Japan, South Korea, really cool. Um, I think Japan did really well.

SPEAKER_01 26:09

I think there was like I think Korea done quite well as well. I think Korea done. I think they did you know the nation got behind them.

SPEAKER_02 26:15

Was this the one that South Korea knocked Italy out, and it was a South Korean player who played for an Italian club and he was and he got released by the Italian club? Is it that one? Yeah, I love all this shit. I absolutely love it. I mean, like, not to the point where you know a Colombian player scores an own goal and the cartel kill him.

SPEAKER_01 26:34

94. That was that's Andreas Escobar. Man, I remember seeing that on Trans World Sport the next day. Great, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:42

Trans World Sport was wicked. Great.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Um, but you're saying great to Andreas Escobar being assassinated by the cartel. No, I'm saying Trans World Sport was great. Okay, let's not just making sure there's clarification, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:54

Allegedly it's great. Um uh Japan was great, South Korea was great. In a I remember Inamoto, do you remember him? Who Arsenal Arsenal signs him? Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. Again, sort of like I don't think you could say he's a he catfished the tournament because like I think he was always quite a reliable squad player, but um yeah, I I love when your team signs a player from a different part of the world, and you're like, oh okay.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

Well, this is what the World Cup was about before, wasn't it? In terms of you you discover players at the World Cup. There's not gonna be many players we're not gonna know at this World Cup.

SPEAKER_02 27:26

Well, I don't know because like you know, I mean my son went to the Wales Ghana game on Tuesday night and stuff, and just like man, the Ghana fans were fucking incredible, they were so good, they were so so good. Just I mean, they they cheered for like their players doing step overs, like they cheered as if it was like a goal had gone in. It was so fun, I loved it.

SPEAKER_01 27:49

It was really, really fun. Essen was there, my mate met Ession.

SPEAKER_02 27:52

Oh, that's cool. Yeah, I mean I mean Ghana were another that was in 2010 they had a great World Cup. Was that the World Cup that um Suarez uh got sent off for cheating for Hamburg?

SPEAKER_01 28:03

South Africa, yeah, and that he single-handedly got the whole continent of Africa to hate him.

SPEAKER_02 28:09

Yeah, yeah. I mean he did some other things as well that might have contributed to that. I think Patrice Everest got some takes on him, yeah. Um yeah, uh Japan, yeah, 2002 was great. 2006 was the Capella one for England. I think I was kind of like I'd sort of fallen out of love with football a little bit at that point. Like, but I remember but but I remember that I think I got into like teenage drinking and girls at that point. But I remember watching the final and obviously enjoying that a lot. 2010, South Africa was great. I remember that was the point where I think my house, I think I'd got my first iPhone in 2010. Okay, and there was a Vuvuzela app.

SPEAKER_01 28:46

The Vuvuzela. So Vuvuzela is one of the villains for me. Vuvuzela. I remember that. I remember the app.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

So funny. But the app was like something that it's when like iPhones were like, oh, there's an app for everything, and it's like so like we can pretend to drink a pint with it. But then you just shook your phone and you went, ah I think it should bring it back. I think they should bring it back.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

I remember watching some games with my mate Mark, and his girlfriend was there, and we'd all be getting drunk, and she'd start talking, and she was quite loud, so we would just put the Vuvuzela. That was her nickname, Vuvuzela.

SPEAKER_02 29:21

Vubuzela is great stuff. And then what was after that? 2014, when was that?

SPEAKER_01 29:26

2014 would have been German no.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

Germany, Russia, was it Russia? I feel like 2018 was Russia.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

Okay, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

I think so. Germany.

SPEAKER_01 29:40

Or was it Brazil? Yes, Brazil.

SPEAKER_02 29:43

Brazil, but Germany but Germany dicked on Brazil, which is why I think Germany hoofed them.

SPEAKER_01 29:48

So I was I I I had my flat at the time, single guy, doing great in recruitment, and I won a 3D TV at that just before the tournament. So, and about two months before that, I've even bought myself a TV as well. So I had these two huge TVs.

SPEAKER_02 30:04

Did you have to wear the glasses for 3D TVs?

SPEAKER_01 30:07

So I had a 3D TV watch party where only I had the glasses. Yeah, that's great. And it was the Brazil game, and I remember just being distraught because I was supporting Brazil, and it was just like it was I was distraught.

