WEBVTT

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Ten minutes gone.

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He could be away here.

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Michael Owen.

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He's got goals with him.

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But it's still Owen.

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Oh,

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what a goal

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This 18-year-old has electrified the world.

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Welcome to today's podcast where we are joined by our best guest today,

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Mr Michael Owen.

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Thank you for joining us.

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It's very kind of you to say so.

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Not often you get a balance of time at all.

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Apt timing isn't it I guess with the award coming soon.

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Yeah,

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but yeah,

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so we're going to basically talk about your career and some of the stories and everything else.

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But first thing I've got to ask,

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what was it like?

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clean the cake very good very good we had a big

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French influence at the time you know Gerard Houllier came in and signed a lot of players and understandably that you would know that you would be aware of we had some yeah some some great players that joined at the time we had a big clear out under Gerard Houllier right I think it was before Gregory

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came to Liverpool,

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but we had the likes of Sammy Hippie,

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Stefan Hentschel,

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Sander Wessler.

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We had like a group of

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12, 14 players or something that signed in that summer.

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I can't quite remember.

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There were loads of players signed.

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And then after that,

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you know,

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gradually he just picked up one or two along the way.

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But yeah,

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it was good days,

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the great days.

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I really enjoyed those moments.

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But I'm curious to know...

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Who was the first senior player,

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obviously you're breaking through at Liverpool at such a young age,

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who was the first senior player who looked after you on that team?

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Because that team was full of legends.

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It was.

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I think

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Jamie Redknapp was a real good friend of mine,

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a real kind guy.

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Lived on this side of the water,

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so spent a bit of time with him.

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He probably had that caring influence,

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I'd say,

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on me.

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I obviously got into the team when the likes of Steve McManam and Robbie Fowler were around,

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but Robbie was a centre forward and I was a centre forward and we were very similar.

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And if I was

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25 now and a young kid came into the group,

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you do want to help them,

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but also you don't want them to take your place.

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It's a very strange sort of thing.

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It is a team and if everybody is doing so well,

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then it should benefit everybody.

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Not to the expense of you type of attitude.

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It's very strange.

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I mean,

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I can't imagine a goalkeeper and a second goalkeeper would be the best of friends if they were really going at it.

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I mean,

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it's dog eat dog in many ways.

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So I'd say if I had to pick one,

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I mean,

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we had

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John Barnes was a great,

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a lovely influence on us.

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What a player he was.

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But I think

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Jamie Redknapp had that really nice,

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caring nature about him.

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And he always took me under his wing.

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Stefan Inschel told us the same thing about you.

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Yeah?

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Yeah.

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Jamie's a lovely guy.

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Really caring and a nice person.

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Yeah.

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And you know as well as I do,

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Gregory,

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different players in different positions have different attitudes.

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I mean,

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goalkeepers are a little bit different to everybody else.

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Yeah.

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Centre forwards.

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If you're a goal scorer,

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it is like you are just goals,

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You don't think about the team.

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You're just so...

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zoned in and if you're not like that you tell me if you know

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Alan Shearer and Wayne you know there's so many great strikers none of them are happy if they if they don't score yeah

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Ruud van Nistelrooy was all everybody used to joke about Ruud van Nistelrooy they if they win five nil but he didn't score he would have a mood until the next game that's the sort of what what people used to say well I was a little bit like that as well and I joke now you know with people on the television.

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that I work with,

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the Robbie Fowlers,

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the Jermaine Defoe,

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we're all the same.

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We're all a little bit different to your left back or your right back or your central midfield player,

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the team players.

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And you need all those elements in a team for it to work.

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Yeah.

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Even at such a young age,

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because you're similar age to me,

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just growing up and seeing a young guy doing all that,

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you're just like,

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fucking...

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How can you deal with that pressure and stuff?

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I was still playing like...

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out in the streets and stuff yeah but yeah

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Gordon doing it in such pressures are really interesting topic though because I don't believe in pressure I'd believe in it if you're not very good at something or you can't do something if you ask me now to go and play golf and you know you guys were watching me

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I'd be thinking you haven't seen me before

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I might go that way it might go they might go that way it might go it couldn't go any way yeah

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But when you're good at something,

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when you can do something,

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I don't think there's any footballer that goes to sleep the night before thinking,

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oh,

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no,

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I'm playing football tomorrow.

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I'm so nervous that this could go wrong.

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I just don't think it.

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Does a pilot,

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ultimate responsibility.

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He's got 500 people behind him.

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It's his or her job to make you all safe.

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Do you think that they're like,

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oh,

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no,

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this pressure on me.

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Of course they don't.

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They're trained.

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They know it.

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They do it all the time.

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Do you think a brain surgeon is going to sleep the night before thinking,

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can't have a glass of red wine because I'm about to save a child's life?

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These are the like,

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you know,

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we're talking there's so much more pressure than playing football.

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You know,

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and I don't believe that these people go to sleep thinking,

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oh,

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I can't do my job till I'm so nervous about saving it.

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No,

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they focus.

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They're just,

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they've done it before.

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They're expert in it and,

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you know,

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they're going to give it,

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you know,

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their best attempt.

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and if it doesn't work,

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but they can live with it.

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They're just very,

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very good at what they do.

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I just don't think when you do something very well,

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I just don't think pressure...

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I never,

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ever thought,

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oh,

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no,

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the whole of Liverpool are expecting me to score,

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the whole of England are hoping that I'm going to score.

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I love that,

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the fact that people thought that of me,

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but I didn't shrink.

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I didn't think,

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oh,

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no,

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I'm so nervous and this pressure is becoming overwhelming.

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I just don't believe it.

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Pressure is something when you're not sure you can do it,

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in my eyes.

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But you have this expectation on your shoulder for Liverpool,

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for your country.

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Of course.

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So it's massive.

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It's an expectation.

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It is a pressure.

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Of course it is.

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When I look back now and think,

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oh,

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wow,

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yeah,

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actually you were carrying expectations.

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So of course it is a prep,

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but when you're doing it,

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and I give other examples of different jobs,

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whether you're a pilot,

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whether you're a brain surgeon,

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whatever you do,

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whether you're a golfer.

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I don't think that people that do the job consistently,

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I don't think that they,

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I think if they feel the pressure to,

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I don't think you'd be able to do the job.

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I just don't think,

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I just think if you're very,

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very capable of doing something,

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then I don't think you feel pressure.

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I don't think,

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anyway,

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that's my experience.

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You clearly didn't.

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No,

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I don't,

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no.

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Witches.

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But I do feel pressure.

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Yeah.

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I'm not immune as a person to not feel pressure.

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as I say if we play golf now I'd be like a bit nervous if you put 100 people watching me play I'd be oh my word I'd start thinking I'd start you know

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I would be feeling big pressure but put a million people watching me play football bring it on it's like that's that's the easy bit yeah that's what I do that's what Brian Clough used to always say you can't really do anything if you're feeling pressure you can't well you need to relax and yeah do what you're good at so yeah absolutely and

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that doesn't just

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come.

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I suppose some people's character is a certain way,

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but that is practice.

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That is repetition over years and years and years and years and years of going through on goalkeepers and thinking,

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right,

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what gives me the best chance?

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I always used to watch Ronaldo.

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He used to run through and step over,

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step over,

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step over and go past a goalkeeper,

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virtually always.

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So I used to try it and I tried it and tried it and tried it.

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I just didn't feel it.

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Just didn't feel it.

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It's interesting because he said,

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Many years of work,

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you never said something about the talent.

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Yeah.

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You have the talent,

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but the talent doesn't beat,

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you know,

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how much you work.

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Yeah.

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Yeah,

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absolutely.

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And I remember you in the training ground hitting the ball,

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you know,

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and to perform.

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Do you know what the one thing that hindered my finishing in many ways,

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it helped in so many ways,

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is when I was very young,

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I was so much faster than everybody else when I was 10 or 12.

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So every single time I played in a...

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tee in a game,

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I would score five,

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six,

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seven,

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eight goals.

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But I would have 20 chances.

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The ball would chip out over the top.

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So

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I always had so much time.

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So I always put it on my right foot,

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because I wanted to score.

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And then I would try going around the goalkeeper,

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and I'd try chipping,

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and I'd try sliding,

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and I'd try all these different finishes.

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And of course,

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that's where you develop these.

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So if you put a goal in front of me now,

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drop a ball,

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I would just know what type of finish.

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based on where I am,

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00:09:22.460 --> 00:09:23.341
how the ball is sitting,

271
00:09:23.361 --> 00:09:25.002
where the goalkeeper and all these things.

272
00:09:25.503 --> 00:09:28.025
It just becomes natural and instinctive.

273
00:09:28.421 --> 00:09:30.984
But because I was always faster than everybody as a young boy,

274
00:09:31.788 --> 00:09:34.798
I never used to take it on my left foot.

275
00:09:34.838 --> 00:09:42.885
So then I almost had to learn on the job in the first team because now all of a sudden I have a great defender on my right-hand side and the goal is there.

276
00:09:43.246 --> 00:09:46.700
I've got to take the ball away from him and he was just as fast.

277
00:09:46.861 --> 00:09:48.322
So then I'd have to hit it with my left foot.

278
00:09:48.323 --> 00:09:49.583
So I was learning on the job.

279
00:09:49.703 --> 00:09:50.684
when I was in the first team.

280
00:09:50.704 --> 00:09:50.864
Yeah.

281
00:09:51.264 --> 00:09:52.165
I'd always been so,

282
00:09:52.685 --> 00:09:56.949
so I'd perfected my skill in terms of when I broke free,

283
00:09:57.829 --> 00:09:59.150
I knew exactly what to do,

284
00:09:59.350 --> 00:09:59.751
but then...

285
00:10:00.338 --> 00:10:03.039
The challenging part came when

286
00:10:03.419 --> 00:10:05.040
I was under pressure with bigger,

287
00:10:05.180 --> 00:10:05.640
stronger,

288
00:10:05.741 --> 00:10:06.481
faster men.

289
00:10:07.013 --> 00:10:07.953
And then I had to sort of,

290
00:10:07.954 --> 00:10:08.334
as I say,

291
00:10:08.414 --> 00:10:09.094
learn on the job,

292
00:10:09.134 --> 00:10:10.655
which was quite an interesting thing for me.

293
00:10:10.855 --> 00:10:13.616
And the one thing I do regret was when I was younger,

294
00:10:14.204 --> 00:10:16.053
not being good enough,

295
00:10:16.093 --> 00:10:17.994
not practicing my left foot enough.

296
00:10:18.414 --> 00:10:20.575
I was good enough to strike the ball and hit it,

297
00:10:21.619 --> 00:10:21.739
but

298
00:10:22.820 --> 00:10:25.061
I wasn't good enough with my left foot,

299
00:10:25.121 --> 00:10:26.161
which was one regret

300
00:10:26.541 --> 00:10:26.842
I had.

301
00:10:27.262 --> 00:10:27.462
Yeah.

302
00:10:28.170 --> 00:10:46.993
I'm just curious when you're saying you know you were young you were scoring all those goals and everything else what was the step up like playing against obviously premiership guys experienced strong was that obviously it wasn't a struggle for you but there must be some massive difference I know I don't know I don't it

303
00:10:47.013 --> 00:10:55.721
didn't really it didn't really stop me or affect me of course it gets better,

304
00:10:56.441 --> 00:10:57.762
the standard gets better.

305
00:10:58.270 --> 00:10:59.090
And I must admit,

306
00:10:59.110 --> 00:11:02.572
when I'm jogging onto the pitch to make my debut in the first team,

307
00:11:03.460 --> 00:11:05.821
and then you score a goal on your debut,

308
00:11:05.881 --> 00:11:07.442
the feeling of relief,

309
00:11:07.562 --> 00:11:08.663
thinking all that,

310
00:11:09.647 --> 00:11:14.585
all that expectation and belief that you've had for so long,

311
00:11:14.625 --> 00:11:15.945
I don't care what you've done,

312
00:11:16.225 --> 00:11:19.943
and I had a really good junior youth career,

313
00:11:20.655 --> 00:11:25.577
there's nothing quite like now playing in the seeing it against men and thinking,

314
00:11:26.554 --> 00:11:27.194
can I?

315
00:11:27.722 --> 00:11:28.342
do this.

316
00:11:28.602 --> 00:11:28.842
Yeah.

317
00:11:29.270 --> 00:11:30.511
You still have question marks.

318
00:11:30.591 --> 00:11:33.564
Can I translate all this potential?

319
00:11:34.624 --> 00:11:36.124
And obviously I scored within five,

320
00:11:36.184 --> 00:11:37.445
10 minutes of my debut.

321
00:11:37.465 --> 00:11:37.665
Yeah.

322
00:11:37.745 --> 00:11:42.026
So then all of that belief and confidence just comes flooding through thinking,

323
00:11:42.086 --> 00:11:42.286
yeah,

324
00:11:42.958 --> 00:11:44.639
17 years of practice,

325
00:11:44.959 --> 00:11:45.599
of work,

326
00:11:45.619 --> 00:11:46.239
of belief,

327
00:11:46.319 --> 00:11:48.284
of it is actually,

328
00:11:48.364 --> 00:11:49.164
it is going to happen.

329
00:11:49.384 --> 00:11:49.584
Yeah.

330
00:11:49.585 --> 00:11:50.204
I am good enough,

331
00:11:50.244 --> 00:11:50.484
you know,

332
00:11:50.724 --> 00:11:53.185
but you can't help but have that question.

333
00:11:53.225 --> 00:11:53.465
But no,

334
00:11:54.317 --> 00:11:54.777
I didn't,

335
00:11:55.277 --> 00:11:56.518
I didn't really.

336
00:11:57.670 --> 00:12:00.123
ever hit a level where I thought,

337
00:12:00.584 --> 00:12:01.124
oh no,

338
00:12:01.344 --> 00:12:05.074
this is now too difficult.

339
00:12:06.035 --> 00:12:09.049
It all pretty much went smoothly.

340
00:12:09.429 --> 00:12:12.130
The only time I've ever looked at somebody and thought,

341
00:12:12.511 --> 00:12:12.751
oh no,

342
00:12:13.611 --> 00:12:13.891
oh no,

343
00:12:14.852 --> 00:12:15.132
was

344
00:12:16.528 --> 00:12:19.210
I think when Thierry Henry came into the league.

345
00:12:19.970 --> 00:12:20.631
And I thought,

346
00:12:20.911 --> 00:12:21.652
when I saw him,

347
00:12:21.732 --> 00:12:22.152
I thought...

348
00:12:23.236 --> 00:12:24.357
Because with other strikers...

349
00:12:25.125 --> 00:12:25.846
Different profile.

