In short
Real Madrid’s contract standoff with Vinícius Júnior—could he leave this summer? The panel also discusses Real Madrid’s likely incoming transfers (Rodri, Yandere Mande/“Diomande”), Manchester City’s transition, and broader football business controversies (FIFA/Infantino World Cup investor plan). They finish with Bayern Munich and Champions League expectations, plus a brief Extra Time segment on managers and MLS/transfer culture.
Guests (backgrounds)
Dan Thomas (host). Stevie Niko (former player/coach; MLS background and man-management perspective). Ali Moreno (football commentator/analyst). Alex Kirkland (Madrid-based transfer reporter). Jan Hagen-Fjord (football writer/analyst; discusses Haaland branding and World Cup impact).
Key claims
A meeting between Vinícius’s agents and Real Madrid is set; the club has increased its offer but a “big gap” remains. Real Madrid senior figures are “open” to Vinícius leaving rather than risking a free transfer. Arsenal is described as the most realistic destination; direct contact is alleged despite Vinícius denying it. Sticking points: parity with Mbappé’s signing/image-rights structure and Real Madrid’s refusal to pay renewal bonuses. Fans are divided: some blame Vinícius’s inconsistency and dressing-room politics; others cite his Champions League final goals.
Notable examples
Mbappé’s 80/20 image-rights split; Vinícius’s Champions League final goals (2022, 2024); Real Madrid’s reported interest in Arsenal; City’s potential loss of Rodri; Bayern’s need to sell players and keep Olise; Haaland’s post-World Cup brand growth; FIFA’s proposed sale of World Cup stakes criticized as harming tournament integrity.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOVinicius Jr. Transfer Talk Begins
0:34 to 1:30
Discussion on the potential transfer of Vinicius Jr. from Real Madrid.
“Welcome to the latest edition of ESPN FC.”
Contract Negotiations and Gaps
1:30 to 2:16
Analysis of the contract negotiations and the existing gap between Vinny's demands and Real Madrid's offer.
“Could we really be in a world where Vinny won't be playing for Real Madrid this season?”
Comparisons with Mbappé
2:16 to 4:12
Discussion on how Vinicius Jr.'s contract demands are influenced by comparisons with Kylian Mbappé.
“and risk leaving on a free And people here also believe that Arsenal, the big name that has been mentioned the most often as a possible destination, are the most realistic destination.”
Egos and Player Dynamics
4:12 to 8:16
Exploration of the impact of player egos and salary expectations on team dynamics.
“I don't know how Jan and Stevie feel about it, But I think we all knew who was making money in the team, but none of us really had access to the information of, well, this guy's got it all and I don't have enough.”
Fan Reactions to Vinny vs. Mbappé
8:16 to 11:46
Deliberation on how Real Madrid fans view the potential departure of Vinicius Jr. compared to Kylian Mbappé's importance.
“so much more or so much less than Mbappe's getting.”
Real Madrid's Upcoming Transfers
11:46 to 14:01
Updates on Real Madrid's strategy regarding potential new signings, including Rodri.
“That doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense.”
The Future of Rodri at Manchester City
14:01 to 16:30
Discussion on Rodri's loyalty and the implications of his potential departure from Manchester City.
“I doubt that they will let Rodri go now in this unbelievable decisive period after Pep Guardiola.”
Real Madrid's Transfer Strategies
16:30 to 18:02
Analysis of potential transfers affecting Real Madrid's decisions, particularly regarding Vini Jr.
“don't think that you allow this amount of experience to walk out the door.”
Preview of Upcoming Soccer Season
18:02 to 18:51
Hosts discuss the anticipation building towards the upcoming soccer season and transfer news.
“and you're in some way trying to explain to yourself, hey, why does moving away from Vinny make sense?”
What Happened to the McStay Family?
19:33 to 22:58
Engaging narrative about the mysterious disappearance of the McStay family.
“In a sunny Californian suburb, one family's home is unusually quiet.”