SPEAKER_02 30:18

Yeah, I mean, that was I mean, you know, we talk about France as a host nation, like smashing it as a host nation to get not only like dumped out early, but to get cucked.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:29

You know, that's 7-1. That seven one brutal, brutal stuff. Um, and then obviously, then we start going into sort of questionable politics world cups decisions.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:42

We uh we dip into Russia, we we we we played with Russia and we go, um, you think you think that was smelly? How about how about changing the time frame? Yeah, how about getting slaves to build the thing? Um, and then we go, okay, well, at least we'll have a nice little palate cleanse before Saudi Arabia jokes. One of the countries is has just has just deposed the other, has deposed the leader.

SPEAKER_01 31:07

Um's at war, and they're saying that the players may not get visas.

SPEAKER_02 31:12

War with a country that is taking part in the in the it's insane. This World Cup is absolutely insane.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

And I remember like that's the thing.

SPEAKER_02 31:20

That's the thing, and it's I remember feeling like a bit smelly that like I didn't go to Qatar when Wales were in there for a number of reasons.

SPEAKER_01 31:26

It was just like we were on the radio at the same time, weren't we? And we were trying to get there as well. Yeah, I mean we were pitched a few ideas, it was tricky, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_02 31:34

Because like I'd I'd like to say that look, if if if I had more money, I would have dropped work and just gone, right? And I think that's that's you know, and and I do feel smelly saying that because I think there is obviously like moral reasons for for not for not participating, but I don't know whether it's just gonna I mean f F FIFA itself is the the fact that we've awarded Donald Trump a peace prize is is is hilarious.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

The most the worst. I mean, when you thought the set blatter was bad.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

Yeah, that's really funny, isn't it? Like um yeah, it's it's you you you lob off the snake's head and then it's a billion reptiles inside it.

SPEAKER_01 32:11

Yeah, yeah, it is. Do you remember going back to that World Cup of Qatar? We were gonna go to Tenerife together to oh yeah, we were gonna have like a watch party, weren't we? Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:20

That was fun. That was uh that would have been a fun idea. But yeah, I it it it is a sh it is a shame obviously whales aren't in there, like it's but this is this is it as a as a as a smallish nation that that doesn't get uh you know if there was there was a point for my son that like we were qualifying for every single tournament and that's not that's not my history. That's not not my memory of it. And I think sometimes that's good it's it's good in life not to assume that you're gonna qualify it. Like England always qualify with 100% success record success records, they smash 10 marino, San Marino, 10-nil, and then they uh go get they get through the group because they're it they're a top seed, and then they immediately until they play a good team, they'll just go out. And that's historically what's happened. Who knows? Who knows what will happen?

SPEAKER_01 33:06

It's also like man for man, they're the same as the other team. It's just they can't psychologically get over, you know. They got to the final, didn't they, a few years ago? Um in England, wasn't it? Yeah, it was in the Euros. The Euros, yeah. Do you remember they got to that final and people thought that they were getting over that hump?

SPEAKER_02 33:23

And they went one their lap. It was a Luke Luke Luke Luke Shaw scored the opening goal.

SPEAKER_01 33:27

Didn't he?

SPEAKER_02 33:28

Yeah, yeah. And then it was Penos, right?

SPEAKER_01 33:30

It was, and then Saka missed the penalty and just got ripped. Yeah, well it was um yeah, it was horrific, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_02 33:36

Yeah, I think it was was it two two penalties got missed, both by black players and all the usual suspects came out in force to um be uh be cunts, essentially. Not sure if I'm allowed to say that word in this podcast, Leroy. But I feel like feel free.

SPEAKER_01 33:54

I feel like instead of villain of the World Cup, we can have cunt of the World Cup.

SPEAKER_02 33:57

Yeah, yeah, nice, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. But no, I feel like uh I don't know, like these these tournaments they they should they should bring nations and people together, right? But I think it's um it's tricky when the whole thing is built on a platform of uh hypocrisy and uh greed.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

It's um and it's scary. I mean, Guadalajara in Mexico is hosting a few games. It was on fire a few weeks ago. It's stuck, yeah. Canada seems nice, but then you've got to put up with Drake. So sure.

SPEAKER_02 34:34

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Nothing's nobody's perfect, right? No. So you've got you've got the cartel, you've got Drake.

SPEAKER_01 34:43

Cartel, Trump, Drake. It's three rings of hell.

SPEAKER_02 34:47

That's so funny. The cartel releasing a diss track on Drake.

SPEAKER_01 34:51

Yeah, so the mariachi band. They do actually have, do you know they actually have like those, like there's a whole genre of cartel like mythology songs?

SPEAKER_02 35:02

Right.