350
00:12:26.150 --> 00:12:26.650
Exactly.

351
00:12:27.051 --> 00:12:29.372
Just too good at everything.

352
00:12:30.116 --> 00:12:31.137
We had great strikers,

353
00:12:31.157 --> 00:12:33.198
Van Nistelrooy and Shearer and Rooney.

354
00:12:33.418 --> 00:12:35.779
There's loads and loads of great strikers over the years.

355
00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:38.229
But I never thought intimidate.

356
00:12:38.230 --> 00:12:38.929
I never thought,

357
00:12:39.309 --> 00:12:40.090
oh my word,

358
00:12:40.110 --> 00:12:42.091
he is so much better than me.

359
00:12:42.271 --> 00:12:44.812
I always thought I could hold my own against anybody.

360
00:12:45.132 --> 00:12:47.294
I could win the golden boot and etc.

361
00:12:48.742 --> 00:12:49.903
But when I saw Thierry Henry,

362
00:12:49.983 --> 00:12:50.383
I thought,

363
00:12:50.863 --> 00:12:53.004
that's the last golden boot I'm ever going to win.

364
00:12:53.685 --> 00:12:54.225
I just didn't,

365
00:12:54.365 --> 00:12:55.666
I couldn't see how...

366
00:12:56.106 --> 00:12:57.087
He is just so much,

367
00:12:57.088 --> 00:12:58.608
he was another level.

368
00:12:58.609 --> 00:13:00.037
That's true.

369
00:13:00.038 --> 00:13:00.277
Yeah,

370
00:13:00.397 --> 00:13:01.158
and I just thought,

371
00:13:01.498 --> 00:13:03.920
and that was the only time really that I've sat back.

372
00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:05.441
And when I was growing up,

373
00:13:05.721 --> 00:13:07.542
when I was watching R9 on the television,

374
00:13:08.299 --> 00:13:08.899
and I thought,

375
00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:09.279
you know,

376
00:13:09.280 --> 00:13:10.220
I was playing for England,

377
00:13:10.420 --> 00:13:11.121
under 15s,

378
00:13:11.141 --> 00:13:11.421
under 16s,

379
00:13:11.721 --> 00:13:12.862
breaking every record.

380
00:13:13.322 --> 00:13:14.023
I was the new,

381
00:13:14.243 --> 00:13:14.483
you know,

382
00:13:14.503 --> 00:13:15.984
everybody knew I was going to make it.

383
00:13:16.856 --> 00:13:17.677
And I thought I was,

384
00:13:17.737 --> 00:13:18.958
and I was playing all these,

385
00:13:19.058 --> 00:13:20.799
I played Brazil and I played Germany.

386
00:13:20.839 --> 00:13:25.410
I played all these countries at international level and in my age group.

387
00:13:25.822 --> 00:13:26.262
And I was,

388
00:13:26.603 --> 00:13:26.863
you know,

389
00:13:27.323 --> 00:13:28.985
one of the best players.

390
00:13:29.985 --> 00:13:31.186
But when I watched the television,

391
00:13:31.206 --> 00:13:31.486
I thought,

392
00:13:31.787 --> 00:13:32.447
oh my word,

393
00:13:32.448 --> 00:13:33.848
if that's the level you need,

394
00:13:35.309 --> 00:13:37.231
this is going to be difficult to be a professional footballer.

395
00:13:37.391 --> 00:13:38.492
Because he was just...

396
00:13:38.792 --> 00:13:41.334
So they're the two players that made me sit back and think,

397
00:13:41.938 --> 00:13:42.058
oh,

398
00:13:42.554 --> 00:13:43.275
I don't like this.

399
00:13:44.496 --> 00:13:45.176
I don't like this.

400
00:13:45.177 --> 00:13:47.274
It's not a bad two to be up against.

401
00:13:48.415 --> 00:13:51.269
Who was the toughest defender you came up against when you went,

402
00:13:51.529 --> 00:13:52.794
I hate playing against that guy?

403
00:13:54.938 --> 00:13:55.258
Ah,

404
00:13:57.135 --> 00:14:00.157
it's amazing because I've just literally travelled back from the Far East.

405
00:14:00.177 --> 00:14:05.001
I got home last night and we were playing in an old Legends game and I was playing against Yap Stam.

406
00:14:05.481 --> 00:14:05.702
Ah.

407
00:14:06.354 --> 00:14:06.474
Now,

408
00:14:06.475 --> 00:14:07.195
he wasn't bad.

409
00:14:07.795 --> 00:14:12.510
He was fast and strong and read the game and he was very,

410
00:14:12.570 --> 00:14:13.011
very good.

411
00:14:13.031 --> 00:14:13.351
Aggressive.

412
00:14:13.751 --> 00:14:13.971
Oh,

413
00:14:14.392 --> 00:14:15.172
very aggressive.

414
00:14:15.333 --> 00:14:16.233
I always struggled.

415
00:14:16.234 --> 00:14:17.754
Do you know who I didn't like playing against?

416
00:14:17.774 --> 00:14:18.995
Was it Marcel Desailly?

417
00:14:19.356 --> 00:14:19.536
Oh.

418
00:14:20.976 --> 00:14:22.037
When he came to Chelsea.

419
00:14:22.217 --> 00:14:22.898
The problem is...

420
00:14:24.426 --> 00:14:29.804
You don't like playing against the good teams in many ways because you hardly get any chances anyway.

421
00:14:30.044 --> 00:14:30.204
Yeah.

422
00:14:30.384 --> 00:14:31.064
And then when you do,

423
00:14:31.144 --> 00:14:32.905
if you're playing against a great centre-half,

424
00:14:32.965 --> 00:14:34.205
which invariably you do,

425
00:14:34.445 --> 00:14:36.286
like playing against Arsenal,

426
00:14:36.902 --> 00:14:37.122
you know,

427
00:14:37.142 --> 00:14:38.102
against the Invincibles,

428
00:14:38.103 --> 00:14:39.042
they'd have 70%

429
00:14:39.043 --> 00:14:39.422
of the ball.

430
00:14:39.442 --> 00:14:40.763
So as soon as you get it,

431
00:14:40.823 --> 00:14:41.783
like for one minute,

432
00:14:41.784 --> 00:14:43.324
and then Sol Campbell's behind you,

433
00:14:43.325 --> 00:14:43.664
it's like,

434
00:14:44.460 --> 00:14:44.740
you know,

435
00:14:47.409 --> 00:14:47.989
John Terry,

436
00:14:48.069 --> 00:14:48.929
Rio Ferdinand.

437
00:14:49.641 --> 00:14:50.081
I mean,

438
00:14:51.030 --> 00:14:51.610
they were all so...

439
00:14:51.810 --> 00:14:52.250
poor y'all.

440
00:14:52.730 --> 00:14:55.034
I hated playing against Puyol at Barcelona because again,

441
00:14:55.455 --> 00:14:56.036
they'd have 80%

442
00:14:56.336 --> 00:14:56.977
of the possession.

443
00:14:57.158 --> 00:14:59.622
Were you in the team when we went to Barcelona?

444
00:14:59.991 --> 00:15:00.892
We drew 0-0.

445
00:15:00.893 --> 00:15:02.333
I don't think I touched the ball once.

446
00:15:02.613 --> 00:15:02.794
Yeah.

447
00:15:03.943 --> 00:15:07.898
And then we beat them 1-0 at Anfield and we went on to win the UEFA Cup,

448
00:15:07.918 --> 00:15:08.699
which was incredible.

449
00:15:08.779 --> 00:15:12.086
I always look back fondly at those years because football,

450
00:15:12.982 --> 00:15:14.203
it will always change.

451
00:15:14.664 --> 00:15:18.367
Life will always change in every single way and there's nothing bad about that.

452
00:15:18.447 --> 00:15:25.281
But the profile of players around then was what I believe football really was.

453
00:15:25.282 --> 00:15:25.521
You know,

454
00:15:25.541 --> 00:15:27.162
like some of the great players around.

455
00:15:27.383 --> 00:15:27.563
Wow.

456
00:15:28.259 --> 00:15:28.760
And now,

457
00:15:28.880 --> 00:15:29.200
obviously,

458
00:15:29.260 --> 00:15:31.722
we're in an era now where it's so scientific,

459
00:15:31.762 --> 00:15:31.882
so,

460
00:15:32.710 --> 00:15:32.930
you know,

461
00:15:33.411 --> 00:15:34.131
running-based,

462
00:15:34.251 --> 00:15:35.012
athletic.

463
00:15:35.760 --> 00:15:41.585
And you would never have got in the team just being a runner back in the day.

464
00:15:41.985 --> 00:15:42.786
But likewise,

465
00:15:42.826 --> 00:15:44.687
some of the great players back in our days,

466
00:15:45.387 --> 00:15:45.628
you know,

467
00:15:45.968 --> 00:15:46.088
well,

468
00:15:46.148 --> 00:15:47.885
those players play now.

469
00:15:47.905 --> 00:15:48.145
You know,

470
00:15:48.742 --> 00:15:49.803
the Cantona's,

471
00:15:49.804 --> 00:15:50.803
the Leticia's,

472
00:15:50.804 --> 00:15:53.225
the people that don't do the hard yards.

473
00:15:53.226 --> 00:15:53.445
Yeah.

474
00:15:53.726 --> 00:15:55.487
But had genius qualities.

475
00:15:56.199 --> 00:15:58.841
Bergkamp and Zollers and all those great players.

476
00:15:59.945 --> 00:16:00.365
They didn't...

477
00:16:00.425 --> 00:16:00.926
Schillingham.

478
00:16:01.226 --> 00:16:01.426
Yeah,

479
00:16:01.506 --> 00:16:03.747
but they wouldn't have the running stats nowadays.

480
00:16:03.748 --> 00:16:05.536
And I just...

481
00:16:05.556 --> 00:16:07.994
They were the people that you pay to go and watch.

482
00:16:08.014 --> 00:16:08.894
They were the genius,

483
00:16:09.114 --> 00:16:10.135
class players.

484
00:16:11.263 --> 00:16:12.404
France had loads of them.

485
00:16:13.412 --> 00:16:16.134
The Djorkaevs and the Dugarys around that time.

486
00:16:17.094 --> 00:16:17.275
Yeah,

487
00:16:17.915 --> 00:16:20.617
that was the generation that I thought football was for me.

488
00:16:20.917 --> 00:16:21.837
I might be biased.

489
00:16:21.838 --> 00:16:24.359
We might be biased because it was our generation.

490
00:16:25.095 --> 00:16:26.596
There were some unbelievable players.

491
00:16:27.184 --> 00:16:27.404
Aye.

492
00:16:28.260 --> 00:16:28.600
Anyway,

493
00:16:28.601 --> 00:16:32.822
I want to talk to you about that Argentina goal in France 98.

494
00:16:34.383 --> 00:16:35.323
Was that the moment,

495
00:16:35.363 --> 00:16:36.684
because obviously you were playing for Liverpool,

496
00:16:36.704 --> 00:16:37.524
you were doing really well,

497
00:16:37.564 --> 00:16:44.739
but was that the moment where things just went up to another level in terms of fame and getting hassled in the street and everything else?

498
00:16:44.740 --> 00:16:44.899
Yeah,

499
00:16:45.219 --> 00:16:45.779
absolutely.

500
00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:49.381
I was waiting to hear how you finished the question then,

501
00:16:49.401 --> 00:16:52.774
because certainly not in terms of performance.

502
00:16:52.874 --> 00:16:53.274
And I mean,

503
00:16:53.275 --> 00:16:54.015
that was just as...

504
00:16:55.299 --> 00:17:00.483
not a standard but that's what I did around that time it wasn't a goal that you think oh my word Michael Owen scored

505
00:17:01.024 --> 00:17:11.307
I just won the golden boot in my first year in the Premier League so I was scoring plenty of goals and scoring goals for England so that was the type of thing I could do back then

506
00:17:11.747 --> 00:17:20.441
I couldn't have done it when I was 27 or 28 I physically couldn't have done that but obviously at that time I could do it but yeah that changed my life off the pitch

507
00:17:20.821 --> 00:17:22.943
I mean yeah yeah the in.

508
00:17:24.523 --> 00:17:25.444
everything about it,

509
00:17:25.445 --> 00:17:25.684
you know,

510
00:17:27.292 --> 00:17:27.853
around the world.

511
00:17:27.893 --> 00:17:28.093
I mean,

512
00:17:28.133 --> 00:17:29.394
obviously in the Premier League,

513
00:17:29.774 --> 00:17:31.295
the league was a big league in

514
00:17:31.935 --> 00:17:39.155
98, but that opened it up to people knowing you all around the world.

515
00:17:39.375 --> 00:17:40.736
Is there any nerves at the World Cup?

516
00:17:40.796 --> 00:17:42.096
I know you said you'd never have a ball,

517
00:17:42.097 --> 00:17:43.557
but even going to the World Cup?

518
00:17:45.278 --> 00:17:45.438
Yeah,

519
00:17:46.379 --> 00:17:46.779
you're on edge,

520
00:17:46.780 --> 00:17:48.468
but you're wanting to do it.

521
00:17:48.469 --> 00:17:50.549
You can't wait to get at them,

522
00:17:51.190 --> 00:17:52.330
to get on that pitch.

523
00:17:53.199 --> 00:18:15.881
and go and do your stuff so it's more of an anticipation a few nerves yeah yeah because you know how big the game is um but at the time and that was to my advantage i think being young you have no scars yeah you've hardly had any you know failures in your life um you You believe you're Superman.

524
00:18:16.301 --> 00:18:17.018
Yeah.

525
00:18:17.019 --> 00:18:17.458
And,

526
00:18:18.070 --> 00:18:18.310
you know,

527
00:18:18.450 --> 00:18:18.891
and that's the...

528
00:18:19.011 --> 00:18:20.392
that's the beauty of being young.

529
00:18:20.393 --> 00:18:20.772
Of course,

530
00:18:20.832 --> 00:18:21.413
being older,

531
00:18:21.453 --> 00:18:22.694
you have the experience,

532
00:18:22.734 --> 00:18:25.576
but also a little bit of fear creeps in and a little bit of,

533
00:18:26.140 --> 00:18:26.380
you know,

534
00:18:26.540 --> 00:18:28.402
you look at who you're playing against and say,

535
00:18:28.702 --> 00:18:29.663
I didn't care.

536
00:18:30.143 --> 00:18:30.663
I didn't even,

537
00:18:31.748 --> 00:18:31.988
you know.

538
00:18:32.048 --> 00:18:36.387
So I think being young was a huge advantage,

539
00:18:36.987 --> 00:18:37.488
if anything.