Show all 20 chapters
Erling Haaland's Rise to Fame
22:58 to 28:00
Exploration of Erling Haaland's brand growth and expectations for his career post-World Cup.
“But we just now have to see how all these things going from being everything being positive.”
Scandals in Football Governance
28:00 to 30:20
Discussing the lack of transparency and democracy in football governance sparked by recent scandals.
“This lack of democracy that is going around.”
Bayern Munich's Summer Moves
30:20 to 31:38
Analyzing Bayern Munich's player acquisitions, challenges, and squad depth as they prepare for the season.
“You can catch up on that over on our YouTube channel.”
Challenges for Bayern Munich
31:38 to 37:36
Discussing Bayern Munich's potential weaknesses, player performance, and the impact of injuries on their season.
“But I have a funny feeling that something will happen.”
Julian Nagelsmann's Management Skills
37:36 to 42:00
Exploring the management style of Julian Nagelsmann and how it affected his performance with the German national team.
“Jan is back for Extra Time, Ali and Stevie as well.”
The Art of Man Management in Football
42:00 to 46:20
Explore the nuances of effective man management among football managers.
“You can learn tactics, but can you learn man management?”
Transfer Rumors and Player Movement
46:20 to 50:40
Discuss the evolution of transfer rumors and player transitions in football.
“No, I feel really good after that, thank you.”
Experiences of Player Transfers
50:40 to 56:00
Hear personal stories about the emotional challenges of player transfers.
“I ended up finding out because of the newspaper and because of a phone call from the next team, not my old team.”
Erling Haaland's Future at Manchester City
56:00 to 57:16
Explore the implications of Haaland's career decisions and Manchester City's ongoing success.
“Interesting season with Mareska, a new coach.”
Reconnecting Through Memories
57:16 to 59:04
Enjoy a humorous exchange about past experiences and upcoming travels.
“We haven't worked together for over a month.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Gab Marcotti:You know when you're locked in, focused and fearless. Welcome to the WNBA. Your vision narrows. You can't look away. Every assist, every stop, every logo three. From beyond the logo. Every did you see that moment. You bet. What records are going to be broken this season? All of it right here. Lock in. It's the WNBA on ESPN. All season long.
0:34Welcome to the latest edition of ESPN FC. Once again, I'm Dan Thomas, joined by Stevie Niko, and we welcome back from his holiday, Ali Moreno is here. I had a good time. Good? Did you have a good time? I think everybody had a lovely time. Well done, everyone. Alex Kirkland is here. K's in Madrid. Hasn't called him yet. Bit rude. Jan Hagen-Fjord joined us as well as we discussed what is going on in the transfer world. We talked about it yesterday and we're going to talk about it a lot. You feel the future of Vinicius Jr. Very much up in the area. Real Madrid not feeling in her contract. He has said no.
1:08Vinny is back, but for how long, says the front page of us. Meanwhile, Margot goes, what? What's that, Ali? Vinny's in the squad? El Madrid se planta con Vinny. That's hard to translate. Kind of stands firm? Yes, that is exactly what we're going with. There we go. Well done, Dan. Yes. Excellent. Right, Alex, let's start with you in the Spanish capital. Could we really be in a world where Vinny won't be playing for Real Madrid this season? Yes, certainly people here think that's possible, Dan. They are not ruling that out as an outcome, especially given the standoff we've been experiencing for so long.
1:43As you say, we may get some movement finally, belatedly this week. We've been told a meeting is set for tomorrow between Vinny's agents and the club. and we've also been told that the last couple of weeks since the World Cup, the club have reached out to Vinny and slightly upped their contract offer. However, there's still a big gap between that offer and what Vinny's demands have been and so far we haven't had any sign of that gap being bridged. People here at Real Madrid, senior people at Real Madrid are now, if not in favour, certainly open to the possibility of Vinny leaving this summer. They don't want him to go into the last year of his contracts and risk leaving on a free And people here also believe that Arsenal, the big name that has been mentioned the most often as a possible destination, are the most realistic destination.