SPEAKER_01 35:03

Which like which really like um, you know, myth, you know, legend make legends out of people who are in the cartel. Yeah, great. Yeah, very, very odd. Okay, so some quick fire questions. So Zidane is your GOAT World Cup. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, okay. But we need to go into, I suppose, more serious questions in terms of greatest of all time, in terms of footballers. So where do you stand on the GOAT debate football in general?

SPEAKER_02 35:29

As in who's the greatest footballer to have ever lived?

SPEAKER_01 35:32

Ever. Ever kicked the ever kicked anything.

SPEAKER_02 35:37

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um I think I mean everyone goes down the Messi Ronaldo route currently, right?

SPEAKER_00 35:48

But which Ronaldo?

SPEAKER_02 35:51

Yeah, I mean, like in terms of longevity, I think Cristiano has to sort of probably drop CR CR um uh Ronaldo 9. I think Messi. I think I don't think so. You what you you don't think Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Brazilian Ronaldo? No, but in terms of longevity and stuff like but what are we talking about?

SPEAKER_01 36:09

Impact R9 changed the game. In what sense? There weren't any strikers like him before, and then afterwards you had strikers Henri, those players. He was the prototype in terms of he would have been better for me, and I love Messi, and Messi's my goat. I think he would have been better than Messi if he didn't get injured.

SPEAKER_02 36:35

That that's you know that's I think it's a it's a hard one though, dude, because I think it's like it's a shoulda, woulda, coulda, right? Like you can think of like, you know, oh, there's this there's gonna be this youth player that's gonna set the world alight, and then he you know fucks.

SPEAKER_01 36:46

Yeah, but this I did set the world alight.

SPEAKER_02 36:48

Yeah, but then it's sort of like just sort of filtered out a bit. Well, two world cups. You so you sound like a you sound like you sound like an English-enchanting fan.

SPEAKER_01 37:01

He won't be win he no, but he did win two World Cups.

SPEAKER_02 37:05

Yeah, it's not bad.

SPEAKER_01 37:06

You know, one he was on the bench at 17 years old, but still, you know, in terms of like what he'd done as a player, just you know, PSV absolutely annihilated that league. Barcelona for one season and just ripped everything up there, yeah. Even when he came back, you know, the 2002 though the injuries, he came back that redemption arc, and he was still amazing at Madrid. Yeah, you still get standing ovations at all traffic as a Madrid player.

SPEAKER_02 37:32

Yeah, but I I I do think kind of living off past legacy there.

SPEAKER_01 37:41

He's called a hat-trick against Bartez, if you remember that game.

SPEAKER_02 37:44

Yeah, but Bartez was winner, Bartez.

SPEAKER_01 37:48

Come on. Come on now. But you're in the R9 just in terms of longevity. So we're counting the Saudi Arabian Arabian Knights.

SPEAKER_02 37:56

Oh no, no, look, look, I'm I'm I'm not thinking that Rena like Cr7 is is is up there for me. Like I I don't I think I think when you look at when you look at numbers and you look at stats, I think you what you you can't deny what he's doing. I also think that he's um a bizarre physical specimen and a selfish player and not a very particularly nice person.

SPEAKER_01 38:19

I and I just I've I've heard that he's a lovely guy. So this is this is odds. Yeah, he's like a brilliant teammate. Sure. I've heard that he's actually a a nice, nice person. He's very driven, which you've got to be at that level.

SPEAKER_02 38:33

You've got to be you've got to be driven, I guess you've got to be.

SPEAKER_01 38:35

You've got to be asshole in a s in a s essentially, but I I've heard that he's actually like a really decent person. Well, may maybe I'm wrong, Leroy. Maybe maybe this? Who told you that the Cristiano is a dick?

SPEAKER_02 38:48

Um, I mean, let's yeah, I mean, what I want to say will just get cut legally, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

Let's keep it cool. That thing. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. I forgot about that part.

SPEAKER_02 39:00

Can you separate the art from the artist, you know? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:03

Well, I I haven't seen the Michael film yet. Sure, yeah, because you're uh anyway. Uh I forgot I forgot about that, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:12

For me, Messi. I think I think I think I think in terms of in terms of changing the game, I think, uh, I think he he's got that in there. I think in terms of his story arc, in terms of the fact that he was he was too little, I think that that's that's great. I think his longevity, I think, is great. I think um the fact that he won a World Cup in um in his latter years, I think is wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 39:35

Um that was a beautiful World Cup final. I think for me that was the best World Cup final that I've seen.