540
00:18:37.568 --> 00:18:38.528
People look at you and say,

541
00:18:39.185 --> 00:18:39.525
18,

542
00:18:39.565 --> 00:18:40.145
how did you do that?

543
00:18:40.185 --> 00:18:41.206
Surely you're a disadvantage.

544
00:18:41.707 --> 00:18:42.847
I think it's an advantage.

545
00:18:42.848 --> 00:18:45.029
If you've got the capability and the mindset to do it,

546
00:18:45.857 --> 00:18:46.598
I think it just,

547
00:18:46.658 --> 00:18:47.799
you're so free and so...

548
00:18:48.547 --> 00:19:17.311
carefree yeah you don't you you just think as i say you think you're superman that's a very unique thing to have though i think if someone threw me into a world cup at 18 i would shit the bed and literally but you wouldn't if you were if i was that good probably exactly exactly if someone if someone asked you to interview the most famous person in the world now i don't think you would shit the bed i think you know because you've done it and you're capable of doing it and you can hold the conversation you wouldn't yeah whereas a lot of people would because they can't do that so

549
00:19:17.659 --> 00:19:20.408
It just depends what you're trained at,

550
00:19:20.488 --> 00:19:21.888
what you're talented at.

551
00:19:22.524 --> 00:19:24.225
So if you can do it,

552
00:19:24.385 --> 00:19:25.685
you're not nervous about doing it.

553
00:19:25.686 --> 00:19:27.986
It goes back to what we said before about the pressure of doing it.

554
00:19:29.362 --> 00:19:30.583
People only think that

555
00:19:31.543 --> 00:19:39.001
I should have been nervous and they can't believe that I could have done it because they aren't a talented footballer themselves,

556
00:19:39.002 --> 00:19:40.321
but they're talented in another way.

557
00:19:40.341 --> 00:19:43.242
And I sort of marvel at other people thinking,

558
00:19:43.770 --> 00:19:45.931
how do you do that under so much pressure?

559
00:19:46.071 --> 00:19:47.291
That's just incredible.

560
00:19:48.111 --> 00:19:51.218
But it's only the same thing in a different life.

561
00:19:52.003 --> 00:19:52.123
So

562
00:19:52.524 --> 00:19:55.129
I'm curious to know how life changed for you after that World Cup.

563
00:19:55.169 --> 00:19:57.534
Did you have to move away to a...

564
00:19:58.726 --> 00:19:59.206
quieter area?

565
00:19:59.247 --> 00:20:03.334
Did you have to have security people kicking around with you at that point?

566
00:20:03.335 --> 00:20:06.881
Because surely fans and everything would have been pissed at you.

567
00:20:06.882 --> 00:20:07.041
Yeah.

568
00:20:07.141 --> 00:20:09.130
You were the poster boy of football,

569
00:20:09.190 --> 00:20:09.391
really.

570
00:20:10.011 --> 00:20:10.171
Yeah.

571
00:20:10.652 --> 00:20:10.952
I mean,

572
00:20:11.752 --> 00:20:13.234
I guess having a steady,

573
00:20:13.374 --> 00:20:19.479
strong family around you and growing up with that supportive family helps with your character.

574
00:20:20.511 --> 00:20:21.392
I always think,

575
00:20:21.873 --> 00:20:23.074
when I get asked this question,

576
00:20:23.174 --> 00:20:23.794
I always try,

577
00:20:24.094 --> 00:20:25.015
or I don't try,

578
00:20:25.035 --> 00:20:26.617
I always flip it on its head and say,

579
00:20:27.017 --> 00:20:27.918
people think...

580
00:20:28.582 --> 00:20:31.523
when somebody becomes famous or has a bit of success,

581
00:20:31.983 --> 00:20:33.728
people always think,

582
00:20:34.068 --> 00:20:35.308
how did it change you?

583
00:20:36.608 --> 00:20:38.269
But I would turn it around and say,

584
00:20:38.969 --> 00:20:40.209
it changes other people,

585
00:20:41.646 --> 00:20:46.247
their attitude towards you more than the other way around in many cases.

586
00:20:47.163 --> 00:20:47.703
Friends,

587
00:20:48.219 --> 00:20:49.140
family members,

588
00:20:49.360 --> 00:20:50.040
they all of a sudden,

589
00:20:50.080 --> 00:20:52.325
I came back from the World Cup,

590
00:20:52.326 --> 00:20:53.665
I hadn't scored a goal and they're like,

591
00:20:54.829 --> 00:20:56.502
oh my God,

592
00:20:56.503 --> 00:20:57.202
you're like the world.

593
00:20:57.642 --> 00:20:57.762
No,

594
00:20:57.763 --> 00:20:58.082
I'm...

595
00:20:58.438 --> 00:20:58.898
I'm your brother.

596
00:20:59.158 --> 00:20:59.719
Yeah.

597
00:20:59.720 --> 00:21:00.099
I'm your son.

598
00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:01.359
I'm your cousin.

599
00:21:01.780 --> 00:21:02.420
I'm your best friend.

600
00:21:02.520 --> 00:21:03.100
Always have been,

601
00:21:03.120 --> 00:21:03.640
always will be.

602
00:21:03.660 --> 00:21:05.261
I'm not a different person.

603
00:21:05.301 --> 00:21:06.682
I've just done something pretty cool.

604
00:21:06.722 --> 00:21:07.202
Yeah.

605
00:21:07.222 --> 00:21:08.483
But that's all it is.

606
00:21:09.555 --> 00:21:12.376
It's everybody's reaction to you that changes.

607
00:21:12.456 --> 00:21:12.576
Yeah.

608
00:21:12.577 --> 00:21:13.437
It's not necessary.

609
00:21:13.517 --> 00:21:13.837
I didn't,

610
00:21:14.197 --> 00:21:15.057
having scored a goal,

611
00:21:15.097 --> 00:21:18.899
I don't come back now thinking I'm six foot tall and I can talk down to people and I can,

612
00:21:19.319 --> 00:21:19.579
you know,

613
00:21:20.116 --> 00:21:20.656
do you know what I mean?

614
00:21:20.657 --> 00:21:22.357
I lose my manners all of a sudden.

615
00:21:22.737 --> 00:21:23.641
Yeah.

616
00:21:24.257 --> 00:21:25.298
What changes about me?

617
00:21:25.774 --> 00:21:42.720
yeah like what changed about i don't think anything um it's people's reaction and that some people are so you know oh wow that that's that's unbelievable what's just happened like and they they don't treat you like they not used to treat you just like talk to you like you i'm

618
00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:53.434
just still a normal person i mean it's not like i'm an alien that's just come i've just done my job and come home so but yes it did change um little things

619
00:21:54.062 --> 00:21:55.944
My routine changed a little bit.

620
00:21:58.777 --> 00:21:59.158
My mum,

621
00:21:59.698 --> 00:22:00.179
God love her,

622
00:22:00.199 --> 00:22:00.319
she...

623
00:22:02.343 --> 00:22:02.524
Like,

624
00:22:03.376 --> 00:22:03.937
fan mail,

625
00:22:04.413 --> 00:22:05.054
for example.

626
00:22:05.782 --> 00:22:08.673
We used to get sort of four big sacks,

627
00:22:08.853 --> 00:22:10.314
on average about four a day.

628
00:22:11.371 --> 00:22:15.363
So you would have like thousands and thousands and thousands of letters.

629
00:22:15.403 --> 00:22:20.520
But my mum obviously was very new to all this and I didn't really have a...

630
00:22:20.700 --> 00:22:21.401
I had an agent,

631
00:22:21.421 --> 00:22:21.921
but we were...

632
00:22:23.506 --> 00:22:24.246
But my mum was like,

633
00:22:24.666 --> 00:22:25.847
you can't ignore the fans.

634
00:22:26.027 --> 00:22:26.307
You know,

635
00:22:26.347 --> 00:22:26.767
you can't.

636
00:22:27.107 --> 00:22:28.728
Don't you be getting too big for your boots.

637
00:22:28.748 --> 00:22:29.548
You can't ignore the fans.

638
00:22:29.788 --> 00:22:33.405
So I'd be getting home at one o'clock from training and I'd be sitting.

639
00:22:33.425 --> 00:22:35.573
My mum all morning had been,

640
00:22:36.430 --> 00:22:36.930
you know,

641
00:22:37.010 --> 00:22:37.790
laying it all out,

642
00:22:37.810 --> 00:22:38.710
getting the envelopes,

643
00:22:39.050 --> 00:22:39.591
stamps,

644
00:22:39.631 --> 00:22:39.751
and,

645
00:22:40.051 --> 00:22:40.291
you know,

646
00:22:40.311 --> 00:22:40.671
all on the...

647
00:22:40.871 --> 00:22:41.531
So everything,

648
00:22:41.532 --> 00:22:43.900
I'd come home and the house was covered in letters.

649
00:22:43.901 --> 00:22:44.580
I'd be signing,

650
00:22:44.600 --> 00:22:45.280
signing.

651
00:22:45.300 --> 00:22:45.460
Right,

652
00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:45.800
this one,

653
00:22:45.801 --> 00:22:46.400
you've got to do this.

654
00:22:46.401 --> 00:22:46.781
And that one,

655
00:22:46.801 --> 00:22:47.341
you've got to do that.

656
00:22:47.381 --> 00:22:49.281
And this is an inquiry from a sponsor.

657
00:22:49.282 --> 00:22:49.641
And this is...

658
00:22:50.585 --> 00:22:51.666
And honestly...

659
00:22:52.106 --> 00:22:53.367
I'd be getting to bed at

660
00:22:53.931 --> 00:22:55.151
10, 11 o'clock at night,

661
00:22:55.152 --> 00:22:56.912
having just signed and signed and signed.

662
00:22:57.468 --> 00:22:59.429
And after doing it for weeks and weeks and weeks,

663
00:22:59.430 --> 00:22:59.969
it was just like,

664
00:23:00.009 --> 00:23:01.290
this cannot continue.

665
00:23:01.291 --> 00:23:02.811
We can't live our life like this.

666
00:23:03.011 --> 00:23:05.372
If I spend one day that I'm not at home,

667
00:23:06.416 --> 00:23:07.196
the backlog,

668
00:23:07.801 --> 00:23:09.521
I'd be going into the early hours of the morning.

669
00:23:09.961 --> 00:23:11.382
So little things like that,

670
00:23:11.402 --> 00:23:12.363
that people don't even...

671
00:23:13.147 --> 00:23:14.767
But that's a massive change in my life.

672
00:23:15.128 --> 00:23:17.429
And that then affects the way I prepare for the next game,

673
00:23:17.469 --> 00:23:17.589
etc.

674
00:23:18.421 --> 00:23:19.662
So we had to bring in...

675
00:23:21.658 --> 00:23:23.099
My agent had to get more involved.

676
00:23:23.139 --> 00:23:24.941
We employed somebody to actually,

677
00:23:25.777 --> 00:23:26.798
on a full-time basis,

678
00:23:26.858 --> 00:23:27.418
sort out,

679
00:23:27.778 --> 00:23:28.019
you know,

680
00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:29.640
these are all inquiries for sponsors.

681
00:23:29.660 --> 00:23:30.981
These are all charity inquiries.

682
00:23:31.001 --> 00:23:32.562
These are all autographs.

683
00:23:32.622 --> 00:23:32.762
Now,

684
00:23:33.363 --> 00:23:37.726
Michael can't physically sign all the autographs at thousands and thousands every day.

685
00:23:37.966 --> 00:23:38.106
Yeah.

686
00:23:38.166 --> 00:23:39.687
So we created sort of a,

687
00:23:40.108 --> 00:23:40.368
you know,

688
00:23:40.768 --> 00:23:42.925
a bit of a photo,

689
00:23:43.245 --> 00:23:43.486
you know,

690
00:23:43.926 --> 00:23:45.647
with a printed signature on with,

691
00:23:45.907 --> 00:23:46.148
you know,

692
00:23:46.168 --> 00:23:47.849
with a thank you for your blowout.

693
00:23:47.949 --> 00:23:48.189
Anyway,

694
00:23:48.489 --> 00:23:48.609
so...

695
00:23:49.470 --> 00:23:50.710
We had to change different bits,

696
00:23:50.830 --> 00:23:52.671
but little things like that changed.

697
00:23:52.672 --> 00:23:52.931
You know,

698
00:23:52.991 --> 00:23:54.512
going in and getting recognised and,

699
00:23:55.036 --> 00:23:55.276
you know,

700
00:23:55.296 --> 00:23:57.576
I can't even play golf with my dad anymore without five,

701
00:23:57.596 --> 00:23:57.777
six,

702
00:23:57.857 --> 00:23:58.077
seven,

703
00:23:58.097 --> 00:23:59.957
eight paparazzi or rustling in the bush,

704
00:24:00.937 --> 00:24:02.498
taking pictures of you on every hole.

705
00:24:02.518 --> 00:24:03.258
And it's just like,

706
00:24:03.298 --> 00:24:03.418
oh,

707
00:24:03.478 --> 00:24:03.838
come on.

708
00:24:04.699 --> 00:24:07.559
Now that fades over a little bit of time,

709
00:24:07.579 --> 00:24:08.159
which is cool.

710
00:24:08.219 --> 00:24:10.220
But it was definitely a change,

711
00:24:10.260 --> 00:24:11.520
especially only being 18.

712
00:24:12.173 --> 00:24:12.413
You know,

713
00:24:12.414 --> 00:24:15.334
you couldn't go to the newsagents without people taking photos,

714
00:24:15.374 --> 00:24:16.254
being all over the papers,

715
00:24:16.314 --> 00:24:16.774
Michael Owen.

716
00:24:16.974 --> 00:24:40.946
came out and he bought oh wow he bought a dairy milk bar of chocolate like in the newspaper why are you following me you know it's just anyway that was just the life at the time but uh it was it was definitely it definitely changed yeah no and uh i was i've just always curious to hear how you would have to adapt to things like doing that family or anything that must be yeah little things that people probably don't

717
00:24:40.986 --> 00:24:42.806
even realize actually um

718
00:24:43.210 --> 00:24:43.450
You know,

719
00:24:43.470 --> 00:24:45.412
people obviously assume that you go to training,

720
00:24:45.432 --> 00:24:46.333
you eat the right food,

721
00:24:46.334 --> 00:24:47.093
you have a sleep,

722
00:24:47.134 --> 00:24:47.674
you do this,

723
00:24:47.675 --> 00:24:48.094
you do that,

724
00:24:48.095 --> 00:24:49.095
you live like a professional.

725
00:24:49.712 --> 00:24:51.849
But people don't sort of,

726
00:24:52.869 --> 00:24:53.109
you know,

727
00:24:54.230 --> 00:24:57.020
allow for things like fan mail,

728
00:24:57.100 --> 00:24:58.722
things like sponsorships.