2:27We know they are genuinely interested. We know that they have looked at the viability of this. We know that although Vinicamp has denied any contact with Arsenal, other sources say there has been direct contact with Vinicamp and with the player. So certainly people here don't say that this is all theatre. They say this is a genuine possibility that right now we cannot say for sure that he will be here in Madrid at the start of the season. What's the big sticking point? Is it comparisons to Mbappe's contract, for example, Alex? Yeah, I think that has been the root of a lot of it because Mbappe came in.
3:02At that point, remember, Vinny was the established star. He's the guy that has scored goals in two Champions League finals for Real Madrid. Dumbapé arrives, earns more than Vinny, in a big part because of the huge signing on bonus he agrees when he arrives on a free transfer. And Vinny, understandably, would like to be on the same sort of pay scale as Dumbapé. The problem is, Real Madrid have never paid a signing on bonus. It's one thing, like I say, a big payment when you're coming in, but to renew your contract, Madrid have never paid a big kind of bonus, a renewal bonus, if you will. And so that's been a point of contention.
3:37The other big thing is the image rights. All round of players, almost every player, it's a 50-50 split between the player and the club in terms of image rights. Mbappé, one of the very few players, just a couple of players ever, who've had a variation on that deal. Mbappé, I think, gets 80 % of his image rights and the club gets 20%. Again, Vinny looked at that when Mbappé came in and thought, well, I fancy a bit of that. Why does he get that kind of special treatment? And I don't. So it's not just kind of on the field that we've seen difficulties with those two players kind of working as a unit, it's also had a big impact on the world.
4:11So I think that parity with Mbappé, I think, is a big part of this. He's got a point, doesn't he, Vinny? Well, he does, but if we just go back, I don't know, 30, 40 years and you think about how different the game is now as to what it was back then, the fact that players now have access to information like, well, hold on, he's 50-50, I'm 80-20, I'm 50-50. I don't know how Jan and Stevie feel about it, But I think we all knew who was making money in the team, but none of us really had access to the information of, well, this guy's got it all and I don't have enough. Now that this information is readily available and who makes information readily available, it's also a part of the conversation.
4:54Because who does this benefit? The fact that you put out this sort of information and you say, well, this guy's not getting or I'm not getting what I should be getting. and that guy over there, who, by the way, hasn't been the player that we thought he was going to be for us, and I've been the team, the guy carrying this team, and I'm not making as much as he is, it creates division. It certainly does. And so we ask ourselves, how do these players not get along on the field? Well, part of the reason they don't get along on the field is because off the field, there are concerns. There are concerns in that I should be getting what he has.
5:29I should be, I earn my place in this team, and I earn a salary that is compatible and comparable to what that guy is getting. And if he's getting 80-20, I should be getting 80-20. And it's the old conversation about when is it too many stars with too much power in the same team. But I think we've reached that point with Real Madrid in which they haven't been able, and when I say they, I really mean Vinny, because I think Mbappe just goes through this and says, well, I just worked out my contract the way I wanted to work out my contract. I got my share the way I wanted my share. So this has nothing to do with me.
6:07Real Madrid was willing to pay that to me. My agent worked it out, and I'm in a position in which I accepted it, and we're good. Vini's the one that's saying, well, that's mine. That should be mine. And that is the way that I think Vini has played alongside Mbappe. When Mbappe hasn't been on the field, Vini has been great. When they play together, neither one of them have been great. And so how, if you're Real Madrid, you make a decision that is best for the team? And if indeed you're making a decision that is best for the team, then you start thinking really about the possibility that perhaps it's best to move on from one of them.
6:42And you're not going to move on from Mbappe, and so it makes sense to bank on Vini. But from the outside looking in, it is amazing to me that we're actually having this conversation. that we're realistically having this conversation in which you're saying you have two of the best players in the world and that we can figure out both on the field and now off the field.
7:02Gab Marcotti:The mindset of the player today in terms of the money is completely and utterly different from certainly when I played. You know, when I played it was... I don't know what everybody's getting. We know where you are on the token poll. The money now has gotten so out of control that it's not really about the money anymore. It's about the ego of getting the same as somebody else. That's probably just the straightforward, simplest way to put it. They've got so much money now that it's actually not about the money. It's about the status. It's about, I need to be up at the top of the totem pole now.