SPEAKER_02 39:39

I think so. I think I think one of the yeah, one of the greatest games of all time. I think uh it had everything. I think Mbappe uh you know like really, really deserves the applaudits for that. And I think that's that's what he can do. Yeah. Um but he has to be number one, doesn't he? That's that's the issue with him, I think. Whereas I think Messi is a is a more talented player and doesn't necessarily need to be the number one.

SPEAKER_01 40:02

No, Messi, Messi is is a footballer, so he can play anywhere on the pitch, and you know, he's shown that in terms of stepping back a little bit more midfield for Argentina when he did win that World Cup. Yeah, and I think he still can turn it on when he needs to.

SPEAKER_02 40:19

What Messi? Yeah, yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_01 40:22

He can. Oh, right, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure. He can, yeah, I think he can turn around. Yeah, I love I love Messi for me. Messi is, you know, and I I was too young to see Maradona, yeah. I was too young to see Pele, you know, Gorincha, all those players. So I don't want uh George Best, etc. So I don't, you know, I've always said in terms of these goat debates, it's errors, I think. Because you can't really, you know, no, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 40:45

Totally.

SPEAKER_01 40:45

I think Pele physically would probably be able to still play, you know, the Pele from his 70s. Because you remember like Pele's arc as well. Pele was what 17, 58.

SPEAKER_02 40:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:56

And then he was. I've seen there's a documentary in 1970, he was seen as this old man who wasn't there. Yeah, sure. And then, you know, obviously you you won the World Cup.

SPEAKER_02 41:04

Yeah. No, I think I think I think I think I think you're right with eras and things, like you can't you can't really compare. Can you be like everything's different?

SPEAKER_01 41:12

Different, different game.

SPEAKER_02 41:13

And also just socially what what people have to go through in terms of like everything else, and like, you know. But yeah, I think um goats of goats, messy.

SPEAKER_01 41:22

Messi.

SPEAKER_02 41:22

I'd agree with you there. Thank you. I do like Messi.

SPEAKER_01 41:25

I did say I was gonna be disagreeable today, but we're both in terms of messy. We're both right. Yeah, okay. Greatest player never to play a World Cup. Shit.

SPEAKER_02 41:37

Um I think okay, let's think close to home. I think it's a shame gigs never did.

SPEAKER_01 41:47

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:47

I think you know, Ian Rush was an incredible striker as well. Like an incredible football.

SPEAKER_01 41:57

Well class, you know, there's no denying Ian Rush still with a Liverpool.

SPEAKER_02 42:01

Is he still a Liverpool record? I think so. I think so. So I think he's definitely up there for me. Um who else never has? Sort of small nation people, right?

SPEAKER_01 42:15

Cantana didn't.

SPEAKER_02 42:16

Did Cantonar I mean yeah, sure. I I feel like he's his um his brand is very strong. Like compared to compared, I think his brand overtakes. Mythology?

SPEAKER_01 42:26

Yeah, but he was still something else. He was something else.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

Yeah, no, totally, totally on his day. Um did George Best?

SPEAKER_01 42:36

I don't think so.

SPEAKER_02 42:38

I mean he's gotta be in the conversation then, right?

SPEAKER_01 42:40

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:41

Um Robin Morgan, I think uh Robin Morgan, yeah, exactly. Famously still hasn't been called up. I'm just waiting for Bellamy to get out. Um I don't.

SPEAKER_01 42:49

I I played with Bellamy last year, didn't pass the ball to me once.

unknown 42:53

Come on.

SPEAKER_01 42:54

Once. I know, come on, great. Were you open? I was open. I was open. Scanning? I'm in the I'm I I'm every I'm ready. So I was in the change room looking at him thinking, this is the wheels manager. Yeah, you might see something when no other coaches are.

SPEAKER_02 43:07

I I I really want one of those stories, you know, like sort of did you watch Dream Team on Sky One? That that sort of soap opera. Yeah, man. My mate was in it. My mate was in there.

SPEAKER_01 43:15

Martin Cole. Yeah, Martin Cole was in there.

SPEAKER_02 43:17

Oh, Dream Team, I loved it. Like the storylines in Dream Team were absolutely incredible. There was um uh uh so so much shagging, obviously. It's ridiculous. Uh there was uh coach crashes. I think one player on the go if you ever want to have a nice time, go on the Wikipedia page for storylines on Dream Team. I believe one during the the team get Harchester United get, and they always used to use Chelsea for Titans. I once made Harchester United on a FIFA game. I made the kit, I made the players. Oh wow, I had no friends. So I uh one striker for I think the captain for Harchester United get them to the FA Cup final, and then a sniper on the roof of the stadium assassinates the striker just before the pitch gets the before the game takes place.