729
00:24:59.265 --> 00:24:59.445
you know,

730
00:24:59.726 --> 00:25:00.646
filming adverts.

731
00:25:00.747 --> 00:25:01.007
God,

732
00:25:01.948 --> 00:25:02.809
after the World Cup,

733
00:25:02.869 --> 00:25:04.370
I was doing Walker's Crisps.

734
00:25:04.371 --> 00:25:05.731
I was doing Umbro Boots.

735
00:25:05.751 --> 00:25:06.933
I was doing a calendar shoot.

736
00:25:06.973 --> 00:25:07.473
I was doing,

737
00:25:08.197 --> 00:25:08.618
I think it was

738
00:25:08.998 --> 00:25:09.579
Purcell.

739
00:25:10.560 --> 00:25:11.040
I was doing,

740
00:25:11.300 --> 00:25:12.381
I had a watch company.

741
00:25:12.382 --> 00:25:14.884
I had a Jaguar car deal.

742
00:25:14.944 --> 00:25:21.994
I had dozens and dozens and dozens of different sponsorships that all want their two,

743
00:25:22.074 --> 00:25:22.295
three,

744
00:25:22.375 --> 00:25:23.756
four days a year.

745
00:25:24.377 --> 00:25:24.637
When you...

746
00:25:25.613 --> 00:25:42.377
bring it all together and all your training and all your traveling and all your games and all your this and that and the other you get a spare day and well you don't get a spare day with all this do you have this conversation with the boss when you're you're no try to hide it from the boss in a way because if he knew if

747
00:25:42.417 --> 00:25:49.398
i was playing on a saturday and he knew i was doing a five hour photo shoot or advert on a thursday he probably wouldn't have been happy

748
00:25:50.355 --> 00:25:51.696
So I would never do on a Friday,

749
00:25:51.697 --> 00:25:51.896
you know,

750
00:25:51.897 --> 00:25:52.957
the day before a game.

751
00:25:53.465 --> 00:26:21.221
we didn't have enough days in the week to manage the expectation or manage that you know what was being thrown upon me at the time so um because the boss was very much the case of you know relaxing family you know don't be doing this don't be you know but obviously my agent is like no no we need to do this we need to do this so it was it was quite difficult so um so no i didn't

752
00:26:21.485 --> 00:26:22.545
I didn't mention it too much,

753
00:26:22.546 --> 00:26:23.326
just kept it quiet,

754
00:26:23.466 --> 00:26:23.846
secret.

755
00:26:26.290 --> 00:26:28.051
What move on to the Ballon d'Or,

756
00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:32.380
winning that in 2001?

757
00:26:32.381 --> 00:26:32.480
Yeah.

758
00:26:32.481 --> 00:26:32.600
Yeah,

759
00:26:32.740 --> 00:26:34.161
2001

760
00:26:34.689 --> 00:26:37.005
Ballon d'Or.

761
00:26:37.006 --> 00:26:41.406
When did you start to get a feeling you were in with a chance of being up there?

762
00:26:41.426 --> 00:26:45.451
That is just something that kids dream of,

763
00:26:45.452 --> 00:26:45.872
that stuff.

764
00:26:46.776 --> 00:26:46.976
Well,

765
00:26:47.856 --> 00:26:48.516
I'm going to tell you,

766
00:26:48.556 --> 00:26:50.017
Gregory will probably fall off his chair,

767
00:26:50.397 --> 00:26:50.537
but...

768
00:26:51.165 --> 00:26:52.766
I didn't know what the Ballon d'Or was.

769
00:26:53.959 --> 00:26:54.379
And

770
00:26:55.455 --> 00:26:56.876
I knew that there was an award.

771
00:26:57.576 --> 00:27:04.404
I knew there was an award to vote for and to crown the best player in the world that year.

772
00:27:04.804 --> 00:27:06.165
I knew there was one out there,

773
00:27:06.185 --> 00:27:07.566
but I didn't know what it was called.

774
00:27:07.886 --> 00:27:08.546
Bear in mind,

775
00:27:09.111 --> 00:27:09.371
Gregory,

776
00:27:10.159 --> 00:27:11.400
no English player used to win it.

777
00:27:11.944 --> 00:27:12.284
We had

778
00:27:13.341 --> 00:27:14.101
Kevin Keegan,

779
00:27:14.261 --> 00:27:15.362
Sir Stanley Matthews,

780
00:27:15.442 --> 00:27:16.503
Sir Bobby Charlton.

781
00:27:17.383 --> 00:27:17.683
Sadly,

782
00:27:17.763 --> 00:27:19.004
all three of them have passed away,

783
00:27:19.044 --> 00:27:19.685
but we hadn't.

784
00:27:20.237 --> 00:27:23.740
had an English player since 1979,

785
00:27:23.741 --> 00:27:23.1000
I think.

786
00:27:24.081 --> 00:27:24.861
Was it Keegan,

787
00:27:24.941 --> 00:27:26.122
79?

788
00:27:26.142 --> 00:27:26.423
Yeah.

789
00:27:26.623 --> 00:27:27.423
He won it twice.

790
00:27:27.443 --> 00:27:28.524
Was it 78 and 79?

791
00:27:28.525 --> 00:27:28.845
It might be.

792
00:27:29.045 --> 00:27:29.325
Anyway,

793
00:27:32.038 --> 00:27:35.401
it just wasn't in our newspapers and social media wasn't there at the time.

794
00:27:35.838 --> 00:27:39.081
So we just didn't promote it because nobody ever won it.

795
00:27:39.589 --> 00:27:43.192
And it was always a Spanish player or a French player or

796
00:27:44.056 --> 00:27:45.338
Portuguese or whoever it was.

797
00:27:46.098 --> 00:27:49.189
And so I had never been told about it.

798
00:27:49.705 --> 00:27:52.399
And I remember playing Roma in the

799
00:27:53.419 --> 00:27:55.909
UEFA Cup and Phil Thompson,

800
00:27:55.910 --> 00:27:57.329
we were never allowed our phones,

801
00:27:57.369 --> 00:27:57.630
were we?

802
00:27:57.970 --> 00:28:00.031
Like phone ban all the time.

803
00:28:00.032 --> 00:28:02.312
Gerard Houllier hated us on phones.

804
00:28:03.277 --> 00:28:03.557
Anyway,

805
00:28:03.617 --> 00:28:05.558
Phil Thompson went like this,

806
00:28:05.918 --> 00:28:07.799
literally 45 minutes before kickoff.

807
00:28:08.340 --> 00:28:08.640
I'm like,

808
00:28:09.264 --> 00:28:09.845
what's he want?

809
00:28:10.205 --> 00:28:11.205
He's already picked the team.

810
00:28:11.206 --> 00:28:12.746
He can't sort of change the team now.

811
00:28:13.355 --> 00:28:13.635
He said,

812
00:28:13.636 --> 00:28:16.857
I've got the boss on the phone because Gerard had just had the heart problem.

813
00:28:17.369 --> 00:28:18.430
So he was lying in hospital,

814
00:28:18.431 --> 00:28:19.771
but he wanted to tell me.

815
00:28:20.331 --> 00:28:20.891
So he said,

816
00:28:21.291 --> 00:28:22.652
get out into the corridor.

817
00:28:23.033 --> 00:28:24.153
The boss wants to speak to you.

818
00:28:24.154 --> 00:28:24.573
And I thought,

819
00:28:24.593 --> 00:28:26.114
is he going to give me a team talk?

820
00:28:26.174 --> 00:28:27.715
Or what's happening here?

821
00:28:28.436 --> 00:28:28.916
And he said,

822
00:28:28.917 --> 00:28:29.156
he said,

823
00:28:29.176 --> 00:28:29.436
Michael,

824
00:28:29.696 --> 00:28:30.997
I want to tell you before you play.

825
00:28:31.017 --> 00:28:32.558
I want to give you a boost.

826
00:28:33.379 --> 00:28:34.459
You mustn't tell anybody.

827
00:28:34.499 --> 00:28:36.120
This is a secret for the next two weeks.

828
00:28:36.180 --> 00:28:37.241
It's not been announced yet,

829
00:28:37.881 --> 00:28:38.942
but you've won the Ballon d'Or.

830
00:28:40.318 --> 00:28:40.678
And I said,

831
00:28:41.331 --> 00:28:41.551
boss,

832
00:28:41.631 --> 00:28:42.091
what's that?

833
00:28:43.307 --> 00:28:43.568
He said,

834
00:28:44.784 --> 00:28:45.565
it's the Ballon d'Or.

835
00:28:45.605 --> 00:28:45.865
It's the...

836
00:28:46.185 --> 00:28:47.646
it's the vote for the best player in the block.

837
00:28:47.666 --> 00:28:48.607
And he started explaining it.

838
00:28:48.608 --> 00:28:48.887
I was like,

839
00:28:48.947 --> 00:28:49.567
oh my word,

840
00:28:49.587 --> 00:28:50.808
that's unbelievable.

841
00:28:50.968 --> 00:28:52.069
And I was thrilled.

842
00:28:52.509 --> 00:28:53.149
Don't get me wrong,

843
00:28:53.209 --> 00:28:54.150
I was so happy.

844
00:28:55.635 --> 00:28:56.936
But when he first said it to me,

845
00:28:57.296 --> 00:28:57.736
I was like,

846
00:28:58.132 --> 00:28:58.853
don't know what that is.

847
00:29:00.197 --> 00:29:01.098
And so,

848
00:29:01.198 --> 00:29:01.358
yeah,

849
00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:03.399
so I can't say that leading up to it,

850
00:29:04.136 --> 00:29:07.366
I was thinking anything other than just,

851
00:29:07.546 --> 00:29:07.786
you know,

852
00:29:07.846 --> 00:29:09.407
playing for Liverpool and whatever,

853
00:29:09.408 --> 00:29:09.607
you know,

854
00:29:09.608 --> 00:29:12.689
there was no campaign to get the votes in or...

855
00:29:13.069 --> 00:29:13.530
Like now,

856
00:29:13.531 --> 00:29:13.750
you know,

857
00:29:13.770 --> 00:29:14.270
everybody's,

858
00:29:14.430 --> 00:29:15.832
Yamal is texting and saying,

859
00:29:15.852 --> 00:29:15.972
oh,

860
00:29:16.072 --> 00:29:17.193
I deserve to win it because of this.

861
00:29:17.194 --> 00:29:19.703
And then Bafe saying I should win it because of this.

862
00:29:19.704 --> 00:29:19.903
You know,

863
00:29:19.904 --> 00:29:20.683
there was no campaign.

864
00:29:20.703 --> 00:29:21.184
It was just,

865
00:29:21.644 --> 00:29:22.625
I only just found out then.

866
00:29:22.925 --> 00:29:24.227
When I knew he won the Ballon d'Or,

867
00:29:24.567 --> 00:29:25.288
it was amazing.

868
00:29:26.436 --> 00:29:26.557
Yeah.

869
00:29:26.577 --> 00:29:27.337
He didn't realize.

870
00:29:27.858 --> 00:29:27.978
No,

871
00:29:28.138 --> 00:29:30.040
and the crazy thing is,

872
00:29:30.748 --> 00:29:32.149
on the continent back in the day,

873
00:29:32.150 --> 00:29:33.571
when I went to Real Madrid,

874
00:29:34.311 --> 00:29:35.752
it's the only thing they were saying,

875
00:29:35.792 --> 00:29:36.113
Michael,

876
00:29:36.114 --> 00:29:37.034
I win the Ballon d'Or.

877
00:29:37.474 --> 00:29:38.535
Every time they say my name,

878
00:29:38.815 --> 00:29:39.776
it follows with Ballon d'Or.

879
00:29:39.996 --> 00:29:40.757
It's such a...

880
00:29:41.609 --> 00:29:42.830
It's such a thing.

881
00:29:43.394 --> 00:29:44.155
And it's such a thing,

882
00:29:44.195 --> 00:29:44.736
don't get me wrong,

883
00:29:44.756 --> 00:29:45.496
in the UK now.

884
00:29:45.536 --> 00:29:47.017
Now people know about it.

885
00:29:47.018 --> 00:29:47.458
And obviously,

886
00:29:47.518 --> 00:29:51.261
we've got maybe a chance this year with the likes of Harry Kane.

887
00:29:51.961 --> 00:29:53.322
But now everybody knows about it.

888
00:29:53.323 --> 00:29:55.444
And social media does a great job as well.

889
00:29:56.100 --> 00:29:56.841
But at the time...

890
00:29:58.617 --> 00:29:59.577
Until that phone call,

891
00:29:59.617 --> 00:30:00.477
I didn't know what it was.

892
00:30:00.998 --> 00:30:02.879
Who were you up against for that year?

893
00:30:04.239 --> 00:30:05.600
Second was Raul.

894
00:30:07.328 --> 00:30:08.549
Oliver Kahn was up there.

895
00:30:08.569 --> 00:30:09.089
But of course,

896
00:30:09.349 --> 00:30:10.090
Henri's and

897
00:30:10.930 --> 00:30:11.850
Zidane's were in the...

898
00:30:15.292 --> 00:30:16.992
It was not a World Cup year.

899
00:30:17.513 --> 00:30:18.653
It was 2001,

900
00:30:18.654 --> 00:30:21.110
so it was obviously an in-between year.

901
00:30:22.231 --> 00:30:23.071
We had won all those.

902
00:30:23.111 --> 00:30:24.852
We had won five trophies in one year.

903
00:30:25.940 --> 00:30:27.701
England had had a really good season,

904
00:30:28.261 --> 00:30:30.622
probably highlighted by the Germany 5-1.

905
00:30:31.042 --> 00:30:32.519
So yeah,

906
00:30:32.699 --> 00:30:34.700
it was obviously a really good generation.

907
00:30:34.740 --> 00:30:39.442
I mean all the great French players at the time that had just won the World Cup in 98.

908
00:30:40.730 --> 00:30:41.610
And then you had some,

909
00:30:42.063 --> 00:30:42.363
you know,

910
00:30:42.723 --> 00:30:46.284
R9 was around and you had your Del Pierros and your Totties and

911
00:30:46.644 --> 00:30:47.505
Shevchenkos and

912
00:30:48.165 --> 00:30:55.384
Batastutas, all those great players at the the time so yeah it was a it was a great era of football in fact I came fourth in it

913
00:30:55.608 --> 00:30:57.630
in 1998 and I didn't even know.

914
00:30:58.322 --> 00:31:00.524
But when I looked at the lists after I'd won it,

915
00:31:00.525 --> 00:31:00.784
I thought,

916
00:31:00.785 --> 00:31:01.224
oh my word,

917
00:31:01.244 --> 00:31:02.605
I came fourth in 98.