7:39Gab Marcotti:And so then it really doesn't matter anymore. So now Vinnie probably finds himself in a position where every other person almost on the planet would take 350 grand a week tax free and they'd be like give me the pen he's not interested anymore because somebody else is on maybe 50, 60, 100 more that's all that matters now and so that means that his ego is driving what he wants and he's going to maybe find himself in a position where he's going to end up leaving Real Madrid even though he maybe doesn't want to but his ego won't let him his ego won't let him accept so much more or so much less than Mbappe's getting.
8:22Gab Marcotti:And that is just a ridiculous place to be in. Yeah, and what are your thoughts on this? Well, my thought is that, yes, with the boys, it's changed a lot. I mean, back in the days when I played in England, we had the players' organisation, PFA, told us, you're going there, you're probably going to be there. And he said, OK, I'll go there. If you say that, you know the wages and you do that. What I'm thinking of when I've seen the debates the last days, the week, is that this has so big consequences for other clubs. For example, we will talk about Bayern Munich later. If Winnie goes, they will probably go after Ulisse at Bayern Munich.
8:57What about Arsenal? Are they just a card that is played now to get them a better contract at Real Madrid? And so there is a lot of things going on. And to Stevie's point, the players, but these players also are now big companies. This is a big company, Real Madrid, who tried to get a deal with a big company called Vinnie Jr. He had probably 15, 20 people in his entourage just working for him. So we can say that the player don't know what to do. He will probably have so many different people talking in his ear. And also the thing is that when you play with Real Madrid, and I know that from the Haaland process, I know that from Bellingham process.
9:42When they felt, when you come to Real Madrid, what do you do after Real Madrid? So Bellingham went there, Erling went to Manchester City, will probably end up in Spain at some stage. But still, you are there. You are at a big, big club. And to be honest, I mean, money can't buy you love. I mean, you have... No, no, I'm saying that. They probably said that about the small wages we had back in the days as well. you should just be happy to play in the Premiership. But nowadays, this is not between club and players anymore. This is between big, big companies and a company called the Winnie Jr. Shareholding Company.
10:24I would just say, if you're a Real Madrid fan right now and you're sitting at home and you're listening to these reports and you're thinking that Winnie could potentially walk away, that he may be going elsewhere, where are you with this? Are you really on board that Kylian Mbappe is the guy that is going to take us to wherever we need to go? Is he really the guy? Do we trust him? Because when things were going south last season, this guy was not there for you. When things were early on were going in a positive way and it felt like, oh, Xabi Alonso is bringing something different and he was scoring goals.
11:01But then he just started disappearing. And when it was sort of money-making time, when it was time to decide what Real Madrid were going to be and what their season was going to be, he was not there. And when I say he wasn't there, he was at a yacht with his girlfriend. So he wasn't there. So when Chua Meni's punching out Valverde, Mbappe and the leadership wasn't there. And so you're thinking, if you're a Real Madrid fan, you're thinking, I feel like Vini is more important for our club than this guy is. But this guy is already bigger than anything else that Real Madrid has in Kylian Mbappe. I think you have to be conflicted if you're a Real Madrid fan in saying, if the choice is Mbappe or Vini, that you just allow Vini to walk out the door.
11:46That doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. Alex, where are the fans in that debate? yeah I think opinions divided I think there has been a lot of frustration with Vinny over the last two seasons really where his performance level has dropped he's been inconsistent what happens with Xabi Alonso mentioned there is a big part of it as well he was one of the big sort of big players in the dressing room that was against Xabi Alonso was seen as sort of having contributed to him being forced out the fans weren't happy about that but he was booed by the fans at the Bernabeu more than once last season other fans I think do remember like this This is the guy that's won the stuff.