SPEAKER_01 43:58

Great storylines. Did the game kind of?

SPEAKER_02 44:00

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 44:02

Season two.

SPEAKER_02 44:03

Season two. Start. What a cliffhanger. But that but that the idea that you play a charity game with the Wales manager and he signs you up at the ripe old A job. 41?

SPEAKER_01 44:13

43 at the time.

SPEAKER_02 44:14

43 at the time.

SPEAKER_01 44:15

And then I couldn't get to America because I've made Trump jokes. Oh, sure. Yeah. Yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_02 44:21

Well, that's I think that's fine as well, though. Like just, you know, you can only play in the I stand on what I've said. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's fine. Um no, I think I think that would be a wonderful storyline. Like like I I love the fact that Craig Gordon's going to the World Cup with Scotland, I think, as a fo as he's 41 year old. 41. 41. Yeah, okay. It's different for keepers, right? But I think I think that's really cool. I think that's really um that's good uh that's good management by Steve Larry, I think.

SPEAKER_01 44:47

I think so. I think so.

SPEAKER_02 44:48

I'll be rooting for Scotland. Like I think um Oh 100%. 100% home nations are always good, right? Sort of um the Celtic nations as well.

SPEAKER_01 44:56

Finland in the World Cup as well.

SPEAKER_02 44:58

No, don't think so. No? I think it's just Scotland's.

SPEAKER_01 45:02

Okay, that's fine. Yeah, I can support that. I'm supporting Cape Hood, as you would do.

SPEAKER_02 45:05

Yeah. Uh I in my family sweepstake, I've got Belgium. Okay. Yeah, yeah. Not not too not too disheartened by that. That's okay.

SPEAKER_01 45:13

No. It's gonna be a good World Cup. That's I think I thought it was gonna be shit, but I'm work I'm working towards it now.

SPEAKER_02 45:19

I just want I just miss football being on the telly, mate. And I think uh it's a shame about the time frames, because you know, like the last year Rose was great because I I I could turn on the TV at 1 pm and there was a game on, then at 5 pm there was a game on, then even there was a game on, which I absolutely just I love that. Those three games a day, superb, and then when it drops to two games a day, I'm like, this is disgusting.

SPEAKER_01 45:39

It's it's going like that at the NBA at the moment. So it was the two-offs, it's the finals now started yesterday last night, and now you've got like two days before I get in a set.

SPEAKER_02 45:47

This is the bit of the point in the World Cup that I hate is when it gets into knockout, but and then you have to there's a day when there's no games on. It's like, well, this isn't what I signed up for. Put an extra one on.

SPEAKER_01 45:57

Put Croatia versus Webbon.

SPEAKER_02 45:59

Put like a random sort of like um like villains piece. Like whoever gets the most red cards in the tournament, play put them on just for a laugh.

SPEAKER_01 46:06

Well, that'd be nice. That'd be nice. The anger, the anger world cup.

SPEAKER_02 46:09

I I think that'd be good. And um, you know, like Metallica can do the halftime show because we're having a fucking half-time show.

SPEAKER_01 46:16

30 minutes at half-time break. No, that's not true. Yeah. 30 minutes. Yeah. I thought it was a normal 15 minutes. No, 30 minutes. In the World Cup. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are you sure? That's what I've heard on the grapevine.

SPEAKER_02 46:33

I'm gonna Google this real time.

SPEAKER_01 46:35

Google it right now. Okay. If Google do want to sponsor this podcast, you are more than welcome.

SPEAKER_02 46:39

I think out of all the companies to sponsor this podcast here, it will be one of the highest grossing billion pound companies. I think I think you're absolutely right. It's between them and fang.

SPEAKER_01 46:48

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 46:48

Um what am I doing? Um, World Cup halftime show length.

SPEAKER_01 46:55

No, half time length. The show might be shorter. For God's sake.

SPEAKER_02 47:00

Halftime length. It's just gonna say 15 minutes, you idiot, is what it's gonna say. Okay, so it's gonna be three minutes uh uh hydration breaks.

SPEAKER_01 47:12

Okay. It's hot. It's hot over there.

SPEAKER_02 47:15

Okay, is Reddit gonna give me the answer? Okay, they're plotting it. Okay. I can't get it. Um Would you like to just believe me for the fine, fine, I'll believe you for the for the point. It's gonna be a longer halftime break because it's not good for the players because you're you're cool.