918
00:31:03.946 --> 00:31:07.068
But I think that when you look at the players,

919
00:31:07.069 --> 00:31:09.630
and I've looked at all the lists of over the generations,

920
00:31:09.650 --> 00:31:11.991
when you look at the players that were in the top 20,

921
00:31:11.992 --> 00:31:12.572
98,

922
00:31:12.612 --> 00:31:16.442
99,

923
00:31:16.443 --> 00:31:16.822
oh my word,

924
00:31:16.842 --> 00:31:17.963
you've never seen anything like it.

925
00:31:18.503 --> 00:31:19.764
You've never seen anything like it.

926
00:31:20.125 --> 00:31:21.826
It's unbelievable,

927
00:31:22.186 --> 00:31:23.167
the players around them.

928
00:31:23.168 --> 00:31:24.468
Gerard Houllier was...

929
00:31:25.340 --> 00:31:26.481
so proud.

930
00:31:27.222 --> 00:31:27.422
Like,

931
00:31:27.462 --> 00:31:28.302
I couldn't believe,

932
00:31:28.342 --> 00:31:28.863
I was thinking,

933
00:31:29.851 --> 00:31:30.171
he was,

934
00:31:30.351 --> 00:31:34.374
he was almost like emotional that one of his players had won the Ballon.

935
00:31:34.614 --> 00:31:35.055
It,

936
00:31:35.395 --> 00:31:36.055
and obviously it's,

937
00:31:36.396 --> 00:31:36.616
you know,

938
00:31:36.617 --> 00:31:38.437
it's a French award back in the day,

939
00:31:38.438 --> 00:31:38.697
you know,

940
00:31:38.917 --> 00:31:39.598
and all the rest of it.

941
00:31:40.226 --> 00:31:46.807
And I guess that he's been part of that federation and obviously part of French football for so many years.

942
00:31:47.387 --> 00:31:52.090
It meant so much to him and his family and the way his family came in to,

943
00:31:52.290 --> 00:31:53.211
to see my family,

944
00:31:53.212 --> 00:31:53.451
you know,

945
00:31:53.471 --> 00:31:53.811
after the,

946
00:31:54.052 --> 00:31:54.172
the,

947
00:31:54.688 --> 00:32:13.000
after I had won it at Anfield in the players lounge and the emotion from him and I couldn't I couldn't believe it but it's when Gregory says things like that now it it sort of resonates yeah and to this day I mean it actually means more to me every day that goes past yeah you know

948
00:32:13.780 --> 00:32:19.786
Greg's right when I when I won when I won it there's that much in your career you know three days

949
00:32:20.186 --> 00:32:24.224
I lifted up the trophy at Anfield but I'm about to play Derby County in the league

950
00:32:24.920 --> 00:32:44.149
you know I'm like got to score got to win forget that trophy I'll look at that after and then you get off the you know and you take it home and you put it in your cabinet but then two days later you're playing against somebody else and football is like that it's just every other day you know and if I don't score the next week it's like oh Michael Owen how did he

951
00:32:44.229 --> 00:32:51.412
win the Ballon d'Or so you're constantly your mind is the next thing so it's better for me nowadays

952
00:32:52.144 --> 00:32:53.685
I'm not competing against anybody.

953
00:32:53.805 --> 00:32:54.886
I can look at that trophy.

954
00:32:55.266 --> 00:32:57.167
I can look back at the players I played with,

955
00:32:57.168 --> 00:32:57.987
the great times,

956
00:32:57.988 --> 00:32:58.828
the goals we scored,

957
00:32:58.829 --> 00:32:59.688
the trophies we won,

958
00:33:00.089 --> 00:33:01.329
and I can be really proud of it.

959
00:33:01.330 --> 00:33:02.850
So to this day,

960
00:33:04.231 --> 00:33:08.973
it means more to me today than it has in any point of my life,

961
00:33:09.013 --> 00:33:09.313
really.

962
00:33:09.433 --> 00:33:12.035
I just appreciate it more and more and more.

963
00:33:12.419 --> 00:33:13.260
And where does that sit?

964
00:33:13.300 --> 00:33:14.240
In the house,

965
00:33:14.660 --> 00:33:15.381
up in the wall somewhere?

966
00:33:15.382 --> 00:33:16.461
You've got to say it's secret.

967
00:33:16.741 --> 00:33:16.862
Ah,

968
00:33:16.863 --> 00:33:17.262
right there,

969
00:33:17.582 --> 00:33:18.963
feeling off.

970
00:33:18.964 --> 00:33:20.043
I will tell you.

971
00:33:20.103 --> 00:33:20.544
Cut up the house.

972
00:33:20.545 --> 00:33:20.864
I had a...

973
00:33:21.516 --> 00:33:21.636
No,

974
00:33:21.756 --> 00:33:24.218
I had a cabinet made

975
00:33:24.831 --> 00:33:30.839
20 years ago and all my trophies and medals are all in that cabinet.

976
00:33:31.432 --> 00:33:32.292
It's right in the middle.

977
00:33:32.552 --> 00:33:37.036
It's at the top in the middle and it's on a little plinth that just slowly spins around all day.

978
00:33:37.037 --> 00:33:41.831
There's nothing else that spins,

979
00:33:41.871 --> 00:33:42.392
just that one.

980
00:33:42.412 --> 00:33:43.172
I am curious,

981
00:33:43.192 --> 00:33:47.256
there is like a ball ballon d'or or other ex-ballon d'or?

982
00:33:47.620 --> 00:33:50.583
Do you have any chat with them before the vote?

983
00:33:50.603 --> 00:33:50.723
No,

984
00:33:50.724 --> 00:33:53.085
but you get invited every year to go.

985
00:33:53.185 --> 00:33:54.106
The ceremony?

986
00:33:54.126 --> 00:33:54.386
Yes.

987
00:33:54.786 --> 00:33:55.787
So I'm going to go this year.

988
00:33:55.907 --> 00:33:57.108
I've been before.

989
00:33:57.589 --> 00:33:58.269
I presented

990
00:33:59.110 --> 00:34:03.297
Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu with it.

991
00:34:04.110 --> 00:34:04.410
And

992
00:34:05.271 --> 00:34:08.562
I've been to one in Paris as well on the Eiffel Tower.

993
00:34:09.338 --> 00:34:10.339
But this year it's in London.

994
00:34:10.899 --> 00:34:11.020
So

995
00:34:11.600 --> 00:34:12.841
I'm going to go to it this year as well.

996
00:34:14.150 --> 00:34:14.550
Why not?

997
00:34:14.610 --> 00:34:16.131
D-mate out.

998
00:34:16.151 --> 00:34:16.572
Exactly.

999
00:34:16.812 --> 00:34:17.613
I've not been to many,

1000
00:34:17.713 --> 00:34:19.014
but I'll go to this one.

1001
00:34:20.951 --> 00:34:23.573
I want to talk a bit about leaving Liverpool and going to

1002
00:34:23.993 --> 00:34:24.674
Real Madrid.

1003
00:34:26.051 --> 00:34:26.971
How did that come about?

1004
00:34:26.972 --> 00:34:29.369
Were you just wanting to challenge yourself abroad,

1005
00:34:29.389 --> 00:34:29.909
or was there

1006
00:34:30.270 --> 00:34:31.250
Liverpool needed money?

1007
00:34:32.663 --> 00:34:33.684
I don't think either.

1008
00:34:35.305 --> 00:34:35.585
I mean,

1009
00:34:35.586 --> 00:34:36.646
it transpired that,

1010
00:34:37.567 --> 00:34:37.727
yeah,

1011
00:34:37.907 --> 00:34:40.020
like challenging yourself to go abroad,

1012
00:34:40.301 --> 00:34:43.839
that's one of the sort of the reasons in your head.

1013
00:34:43.859 --> 00:34:44.599
But at the time,

1014
00:34:44.639 --> 00:34:45.099
I never,

1015
00:34:45.139 --> 00:34:45.980
ever thought I would live.

1016
00:34:46.301 --> 00:34:46.662
Liverpool.

1017
00:34:47.363 --> 00:34:47.483
Me,

1018
00:34:47.704 --> 00:34:48.305
Jamie Carragher,

1019
00:34:48.325 --> 00:34:49.688
Steven Gerrard came through the ranks.

1020
00:34:49.909 --> 00:34:50.430
It was just,

1021
00:34:50.590 --> 00:34:51.633
this is our club.

1022
00:34:53.135 --> 00:34:53.315
But

1023
00:34:54.962 --> 00:34:55.804
Gerrard, Julien,

1024
00:34:56.900 --> 00:35:18.934
left and Rafa Benitez had came in and we were on pre-season tour getting to know the new manager and my phone went we had finished a train we'd finished a training session Jamie Carragher was lying on that bed and I was on the bed over here and my agent phoned me and he used to phone me every two or three days I didn't think it was anything you know and I he said can you speak and I was like well

1025
00:35:19.638 --> 00:35:25.060
Cara's my best mate he you know he's yeah yeah yeah I'm free yeah in between training sessions.

1026
00:35:25.848 --> 00:35:26.228
And he said,

1027
00:35:27.189 --> 00:35:31.448
there's a big interest in you from Real Madrid.

1028
00:35:31.668 --> 00:35:32.509
They want to sign you.

1029
00:35:32.729 --> 00:35:33.209
I was like,

1030
00:35:33.450 --> 00:35:33.630
oh,

1031
00:35:33.710 --> 00:35:34.130
my word,

1032
00:35:34.150 --> 00:35:34.751
you're joking.

1033
00:35:35.699 --> 00:35:36.019
And he said,

1034
00:35:36.059 --> 00:35:36.279
yeah.

1035
00:35:37.248 --> 00:35:37.508
I said,

1036
00:35:37.548 --> 00:35:37.808
right,

1037
00:35:37.828 --> 00:35:37.948
OK.

1038
00:35:37.988 --> 00:35:38.389
And,

1039
00:35:38.689 --> 00:35:38.929
you know,

1040
00:35:39.029 --> 00:35:39.449
and what's,

1041
00:35:39.670 --> 00:35:39.910
you know,

1042
00:35:40.430 --> 00:35:40.951
go on,

1043
00:35:41.311 --> 00:35:41.751
explain.

1044
00:35:41.791 --> 00:35:41.911
And,

1045
00:35:42.191 --> 00:35:42.332
well,

1046
00:35:42.412 --> 00:35:42.712
blah,

1047
00:35:42.812 --> 00:35:43.573
And he just started.

1048
00:35:43.574 --> 00:35:44.693
So I spoke to the president.

1049
00:35:44.733 --> 00:35:44.954
And he,

1050
00:35:45.154 --> 00:35:45.414
you know,

1051
00:35:45.634 --> 00:35:46.335
this and that and the other.

1052
00:35:46.395 --> 00:35:47.931
So I said,

1053
00:35:47.951 --> 00:35:48.172
fine,

1054
00:35:48.192 --> 00:35:48.312
OK,

1055
00:35:48.412 --> 00:35:49.172
put the phone down.

1056
00:35:49.493 --> 00:35:51.974
And Cara obviously had heard the conversation.

1057
00:35:51.994 --> 00:35:52.855
He just looked at me and went,

1058
00:35:54.039 --> 00:35:54.320
don't.

1059
00:35:54.520 --> 00:35:54.660
Nope.

1060
00:35:55.176 --> 00:35:55.657
Don't do it.

1061
00:35:56.137 --> 00:35:56.457
And I went,

1062
00:35:57.498 --> 00:35:57.878
why not?

1063
00:35:58.851 --> 00:35:59.131
He says,

1064
00:35:59.171 --> 00:35:59.331
mate,

1065
00:35:59.332 --> 00:36:00.836
they've got Ronaldo,

1066
00:36:00.916 --> 00:36:01.597
they've got Raul,

1067
00:36:01.598 --> 00:36:02.498
they've got Morientes,

1068
00:36:02.499 --> 00:36:03.859
they're buying players all the time.

1069
00:36:04.696 --> 00:36:04.956
He says,

1070
00:36:04.976 --> 00:36:06.017
you're like the star here.

1071
00:36:06.337 --> 00:36:07.338
You play every week.

1072
00:36:07.538 --> 00:36:09.961
Fans love you and this and that and the other.

1073
00:36:12.590 --> 00:36:13.851
You're not going to break in ahead of

1074
00:36:14.232 --> 00:36:15.253
R9 and Raul.

1075
00:36:15.393 --> 00:36:20.165
Raul's their golden child and R9 is the best player in the world.

1076
00:36:21.494 --> 00:36:24.048
I just don't think you should.

1077
00:36:25.292 --> 00:36:26.372
But him saying that,

1078
00:36:27.509 --> 00:36:29.977
that's red rag to a bull for me.

1079
00:36:30.277 --> 00:36:30.738
That's like,

1080
00:36:31.178 --> 00:36:34.199
you don't think I can be better than them type of attitude.

1081
00:36:34.219 --> 00:36:34.819
That's just my,

1082
00:36:35.179 --> 00:36:35.399
what?

1083
00:36:35.919 --> 00:36:36.559
I will show you.

1084
00:36:38.336 --> 00:36:38.696
Anyway,

1085
00:36:38.956 --> 00:36:40.416
for the next week,

1086
00:36:41.916 --> 00:36:42.957
10 days maybe,

1087
00:36:44.865 --> 00:36:45.945
I couldn't get it out of my head.

1088
00:36:46.045 --> 00:36:46.565
I was thinking,

1089
00:36:46.605 --> 00:36:46.725
no,

1090
00:36:46.906 --> 00:36:47.506
don't do it.

1091
00:36:47.922 --> 00:36:48.642
Cara's right.

1092
00:36:49.118 --> 00:36:50.118
Everything's great here.

1093
00:36:51.547 --> 00:36:52.207
Everything's perfect.

1094
00:36:52.208 --> 00:36:53.007
You live at home,

1095
00:36:53.467 --> 00:36:53.948
Liverpool.

1096
00:36:54.568 --> 00:36:55.148
great club,

1097
00:36:55.248 --> 00:36:56.929
the fans love you and all the rest of it.

1098
00:36:57.737 --> 00:36:59.738
And then the next day I'd wake up and think,

1099
00:37:00.210 --> 00:37:00.811
do you know what?

1100
00:37:00.951 --> 00:37:02.091
If you say no to that,

1101
00:37:02.271 --> 00:37:03.132
you will regret it.