12:18This is the guy that has scored in two Champions League finals in 22 and 24. And Bappé hasn't done that. So I think opinion is divided. I think that some people would blame him if he walked away and said he was chasing the money. I think some people would blame the club for not going the extra mile to make sure they're here on to him. So I think there's diverse opinion, really. Of course, Alex Real Madrid had no representatives in that Spanish squad for the World Cup win. So they're going to get some in. Rodri, tell me about it. Yeah, and of course they got Mark Cucurrea just before the tournament, didn't they?
12:46to make sure they had one Spain player at least in the squad. Yeah, Rodri, we understand is happening. We understand the delay has been because City have wanted to get a player in before they let Rodri go. But essentially, the deal is either done or close to being done because Rodri only wants to go to one club and that is Real Madrid. All the talk in recent days of, you know, Barca might be interested or keeping an eye on things. No, Rodri wants to play for Real Madrid. So we understand that deal is close to being done. The other one, of course, is Yandere Mande. We understand that deal is done and maybe made official in the next day or so after sort of some haggling between the two clubs, Madrid and Leipzig, over the details over the last week or so.
13:24So that's two more players, two big-name players that are coming in to Real Madrid in the next week or so, I guess. It's a big summer of transition at City, Jan. Wouldn't you want a leader like Rodri to be at the club? You know, that philosophy they had under Pep, when Pep was like the big professor, the big successful professor, the big coach said, if they don't want to play here, they're going to leave. Maresco will say totally opposite. I need my players. I need a good start. I need Rodri here. He is the brain of this team. So Pep would have probably said, yeah, if Rodri want to leave, I doubt that one.
14:01I could be wrong. I doubt that they will let Rodri go now in this unbelievable decisive period after Pep Guardiola. We've seen at the club with Sir Alex. We've seen Werder Bremen back in the days with Otto Reagel. For those of you who know that, clubs can disappear. And we've seen that in Liverpool as well, Steve. I won't get into that. But I would like to think that Manchester City will be desperate to keep Rodri. And then we'll see how long they can stick to it. I think Rodri is a very loyal player. If they tell him that he's going to stay that year, he's going to stay there. In terms of Diomanda, I see there are some football experts around the world saying that it's fixed.
14:48It's not fixed. Schäfer von Leipzig said, was it yesterday? We are negotiating, but we're still not there. Everybody thinks it's likely that it will arrive at Real Madrid. And, of course, that would be a great signing for them. How devastating would it be for Manchester City if Rodri left? I mean you're taking what was critical to the success of Spain in the World Cup you're taking that piece away from Manchester City and you're taking experience you're taking leadership you're taking all the things that he brings and you're taking a high level of play which we hadn't seen from Rodri most of the season last year but we saw it in the World Cup and you imagine that he carries that onto the season Is there an argument to say yeah it's fine to do it over a short period like the World Cup as opposed to 38 games in the Premier League.
15:41And that would be a very good argument to make. But when the guy walks into the facility with the golden bowl, like, hey, hey, hey, it's hard to just kind of go, ah, it's good because he lasted six weeks. It's just hard. And I think it's something that you touched upon there initially. In a period of transition, you need some people that know, hey, this is what we want to do. This is what we want to get. And this is how we're going to get there. I've been there. I've been there with the club. I've been there with the national team. I know what this feels like. I know what this smells like. Let me be part of this, or at least if you're the club, you would want him to be part of the process for the now.
16:24Perhaps not for the future, but for the now. Once you get your team settled, then you start making decisions on Rodri. I just don't think that you allow this amount of experience to walk out the door. And it's not only him. Bernardo Silva's already gone. So you're talking about players that have been really important to this club and you're just allowing that experience to walk out and you're kind of going, okay, how much is too much? This may be too much.
16:47Gab Marcotti:It did feel as though last year, though, it was kind of, it could be time to move on because he was struggling and he turns around and has a fantastic eight weeks, but guess what? He needs in operation. So I'm not so sure that Man City are absolutely going to be turning around to him and saying, particularly after what he's done for them and saying, you're not gone. I just, I don't see it. I just get, I get the feeling that it's time to move on and they've just brought Anderson in and yes, he hasn't been in the building long and all the other good things that Roddy would add to City and then around the stadium and the building and the train and I just feel as though it's time to move on with Rodri.