SPEAKER_01 47:35

You're you're you're cool down. You're gonna seize up. Yeah. You are, you are, especially.

SPEAKER_02 47:39

Who's performing at the half-time show?

SPEAKER_01 47:41

I don't know, yeah. I think they're more focused in America at the moment for the 250 um concerts they're doing. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:51

They're putting um oh Shakira's doing it because Shakira is Mrs. Football.

SPEAKER_01 47:55

She is Mrs.

SPEAKER_02 47:56

Well, she was until the divorce, and then Oh, it's gonna be Madonna, Shakira, BTS, and oh, it's curated by Chris Martin off of Coldplay. Oh wow. Great stuff. Interesting. I love um, oh, check this out. Um with Martin Chris Martin appearing in a social media video alongside Elmo to announce the lineup.

SPEAKER_01 48:19

Oh wow, Sesame Street. Because is it is the New York, is the final in New York?

SPEAKER_02 48:23

I don't know. Is has the it um what business does Elmo have in the World Cup?

SPEAKER_00 48:33

I think Elmo is a hero for the world. Who hates Elmo?

SPEAKER_02 48:37

I think except for you. I think what should be with Elmo. I I want Zidane to headbutt Elmo in the chest. Wow. Is what I want. That's what you want. I think that would make this my the only way this would become my favourite world-up of all time is if Zidane comes out of retirement and like in like WrestleMania, they play his like Zidane's theme.

SPEAKER_01 48:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's his theme? The Champions League theme.

SPEAKER_02 49:00

Yeah, I don't know, fucking Dolmeo advert or something. And then he comes in and he just boo like properly like launches himself.

SPEAKER_01 49:06

Let's go back to that. A Dolmeo advert. Yeah. He's French.

SPEAKER_02 49:10

Oh yeah. It's because he's still got an Italian midfielder's like chest on his head from from 20 months ago. Oh yeah. It would be um it would be the the 98 French uh World Cup theme, I think.

SPEAKER_00 49:28

Oh, what was that?

SPEAKER_02 49:30

Um, it's it's gonna be brilliant.

SPEAKER_01 49:34

What is you were doing was it like the Olympics? Was that last year? The opening ceremony was just garbage because it was raining. Sure. Selene Dion came out and sang at the Eiffel Tower and everything was good.

SPEAKER_02 49:46

Yeah, no, that was good, wasn't it? Um Okay, World Cup song 98, right?

SPEAKER_03 49:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:55

It's certainly not the um The Cup of Life by Ricky Martin and Pablo Flores.

SPEAKER_01 50:01

The Cup of Life? Ricky Martin looks good, you see him at the Super Bowl.

SPEAKER_02 50:06

I didn't know, but I'm not surprised he looks good. He's a he's a handsome guy.

SPEAKER_01 50:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:09

Um they're good songs, aren't they?

SPEAKER_00 50:12

I thought it was like Oh, of course it was.

SPEAKER_01 50:16

It was um what was his name? What was his name? The the DJ, it was a DJ song, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_02 50:24

Yeah, it was. Um DJ France.

SPEAKER_01 50:31

98.

SPEAKER_02 50:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:33

It was like Song of the World or something like that, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_02 50:36

Yeah. But hey, that was a good World Cup song. That was a good World Cup song. Another good question for your podcast, Lero Brito. Yes, best world cup song.

SPEAKER_01 50:44

Best World Cup song. Diana Ross 94. Sure, Waka Waka's gotta be up there though. Waka waka. That's the only one I know, really. Sure. Yeah. I think that's us now done for the goat. I think so. Thank you for it. 50 minutes in the bag. Thank you so much for doing this.

SPEAKER_02 51:00

Mate, it's my been my pleasure. I'm I'm feeling more World Cup fever. I'm feeling like feeling like I'm coming down with a World Cup fever.

SPEAKER_01 51:06

You are coming down. I'm I'm just really concerned about your enthusiasm for Andres Escobar's demise. After were you did you have a bet on? Are you secretly working for the customer?

SPEAKER_02 51:17

I was five years old, um, but I have I have been and will be a sleeper cell for the uh for the Colombian uh drug drug lords. Happy to put that on record.

SPEAKER_01 51:27

Well, I think that's us, everybody. That's Robin Morgan. If you did enjoy this show, please like, subscribe, share, even tell your enemies, and we'll see you soon.

SPEAKER_02 51:37

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 51:39

Cheers, man.