1102
00:37:03.133 --> 00:37:07.349
This will be your only chance to have a move,

1103
00:37:07.369 --> 00:37:10.391
just a move and to see something different in your life,

1104
00:37:11.211 --> 00:37:12.411
to live in a different country,

1105
00:37:12.491 --> 00:37:13.692
to speak another language,

1106
00:37:13.932 --> 00:37:14.672
different food,

1107
00:37:14.812 --> 00:37:15.573
different weather,

1108
00:37:16.069 --> 00:37:17.049
that white kit,

1109
00:37:17.470 --> 00:37:18.270
that stadium,

1110
00:37:18.650 --> 00:37:19.310
new league,

1111
00:37:19.650 --> 00:37:20.411
the players.

1112
00:37:21.103 --> 00:37:22.832
It's the Galactico era.

1113
00:37:23.488 --> 00:37:23.728
I mean,

1114
00:37:23.729 --> 00:37:24.628
you had Zidane and

1115
00:37:25.197 --> 00:37:28.798
Raul and Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos and Figo and Beckham.

1116
00:37:29.634 --> 00:37:29.914
I mean,

1117
00:37:29.915 --> 00:37:31.194
it was an unbelievable era.

1118
00:37:32.074 --> 00:37:32.534
And I thought,

1119
00:37:32.855 --> 00:37:34.055
you can always come back.

1120
00:37:34.927 --> 00:37:35.987
You can always come back,

1121
00:37:36.743 --> 00:37:38.484
but you'll never get a chance to go again.

1122
00:37:39.432 --> 00:37:40.432
And then the next day I'd be thinking,

1123
00:37:40.433 --> 00:37:40.532
no,

1124
00:37:40.533 --> 00:37:40.632
no,

1125
00:37:40.633 --> 00:37:40.752
no,

1126
00:37:40.872 --> 00:37:41.293
don't do it.

1127
00:37:41.294 --> 00:37:41.913
Don't be stupid.

1128
00:37:42.393 --> 00:37:44.013
And it was just two every day.

1129
00:37:44.193 --> 00:37:45.834
And it was getting me down a little bit.

1130
00:37:46.034 --> 00:37:46.294
Obviously,

1131
00:37:46.295 --> 00:37:47.574
it's a lovely problem to have,

1132
00:37:47.634 --> 00:37:50.215
but it really wasn't.

1133
00:37:50.315 --> 00:37:51.776
I wish the problem wasn't there.

1134
00:37:52.056 --> 00:37:52.276
Yeah.

1135
00:37:52.596 --> 00:37:53.696
in many ways at the time.

1136
00:37:54.520 --> 00:37:55.101
Eventually,

1137
00:37:55.201 --> 00:37:55.541
I just,

1138
00:37:55.721 --> 00:38:01.394
I met Rafa Benitez because the club needed a decision and I met Rafa Benitez and

1139
00:38:02.211 --> 00:38:03.031
I just said to him,

1140
00:38:03.171 --> 00:38:06.032
I just feel as if I need to go and give it a try.

1141
00:38:06.152 --> 00:38:06.972
But obviously,

1142
00:38:07.052 --> 00:38:08.752
I almost want to shake your hand and say,

1143
00:38:09.228 --> 00:38:11.529
can I come back in one year or two years?

1144
00:38:11.789 --> 00:38:11.909
Yeah.

1145
00:38:12.249 --> 00:38:13.290
So that's what we did.

1146
00:38:13.690 --> 00:38:15.150
I sort of shook the hand of Rick Parry,

1147
00:38:15.910 --> 00:38:17.311
who was our chief exec at the time,

1148
00:38:17.331 --> 00:38:17.671
and said,

1149
00:38:18.299 --> 00:38:18.539
you know,

1150
00:38:18.919 --> 00:38:20.820
I know we can't put it into a contract maybe,

1151
00:38:20.900 --> 00:38:21.040
but,

1152
00:38:21.508 --> 00:38:21.748
you know.

1153
00:38:21.964 --> 00:38:23.305
I don't want to leave.

1154
00:38:23.485 --> 00:38:24.346
I want to come back.

1155
00:38:25.122 --> 00:38:27.064
So we all agreed that that would be the case.

1156
00:38:27.124 --> 00:38:28.485
I'd go and have a crack at it.

1157
00:38:29.081 --> 00:38:29.201
So

1158
00:38:29.842 --> 00:38:31.423
I cried all the way to the airport.

1159
00:38:31.523 --> 00:38:33.664
I didn't want to leave Liverpool,

1160
00:38:33.764 --> 00:38:35.966
but I did want to go and experience something.

1161
00:38:36.086 --> 00:38:37.807
It was my decision and my decision only.

1162
00:38:37.808 --> 00:38:38.908
I wasn't forced out.

1163
00:38:39.512 --> 00:38:41.274
I wasn't held to ransom by it.

1164
00:38:41.275 --> 00:38:43.671
It was all perfectly amicable.

1165
00:38:44.392 --> 00:38:45.232
But I just thought,

1166
00:38:45.292 --> 00:38:46.493
I've just got to try it.

1167
00:38:47.314 --> 00:38:50.076
And that was the story,

1168
00:38:50.136 --> 00:38:50.296
really.

1169
00:38:50.580 --> 00:38:52.061
We'll all have times in our lives,

1170
00:38:52.837 --> 00:38:53.117
you know.

1171
00:38:53.917 --> 00:38:54.717
Was your family there?

1172
00:38:55.017 --> 00:38:55.197
Yeah,

1173
00:38:55.377 --> 00:38:56.118
but only my wife.

1174
00:38:56.119 --> 00:38:59.943
And I had a one-year-old daughter as well at the time.

1175
00:38:59.944 --> 00:39:01.303
So it was quite difficult.

1176
00:39:01.731 --> 00:39:02.832
It was difficult for them,

1177
00:39:03.880 --> 00:39:04.720
really difficult for them,

1178
00:39:04.721 --> 00:39:09.122
because we lived in a hotel for the first five months and I was away all the time and my wife,

1179
00:39:09.362 --> 00:39:09.682
different,

1180
00:39:09.802 --> 00:39:10.462
no friends.

1181
00:39:11.134 --> 00:39:12.294
It was quite difficult for her.

1182
00:39:14.079 --> 00:39:14.239
But

1183
00:39:14.699 --> 00:39:14.959
I've no,

1184
00:39:15.219 --> 00:39:15.459
you know,

1185
00:39:15.799 --> 00:39:17.140
people always ask me.

1186
00:39:17.620 --> 00:39:44.555
do you regret going to a like leaving liverpool going to real madrid i'm like everybody has these moments in their life where they can go to that job or that job or marry this person or do this or buy that car or whatever we all have decisions all the time you know and mine was just a career decision that i wasn't changing jobs yeah in terms of you know i was still playing football just a different team happens all the time you know no

1187
00:39:44.775 --> 00:39:46.796
it's like it was real madrid you've you've

1188
00:39:47.144 --> 00:39:48.066
You've got to do it.

1189
00:39:48.227 --> 00:39:48.547
Even,

1190
00:39:48.808 --> 00:39:49.069
you know,

1191
00:39:50.270 --> 00:39:53.056
the likes of Jamie Carrey that wanted me or saying don't do it,

1192
00:39:53.697 --> 00:39:53.957
you know,

1193
00:39:54.198 --> 00:39:55.180
they can accept that.

1194
00:39:55.535 --> 00:39:56.175
Come on.

1195
00:39:56.215 --> 00:39:56.616
It's real.

1196
00:39:56.617 --> 00:39:58.256
Exactly.

1197
00:39:58.257 --> 00:39:59.137
The quality of the players,

1198
00:39:59.157 --> 00:39:59.477
Michael.

1199
00:40:00.869 --> 00:40:01.709
Could you speak about this?

1200
00:40:01.729 --> 00:40:04.767
Because when you play with these unbelievable players.

1201
00:40:05.147 --> 00:40:05.327
Yeah.

1202
00:40:05.547 --> 00:40:06.127
But the quality,

1203
00:40:06.187 --> 00:40:06.527
you know,

1204
00:40:06.888 --> 00:40:07.468
in training,

1205
00:40:07.568 --> 00:40:09.249
the quality in games,

1206
00:40:09.985 --> 00:40:11.085
the technique and everything.

1207
00:40:11.666 --> 00:40:12.086
Yeah.

1208
00:40:12.087 --> 00:40:12.986
It must be so.

1209
00:40:12.987 --> 00:40:13.046
Oh,

1210
00:40:13.047 --> 00:40:14.547
it was an incredible generation.

1211
00:40:14.587 --> 00:40:16.568
And the difficult thing was

1212
00:40:17.384 --> 00:40:22.826
Barcelona had a great generation as well at the time with Etu and Ronaldinho and all their great midfield players.

1213
00:40:22.926 --> 00:40:23.807
So it was just an...

1214
00:40:24.195 --> 00:40:25.356
Unbelievable time.

1215
00:40:25.357 --> 00:40:28.086
It was when Spanish football was the best.

1216
00:40:29.611 --> 00:40:33.274
Those two teams were so much better than everyone else,

1217
00:40:33.314 --> 00:40:33.694
I think,

1218
00:40:33.934 --> 00:40:34.895
around that generation.

1219
00:40:35.615 --> 00:40:35.936
In fact,

1220
00:40:35.976 --> 00:40:39.458
both teams continued to go and dominate Europe after that.

1221
00:40:41.115 --> 00:40:42.336
But the players themselves,

1222
00:40:42.376 --> 00:40:42.536
yeah.

1223
00:40:44.054 --> 00:40:44.334
I mean,

1224
00:40:44.335 --> 00:40:48.072
the one player that stands out for me was Zidane.

1225
00:40:48.633 --> 00:40:51.050
He was probably in the peak of his career.

1226
00:40:53.403 --> 00:40:53.723
I mean,

1227
00:40:53.763 --> 00:40:54.624
the speed,

1228
00:40:54.684 --> 00:40:55.685
the strength,

1229
00:40:55.686 --> 00:40:56.866
the technique,

1230
00:40:59.260 --> 00:41:00.101
just a genius.

1231
00:41:01.641 --> 00:41:02.602
It was just pure,

1232
00:41:02.702 --> 00:41:04.144
just beautiful to watch him.

1233
00:41:04.184 --> 00:41:05.465
He was just so elegant.

1234
00:41:05.973 --> 00:41:09.857
If a ball comes to me and I want to go that way and it's bouncing up here,

1235
00:41:09.877 --> 00:41:10.477
I think,

1236
00:41:10.517 --> 00:41:10.697
right,

1237
00:41:10.857 --> 00:41:12.579
chest it down and take it with my right foot,

1238
00:41:12.739 --> 00:41:13.900
all in one nice movement.

1239
00:41:14.669 --> 00:41:16.010
Just before we'd be coming,

1240
00:41:16.011 --> 00:41:17.811
he would be looking and he would just sort of bump.

1241
00:41:18.692 --> 00:41:19.693
In one movement,

1242
00:41:19.694 --> 00:41:21.715
he would be running at top speed.

1243
00:41:22.035 --> 00:41:28.201
but also have chested it down into everything that we normal people could do in two or three touches.

1244
00:41:28.202 --> 00:41:32.894
He was just doing it in one and just natural and graceful,

1245
00:41:33.514 --> 00:41:34.455
just amazing.

1246
00:41:35.135 --> 00:41:36.255
To either foot,

1247
00:41:36.256 --> 00:41:36.455
you know,

1248
00:41:36.515 --> 00:41:37.495
manipulating the ball.

1249
00:41:38.040 --> 00:41:38.260
I mean,

1250
00:41:38.300 --> 00:41:39.440
I was good with a right foot,

1251
00:41:39.460 --> 00:41:41.281
I could cruif turn or chop or this or that,

1252
00:41:41.501 --> 00:41:42.261
but on my left,

1253
00:41:43.137 --> 00:41:44.778
he could do everything with both feet.

1254
00:41:46.014 --> 00:41:46.994
Just genius.

1255
00:41:46.995 --> 00:41:48.675
What do you see now with nationality?

1256
00:41:49.523 --> 00:41:49.743
You know,

1257
00:41:49.744 --> 00:41:50.704
we had a few things,

1258
00:41:50.705 --> 00:41:50.904
you know,

1259
00:41:50.964 --> 00:41:51.884
from the journalist.

1260
00:41:52.204 --> 00:41:52.324
Yeah.

1261
00:41:52.564 --> 00:41:55.606
He's still playing with the boys,

1262
00:41:55.646 --> 00:41:56.086
you know.

1263
00:41:56.087 --> 00:41:57.702
He's just got the touch.

1264
00:41:57.982 --> 00:41:59.183
He's like a magician.

1265
00:41:59.184 --> 00:41:59.343
Yeah.

1266
00:42:00.323 --> 00:42:02.224
There's not many people that have just got that.

1267
00:42:02.868 --> 00:42:03.108
You know,

1268
00:42:03.209 --> 00:42:04.189
Messi would have it.

1269
00:42:04.409 --> 00:42:05.329
Zidane would have it.

1270
00:42:05.874 --> 00:42:08.455
There's not many that just have got that.

1271
00:42:09.195 --> 00:42:11.456
The rest of us will have to try and work on it.

1272
00:42:11.716 --> 00:42:11.956
I mean,

1273
00:42:12.236 --> 00:42:13.037
R9 was,

1274
00:42:13.613 --> 00:42:13.853
like,

1275
00:42:14.273 --> 00:42:14.953
in my opinion,

1276
00:42:15.830 --> 00:42:17.550
the greatest of all time,

1277
00:42:18.106 --> 00:42:18.867
in my opinion.

1278
00:42:19.367 --> 00:42:21.908
But because he only for a short period of time,

1279
00:42:21.909 --> 00:42:25.481
because then he got injured and a little bit like my career,

1280
00:42:25.501 --> 00:42:26.641
but to the lesser extent.

1281
00:42:26.701 --> 00:42:26.841
But,

1282
00:42:27.081 --> 00:42:27.341
you know,

1283
00:42:27.641 --> 00:42:28.281
I was very good,

1284
00:42:28.321 --> 00:42:30.302
but then got injured and then I was just OK.

1285
00:42:30.702 --> 00:42:32.543
But Ronaldo was still a great player,

1286
00:42:32.563 --> 00:42:33.123
but he wasn't.

1287
00:42:34.079 --> 00:42:36.960
So obviously I was privileged to play alongside him,

1288
00:42:37.516 --> 00:42:39.477
but he wasn't the player of when he was 20.

1289
00:42:40.197 --> 00:42:41.909
So he was great.

1290
00:42:41.910 --> 00:42:45.810
And you could see in bits that he was just a genius as well.

1291
00:42:45.830 --> 00:42:46.370
But of course,

1292
00:42:46.390 --> 00:42:47.051
his physical,

1293
00:42:47.071 --> 00:42:48.071
his knee was just...

1294
00:42:48.631 --> 00:42:52.713
always preventing him from being like he was as a young player.

1295
00:42:53.393 --> 00:42:53.953
But Figue,

1296
00:42:54.214 --> 00:42:56.294
I tell you who I loved playing with was Guti.

1297
00:42:57.703 --> 00:43:05.106
Guti was a dream for someone like me because every time he just wanted to play the killer pass.

1298
00:43:06.430 --> 00:43:08.051
Zidane wouldn't want to give the ball away.

1299
00:43:08.091 --> 00:43:09.451
So unless the ball was on,

1300
00:43:10.176 --> 00:43:11.616
he would keep it and pass.

1301
00:43:12.117 --> 00:43:13.097
But Guti was like,

1302
00:43:13.137 --> 00:43:13.797
as soon as he got it,

1303
00:43:13.837 --> 00:43:14.137
head up.

1304
00:43:14.478 --> 00:43:15.178
Where's Michael Owen?

1305
00:43:15.478 --> 00:43:16.138
Where's Ronaldo?

1306
00:43:16.939 --> 00:43:17.479
Over the top.

1307
00:43:17.599 --> 00:43:21.730
He just loved these passes,

1308
00:43:21.870 --> 00:43:23.111
risky passes all the time.

1309
00:43:23.112 --> 00:43:24.312
So I loved playing with Guti.

1310
00:43:25.393 --> 00:43:26.234
It was great times.

1311
00:43:26.454 --> 00:43:27.115
It was great fun.

1312
00:43:27.335 --> 00:43:27.455
And,

1313
00:43:27.775 --> 00:43:28.036
you know,

1314
00:43:28.596 --> 00:43:29.557
I really enjoyed it.

1315
00:43:29.558 --> 00:43:29.737
As I say,

1316
00:43:29.757 --> 00:43:30.218
my family,

1317
00:43:30.938 --> 00:43:32.459
they struggled a little bit and

1318
00:43:33.144 --> 00:43:35.526
I always wanted to come back to the Premier League.

1319
00:43:36.498 --> 00:43:36.738
You know,

1320
00:43:37.319 --> 00:43:38.080
I'm a homeboy,

1321
00:43:38.200 --> 00:43:38.560
really.

1322
00:43:39.120 --> 00:43:41.402
I like being around my family and whatever,

1323
00:43:41.403 --> 00:43:42.864
and the comforts of home.

1324
00:43:43.448 --> 00:43:43.648
But

1325
00:43:44.229 --> 00:43:45.610
I had such a good experience.

1326
00:43:45.630 --> 00:43:46.070
I loved it.

1327
00:43:46.371 --> 00:43:46.551
Yeah.

1328
00:43:46.959 --> 00:43:47.279
Nice.

1329
00:43:47.719 --> 00:43:48.380
Ticked that box.

1330
00:43:50.613 --> 00:43:51.597
Yeah.

1331
00:43:51.617 --> 00:43:52.377
And then from there,

1332
00:43:53.110 --> 00:43:54.070
over to Newcastle.

1333
00:43:55.111 --> 00:43:55.551
Is it true?

1334
00:43:56.051 --> 00:43:57.848
I don't know if this is bollocks or not,

1335
00:43:57.868 --> 00:44:00.229
but you used to fly in a helicopter to training for Newcastle.

1336
00:44:01.306 --> 00:44:01.966
It's half true.

1337
00:44:02.006 --> 00:44:03.507
Like anything in the newspapers,

1338
00:44:03.587 --> 00:44:04.927
they always get like 10%

1339
00:44:05.027 --> 00:44:05.608
right or 20%

1340
00:44:06.028 --> 00:44:06.268
right.

1341
00:44:06.960 --> 00:44:07.080
No,

1342
00:44:07.901 --> 00:44:11.302
I'd obviously been away from home for a year and

1343
00:44:11.703 --> 00:44:12.363
I wanted...

1344
00:44:13.675 --> 00:44:14.675
Newcastle to work.

1345
00:44:14.775 --> 00:44:15.256
First of all,

1346
00:44:15.276 --> 00:44:16.376
I nearly signed for Liverpool,

1347
00:44:16.416 --> 00:44:17.936
but Newcastle doubled the bid and

1348
00:44:18.336 --> 00:44:20.137
Madrid would only send me to Newcastle,

1349
00:44:20.138 --> 00:44:20.477
et cetera,

1350
00:44:20.478 --> 00:44:20.817
et cetera.

1351
00:44:20.917 --> 00:44:21.137
Anyway,

1352
00:44:21.537 --> 00:44:22.358
long story short,

1353
00:44:22.970 --> 00:44:23.990
I signed for Newcastle,

1354
00:44:24.810 --> 00:44:24.970
but

1355
00:44:25.470 --> 00:44:27.391
Newcastle's three and a half hours.

1356
00:44:29.463 --> 00:44:33.805
One of the whole reasons for coming back to Newcastle was to be closer to home.

1357
00:44:36.925 --> 00:44:39.086
I wanted my mum and dad to come and see me.

1358
00:44:39.087 --> 00:44:40.006
I one of my wife,

1359
00:44:40.206 --> 00:44:40.446
you know,

1360
00:44:40.586 --> 00:44:42.667
my wife lived up with me with my daughter.

1361
00:44:43.011 --> 00:44:44.733
We had our second child,

1362
00:44:44.974 --> 00:44:45.194
son,

1363
00:44:45.554 --> 00:44:46.215
while we were there.

1364
00:44:46.948 --> 00:44:48.029
But I wanted to be able to,

1365
00:44:48.629 --> 00:44:49.050
if we get

1366
00:44:50.747 --> 00:44:51.768
Wednesday off,

1367
00:44:52.609 --> 00:44:56.313
I wanted to have the flexibility of being able to go home after training on Tuesday,

1368
00:44:56.373 --> 00:44:57.855
spend Tuesday afternoon at home.

1369
00:44:58.270 --> 00:44:59.611
be here at Manor House Stables,

1370
00:44:59.651 --> 00:45:00.451
big passion of mine,

1371
00:45:00.551 --> 00:45:01.592
business that was growing.

1372
00:45:02.156 --> 00:45:07.254
Then I'd be home all day Wednesday and then I could fly up at sort of eight o'clock,

1373
00:45:07.802 --> 00:45:09.243
land at nine o'clock.

1374
00:45:09.303 --> 00:45:10.703
We didn't have to be in till 10 o'clock.

1375
00:45:10.784 --> 00:45:12.164
So it was brilliant.

1376
00:45:13.385 --> 00:45:14.125
Match days,

1377
00:45:14.405 --> 00:45:16.066
my mum and dad could fly up and watch me.

1378
00:45:16.067 --> 00:45:16.546
I didn't want,

1379
00:45:16.786 --> 00:45:17.046
you know,

1380
00:45:18.499 --> 00:45:22.140
ageing parents driving up three and a half hours or every single,

1381
00:45:22.992 --> 00:45:23.212
you know,

1382
00:45:23.213 --> 00:45:24.773
we sometimes played twice a week.

1383
00:45:24.993 --> 00:45:25.233
Yeah.

1384
00:45:25.454 --> 00:45:26.354
So I just thought,

1385
00:45:26.614 --> 00:45:26.854
and it...

1386
00:45:27.174 --> 00:45:28.135
It's one of those things.

1387
00:45:28.395 --> 00:45:29.156
In hindsight,

1388
00:45:29.157 --> 00:45:29.576
you think,

1389
00:45:33.225 --> 00:45:35.928
I shouldn't have done it because of what people say,

1390
00:45:36.408 --> 00:45:37.169
what people think.

1391
00:45:37.489 --> 00:45:38.430
But then part of me thinks,

1392
00:45:38.431 --> 00:45:38.790
you know what,

1393
00:45:38.850 --> 00:45:40.311
I don't care what people say and think.

1394
00:45:41.419 --> 00:45:45.703
I only did it for mainly my family so we could see each other more.

1395
00:45:46.584 --> 00:45:49.026
My mum and dad and brothers and sisters could come up and watch me.

1396
00:45:49.862 --> 00:45:53.025
It was quite hard in Madrid not seeing my family for a whole year.

1397
00:45:55.170 --> 00:45:58.512
To say that I used to go in and out of training every day is rubbish.

1398
00:45:58.552 --> 00:45:58.813
I mean,

1399
00:45:58.913 --> 00:46:00.074
it would basically be,

1400
00:46:00.154 --> 00:46:01.735
if we had one game on a Saturday,

1401
00:46:01.815 --> 00:46:02.235
let's say,

1402
00:46:02.415 --> 00:46:03.656
one game on a Saturday every week,

1403
00:46:04.096 --> 00:46:05.998
we'd have Sunday off and we'd have Wednesday off.

1404
00:46:05.999 --> 00:46:07.239
So after the game on Saturday,

1405
00:46:07.983 --> 00:46:11.445
we would fly home and I'd spend all of Sunday home and fly back up Monday.

1406
00:46:11.465 --> 00:46:13.066
I'd spend Monday and Tuesday there,

1407
00:46:13.507 --> 00:46:13.927
fly back

1408
00:46:15.388 --> 00:46:16.189
Tuesday afternoon,

1409
00:46:16.889 --> 00:46:19.611
spend Wednesday at home and then fly up Thursday morning,

1410
00:46:19.711 --> 00:46:20.431
spend Thursday,

1411
00:46:20.491 --> 00:46:20.932
Friday,

1412
00:46:21.032 --> 00:46:22.293
Saturday up there.

1413
00:46:22.653 --> 00:46:23.493
And I had a house there.

1414
00:46:23.794 --> 00:46:23.974
Yeah.

1415
00:46:24.638 --> 00:46:25.979
bought a house there,

1416
00:46:26.519 --> 00:46:27.600
lived there for four years.

1417
00:46:28.388 --> 00:46:28.628
You know,

1418
00:46:28.689 --> 00:46:28.809
so,

1419
00:46:29.349 --> 00:46:31.390
and not always would we have only one game in a day,

1420
00:46:31.391 --> 00:46:32.631
in which case I'd not fly home.

1421
00:46:32.931 --> 00:46:37.486
But it was just a really handy way of seeing my family a lot more.

1422
00:46:38.178 --> 00:46:38.838
But obviously,

1423
00:46:39.862 --> 00:46:41.343
from my image point of view,

1424
00:46:41.523 --> 00:46:42.184
it didn't help.

1425
00:46:42.504 --> 00:46:44.445
Because as soon as you get injured or you don't play,

1426
00:46:45.226 --> 00:46:46.286
Newcastle fans think,

1427
00:46:46.386 --> 00:46:46.526
oh,

1428
00:46:46.987 --> 00:46:48.127
he doesn't even like it here.

1429
00:46:48.128 --> 00:46:50.168
He flies home every day and all that rubbish.

1430
00:46:50.649 --> 00:46:51.569
It's just not true.

1431
00:46:51.829 --> 00:46:52.390
So that's the...

1432
00:46:52.810 --> 00:46:54.431
It leaves you open to criticism.

1433
00:46:54.592 --> 00:46:54.792
Yeah.

1434
00:46:55.092 --> 00:46:57.134
And that was the difficult thing.

1435
00:46:58.402 --> 00:46:58.963
You're loving Liam.

1436
00:46:59.479 --> 00:46:59.679
Well,

1437
00:46:59.819 --> 00:47:00.099
I know.

1438
00:47:00.139 --> 00:47:02.229
And if I had the same thing again,

1439
00:47:02.469 --> 00:47:03.210
would I do it?

1440
00:47:04.426 --> 00:47:05.047
I don't know.

1441
00:47:05.755 --> 00:47:06.016
I mean,

1442
00:47:06.036 --> 00:47:06.656
I should say,

1443
00:47:06.856 --> 00:47:07.917
absolutely I would.

1444
00:47:08.357 --> 00:47:09.078
Absolutely I would.

1445
00:47:09.098 --> 00:47:11.300
I want my mum and dad to come and watch me play football.

1446
00:47:11.720 --> 00:47:12.381
What's wrong with,

1447
00:47:12.382 --> 00:47:12.561
you know,

1448
00:47:12.601 --> 00:47:13.362
what's wrong in that?

1449
00:47:14.262 --> 00:47:17.044
So part of me thinks I probably would do the same again,

1450
00:47:17.084 --> 00:47:18.493
but some of me thinks,

1451
00:47:18.494 --> 00:47:18.934
you know what?

1452
00:47:19.362 --> 00:47:22.423
You just leave yourself so open to people creating stories,

1453
00:47:22.483 --> 00:47:23.023
saying this,

1454
00:47:23.083 --> 00:47:23.623
saying that.

1455
00:47:23.663 --> 00:47:24.203
It's just like,

1456
00:47:24.223 --> 00:47:24.343
oh.

1457
00:47:25.016 --> 00:47:26.036
And any helicopter.

1458
00:47:26.037 --> 00:47:26.196
I mean,

1459
00:47:26.276 --> 00:47:27.056
I'd be training.

1460
00:47:27.716 --> 00:47:29.797
And then the helicopter would fly over and everyone would say,

1461
00:47:29.877 --> 00:47:30.277
oh,

1462
00:47:30.297 --> 00:47:30.417
no,

1463
00:47:30.477 --> 00:47:30.917
he's still here.

1464
00:47:31.677 --> 00:47:32.318
You know what I mean?

1465
00:47:32.319 --> 00:47:32.438
So,

1466
00:47:33.158 --> 00:47:33.398
you know,

1467
00:47:33.878 --> 00:47:35.258
but if you're living in Newcastle,

1468
00:47:35.259 --> 00:47:37.419
if you're just in your garden and you're a Newcastle fan,

1469
00:47:37.459 --> 00:47:38.079
you see a helicopter,

1470
00:47:38.080 --> 00:47:38.259
you think,

1471
00:47:38.279 --> 00:47:38.399
oh,

1472
00:47:38.419 --> 00:47:39.760
there's Michael Owen going home again.

1473
00:47:39.800 --> 00:47:40.280
It's like,

1474
00:47:40.660 --> 00:47:41.140
it's not.

1475
00:47:41.200 --> 00:47:41.520
I'm here.

1476
00:47:41.700 --> 00:47:42.320
But do you know what I mean?

1477
00:47:42.321 --> 00:47:45.041
It just leaves you open to criticism.

1478
00:47:46.297 --> 00:47:47.858
I want to move quickly on to...

1479
00:47:48.362 --> 00:47:48.962
Man United,

1480
00:47:48.982 --> 00:47:50.263
so running out of time here,

1481
00:47:50.264 --> 00:47:51.083
we could talk for hours.

1482
00:47:52.183 --> 00:47:52.923
Man United,

1483
00:47:53.460 --> 00:47:58.301
was there any doubt about going there just because of the Liverpool connection?

1484
00:47:59.657 --> 00:47:59.977
Yeah,

1485
00:48:00.157 --> 00:48:03.458
I'd be lying if I said there wasn't something thinking,

1486
00:48:03.678 --> 00:48:04.379
oh my word,

1487
00:48:04.559 --> 00:48:07.119
this is not going to go down well.

1488
00:48:08.604 --> 00:48:09.864
But when I left Newcastle,

1489
00:48:09.865 --> 00:48:14.565
the first person that I contacted was Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard and said,

1490
00:48:15.081 --> 00:48:15.602
do us a favour,

1491
00:48:15.603 --> 00:48:16.462
go and speak to Brendan.

1492
00:48:17.302 --> 00:48:18.603
Brendan Rodgers was the manager at the time.

1493
00:48:18.604 --> 00:48:19.403
Go and speak to Brendan.

1494
00:48:20.136 --> 00:48:20.716
I'm on a free.

1495
00:48:21.700 --> 00:48:22.581
And he was signing

1496
00:48:24.037 --> 00:48:25.938
David Ngog at the time.

1497
00:48:27.431 --> 00:48:28.271
And he already had,

1498
00:48:28.311 --> 00:48:29.152
I don't know who was there.

1499
00:48:29.153 --> 00:48:29.392
Was it

1500
00:48:29.980 --> 00:48:30.540
Torres or

1501
00:48:31.129 --> 00:48:31.889
Suarez? Anyway,

1502
00:48:31.890 --> 00:48:33.510
he already had a top centre forward,

1503
00:48:33.970 --> 00:48:34.390
obviously.

1504
00:48:34.987 --> 00:48:36.407
But I still wanted to go back home.

1505
00:48:36.448 --> 00:48:39.769
I always wanted to go from Madrid back to Liverpool.

1506
00:48:40.994 --> 00:49:07.373
that couldn't happen and then I got it inserted into my Newcastle contract that after one year I could go to Liverpool but then I did my knee in the World Cup so at every stage I wanted to go back to Liverpool and I don't make any apologies for that Liverpool's my club came through the ranks that's how I feel but obviously when Brendan Rodgers then says no like

1507
00:49:09.294 --> 00:49:10.054
I can't retire.

1508
00:49:11.055 --> 00:49:12.356
I've got to go somewhere.

1509
00:49:12.736 --> 00:49:14.597
I'd done the abroad experience,

1510
00:49:14.857 --> 00:49:16.077
wanted to stay in the Premier League.

1511
00:49:16.713 --> 00:49:19.995
Everton wanted to sign me and so did Hull.

1512
00:49:20.939 --> 00:49:21.079
Now,

1513
00:49:21.459 --> 00:49:22.179
with all due respect,

1514
00:49:22.259 --> 00:49:24.717
Hull were a team at the bottom of the league at the time.

1515
00:49:25.573 --> 00:49:26.013
Everton,

1516
00:49:26.937 --> 00:49:27.417
I just thought,

1517
00:49:27.618 --> 00:49:28.958
I can't go to Everton.

1518
00:49:29.138 --> 00:49:29.398
I mean,

1519
00:49:29.399 --> 00:49:31.559
as much as I supported them when I was a young boy,

1520
00:49:32.768 --> 00:49:34.228
Liverpool fans are going to hate me.

1521
00:49:35.117 --> 00:49:36.877
So I'm having this summer thinking,

1522
00:49:37.502 --> 00:49:38.182
what am I going to do?

1523
00:49:39.078 --> 00:49:39.359
here,

1524
00:49:39.599 --> 00:49:39.839
I've got

1525
00:49:41.412 --> 00:49:44.187
Everton, do I go abroad again?

1526
00:49:44.188 --> 00:49:45.529
I really don't want to go abroad again.

1527
00:49:46.765 --> 00:49:48.047
And I was just waiting and waiting,

1528
00:49:48.147 --> 00:49:50.658
hoping something would come.

1529
00:49:50.998 --> 00:49:51.318
And then

1530
00:49:51.719 --> 00:49:52.560
Nicky Buck phoned me,

1531
00:49:52.921 --> 00:49:54.303
who I was playing with at Newcastle.

1532
00:49:54.304 --> 00:49:54.563
He said,

1533
00:49:55.160 --> 00:49:55.280
Mo,

1534
00:49:55.340 --> 00:49:56.501
the gaffer's going to call you.

1535
00:49:56.502 --> 00:49:57.022
And I was like...

1536
00:49:58.041 --> 00:49:58.861
Who was the gaffer?

1537
00:49:58.862 --> 00:49:59.021
You know,

1538
00:49:59.022 --> 00:50:01.182
because we had lots of gaffers at Newcastle.

1539
00:50:01.183 --> 00:50:01.403
He goes,

1540
00:50:01.463 --> 00:50:01.903
Sir Alex.

1541
00:50:02.343 --> 00:50:02.643
I'm like,

1542
00:50:02.663 --> 00:50:02.903
what?

1543
00:50:03.583 --> 00:50:03.863
He says,

1544
00:50:04.164 --> 00:50:05.264
Man United want to sign you.

1545
00:50:05.764 --> 00:50:06.825
Sir Alex is going to call you.

1546
00:50:07.385 --> 00:50:08.185
Stay by your phone.

1547
00:50:09.005 --> 00:50:09.506
So I'm like,

1548
00:50:09.746 --> 00:50:09.886
oh,

1549
00:50:09.926 --> 00:50:10.386
my word.

1550
00:50:10.406 --> 00:50:11.847
My head started spinning thinking,

1551
00:50:11.867 --> 00:50:12.047
right,

1552
00:50:12.067 --> 00:50:12.207
well,

1553
00:50:12.208 --> 00:50:12.887
now I've got Hull.

1554
00:50:13.407 --> 00:50:14.328
I'm going to rule that out.

1555
00:50:14.628 --> 00:50:15.928
I've got Everton or Man United.

1556
00:50:15.929 --> 00:50:16.068
Well,

1557
00:50:16.565 --> 00:50:18.425
Liverpool fans are not going to be happy either way.

1558
00:50:18.666 --> 00:50:18.826
Yeah.

1559
00:50:19.226 --> 00:50:20.818
But they were the options.

1560
00:50:20.838 --> 00:50:22.059
I didn't have any other options.

1561
00:50:22.643 --> 00:50:23.644
And then I thought to myself,

1562
00:50:23.645 --> 00:50:24.144
do you know what?

1563
00:50:24.832 --> 00:50:25.832
Liverpool didn't want me.

1564
00:50:26.133 --> 00:50:26.353
Yeah.

1565
00:50:27.089 --> 00:50:27.249
Like.

1566
00:50:27.977 --> 00:50:30.098
I've given myself to them at every stage.

1567
00:50:30.138 --> 00:50:33.260
I've even got it in my contract at Newcastle to go back.

1568
00:50:34.164 --> 00:50:34.924
At every stage,

1569
00:50:34.964 --> 00:50:35.725
I could have gone back,

1570
00:50:35.805 --> 00:50:37.546
but the managers never wanted me back.

1571
00:50:38.726 --> 00:50:41.219
So it's like,

1572
00:50:41.879 --> 00:50:43.360
what do you want me to do?

1573
00:50:43.440 --> 00:50:44.921
I can't do any more than...

1574
00:50:45.885 --> 00:50:46.565
So at that point,

1575
00:50:46.605 --> 00:50:46.966
it's like,

1576
00:50:47.026 --> 00:50:47.266
right,

1577
00:50:47.346 --> 00:50:47.466
well,

1578
00:50:47.467 --> 00:50:47.966
do you know what?

1579
00:50:49.506 --> 00:50:51.547
You've got to play at the top of your game.

1580
00:50:51.567 --> 00:50:53.248
You've got to play for as good a team as you can.

1581
00:50:53.648 --> 00:50:54.609
You can live at home.

1582
00:50:54.853 --> 00:50:56.054
You know all the players anyway.

1583
00:50:56.055 --> 00:51:01.492
I played for England with Wes Brown and Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers and all.

1584
00:51:02.948 --> 00:51:05.641
I knew half the team and I just thought,

1585
00:51:06.042 --> 00:51:06.182
yeah,

1586
00:51:06.202 --> 00:51:07.082
I'm going to get a bit of stick.

1587
00:51:07.162 --> 00:51:07.642
But you know what?

1588
00:51:07.662 --> 00:51:09.843
When I came back to Anfield for Newcastle,

1589
00:51:09.863 --> 00:51:10.664
I got a bit of stick.

1590
00:51:12.016 --> 00:51:12.716
So I thought,

1591
00:51:12.957 --> 00:51:13.137
well,

1592
00:51:13.157 --> 00:51:13.597
do you know what?

1593
00:51:14.209 --> 00:51:15.910
A few Liverpool fans are booing me anyway.

1594
00:51:17.638 --> 00:51:21.400
I'm not exactly their favourite person for leaving in the first place.

1595
00:51:21.420 --> 00:51:21.540
So

1596
00:51:22.772 --> 00:51:23.633
Manchester United.

1597
00:51:24.129 --> 00:51:24.669
Great club,

1598
00:51:24.749 --> 00:51:25.410
great manager,

1599
00:51:25.470 --> 00:51:26.150
great players,

1600
00:51:26.630 --> 00:51:27.471
can win things,

1601
00:51:27.551 --> 00:51:28.311
can live at home.

1602
00:51:29.839 --> 00:51:31.120
Why am I having to say sorry here?

1603
00:51:31.180 --> 00:51:35.662
Why are you sitting here thinking about everybody else and hurting other people's feelings?

1604
00:51:35.663 --> 00:51:37.467
They don't care about me anymore.

1605
00:51:38.399 --> 00:51:38.779
So I thought,

1606
00:51:38.780 --> 00:51:39.239
you know what?

1607
00:51:41.096 --> 00:51:42.016
It is a no-brainer.

1608
00:51:42.017 --> 00:51:43.457
I've just got to do it.

1609
00:51:44.717 --> 00:51:47.018
And first game of the season against Birmingham City.

1610
00:51:47.638 --> 00:51:48.219
You told me that.

1611
00:51:48.259 --> 00:51:48.639
Against me.

1612
00:51:48.759 --> 00:51:49.199
What did he do?

1613
00:51:50.600 --> 00:51:51.720
He scored a goal.

1614
00:51:54.057 --> 00:51:54.958
Where's my new...

1615
00:51:55.318 --> 00:51:55.678
Birmingham,

1616
00:51:55.679 --> 00:51:56.098
that's right.

1617
00:51:56.099 --> 00:51:56.218
Yeah,

1618
00:51:57.179 --> 00:51:58.359
yeah,

1619
00:51:58.360 --> 00:51:58.439
yeah.

1620
00:51:58.440 --> 00:51:59.560
But it was obviously difficult.

1621
00:51:59.561 --> 00:52:00.380
First game of the season.

1622
00:52:00.381 --> 00:52:01.204
Yeah.

1623
00:52:01.205 --> 00:52:02.965
It was obviously difficult for me because,

1624
00:52:04.369 --> 00:52:04.609
you know,

1625
00:52:05.270 --> 00:52:07.311
it wasn't just like what Liverpool fans were thinking.

1626
00:52:07.312 --> 00:52:08.771
But obviously Manchester United fans,

1627
00:52:08.811 --> 00:52:08.951
they,

1628
00:52:09.351 --> 00:52:09.612
you know,

1629
00:52:09.952 --> 00:52:12.413
I'd scored lots of goals against Manchester United over the years.

1630
00:52:12.433 --> 00:52:12.733
Yeah.

1631
00:52:13.757 --> 00:52:15.858
So they wouldn't have liked me back in the day.

1632
00:52:15.958 --> 00:52:16.458
But obviously,

1633
00:52:16.798 --> 00:52:18.519
so then you're thinking I've got to try,

1634
00:52:18.599 --> 00:52:18.839
you know,

1635
00:52:18.840 --> 00:52:20.500
I've got to win them over.

1636
00:52:20.501 --> 00:52:21.341
I've got to play well.

1637
00:52:21.361 --> 00:52:21.821
And obviously...

1638
00:52:23.097 --> 00:52:25.859
I think it was the third game or the fourth game of the season.

1639
00:52:25.879 --> 00:52:27.880
We played Manchester City and then

1640
00:52:28.220 --> 00:52:29.221
I scored that goal in the

1641
00:52:30.041 --> 00:52:30.882
96th or 97th.

1642
00:52:31.354 --> 00:52:32.194
And that was just,

1643
00:52:32.394 --> 00:52:32.654
right,

1644
00:52:33.035 --> 00:52:33.635
I'm away now.

1645
00:52:33.855 --> 00:52:34.636
Fans are happy.

1646
00:52:34.736 --> 00:52:35.896
And even now,

1647
00:52:36.136 --> 00:52:38.178
Manchester United fans will always remember that goal.

1648
00:52:38.198 --> 00:52:43.000
So that was good that I did something quite big early in the season,

1649
00:52:43.861 --> 00:52:46.062
early in my career at Manchester United.

1650
00:52:46.790 --> 00:52:47.431
What a career.

1651
00:52:47.871 --> 00:52:48.071
Yeah.

1652
00:52:48.151 --> 00:52:48.951
You can't be proud of that.

1653
00:52:49.512 --> 00:52:49.632
No,

1654
00:52:49.992 --> 00:52:50.492
exactly.

1655
00:52:52.181 --> 00:52:53.982
We are out of time and I know you're a busy man.

1656
00:52:54.082 --> 00:52:56.280
So thank you very much for coming on.

1657
00:52:56.281 --> 00:52:57.280
It's been an absolute pleasure.

1658
00:52:57.761 --> 00:52:57.881
No,

1659
00:52:57.961 --> 00:52:58.421
my pleasure.

1660
00:52:58.481 --> 00:53:00.202
Good to see my old teammate again.

1661
00:53:02.424 --> 00:53:02.564
Yeah,

1662
00:53:02.604 --> 00:53:03.284
when he messaged me,

1663
00:53:03.285 --> 00:53:03.564
I thought,

1664
00:53:03.605 --> 00:53:03.805
yeah,

1665
00:53:03.806 --> 00:53:04.905
I've got to do that.

1666
00:53:05.866 --> 00:53:05.986
So,

1667
00:53:06.326 --> 00:53:06.446
no,

1668
00:53:06.687 --> 00:53:07.207
great to meet you.

1669
00:53:07.208 --> 00:53:08.528
Thanks so much.

1670
00:53:08.548 --> 00:53:08.828
Merci,

1671
00:53:08.928 --> 00:53:09.288
monsieur.