17:33In terms of the domino effect of the, and I think Jan was talking about it, how it changes for teams around the world with decisions that are made by Real Madrid or Manchester City. If indeed Jan Diomande is going to Real Madrid, well, that opens the path for Real Madrid to feel a whole lot better about moving on from Vini. Not the same level of player, at least not at this point in his career, but it If you are sitting in a boardroom and you're trying to think about the possibilities for Real Madrid and you're in some way trying to explain to yourself, hey, why does moving away from Vinny make sense?
18:13Bringing Diomande into the locker room and into the building, it's one way of saying, okay, we have this guy, we can get the money for that guy, and then we can go for Michael Olisse. And now all of a sudden your argument gets a whole lot stronger. I'm just saying that these things are connected. Alex, keep Sid Lowe locked in a box and you can keep talking about all this over the next few days Are you on holiday, mate? Or is that you counting down now to start the season? Which of course is live exclusive on ESPN Plus I've been back about it for a while
18:44Alright, we were giving up, Alex It's not our fault How do you say passive-aggressive in Spanish? Thank you very much, Alex Much appreciated Just a reminder to keep up to date with all the latest transfer news There's going to be a lot, isn't there? Over the next few weeks be sure to check out Transit Talk over on the website.
19:27and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRANGER, clickgrainger.com, or just stop by.
19:33Gab Marcotti:In a sunny Californian suburb, one family's home is unusually quiet. When detectives walked into that house, they said that it was like time just stood still. It's 2010, and the McStay family is nowhere to be found. Inside the home, no clear answer where the family could have gone. Husband, wife, and two children are gone, like, poof, disappeared. The search for the mixed days quickly captures the nation. But for years, the search for answers only brings more questions. Who's ever heard of an entire family going missing? A family of four doesn't just drop off the face of the earth with no contact.
20:10Gab Marcotti:Is this a family on the run? Or is the truth far more sinister? From ABC Audio in 2020, this is What Happened to the Mixed Days. Coming August 11th, wherever you get your podcasts. or subscribe to 2020 True Crime Plus on Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes, early access to new episodes, and so much more.
20:35We had the chance really to talk to Jan about the aftermath of Norway's performance in the World Cup, particularly Erling Haaland, who we knew. Obviously, we know we're soccer fans, but his brand just seemed to grow exponentially. During the tournament, we saw the drumming, we saw the goals, we saw the raccoon. So many talking points about Haaland, where he very much put his name amongst the likes of Mbappe and Bellingham, the big stars that we knew they were going to be going into the tournament, Jan. Just talk us through a little bit of how brand Haaland has now become very much a global brand.
21:12Yeah, I think you said it right there. He's going from being an international superstar in football to now be a global brand. And the good thing about him is doing everything that is authentic. This is just what he do. He's not playing any games, and you see that. Having said that, I think that is going to be a big, big challenge for him now when you start over the season. And I guess he started this week with Manchester City. He's not travelling with the team to Asia, but he'll probably start training again. after the World Cup, went straight to south of Europe. There were fashion shows, there were paparazzi, there were parties and all, and he deserved that.
21:52I think you should get that steam out. But you know, again, when you start now Monday, the next time you laugh is end of May. And it's going to be interesting because I've seen this kid taking every challenge as it comes when going from Norway to Salzburg, developed himself into a good prospect, a great talent that Dortmund took on. He came there, took another step there into Champions League. Well, he scored for Salzburg, of course, in the Champions League, with Dortmund being excellent there, taking another step for Manchester City. And you felt like the finale for him now was to take his country to a World Cup and being on that stage.
22:32So it's gonna be interesting now to see how we react on the next challenge or the next step of his career He's just been 26 now. He is He's mature. You can see that he take on any challenge, but you know always like I mean Sometimes and we said that many times on this show I don't like it when people say he is a machine because he's a human being and that makes him other even more impressive But we just now have to see how all these things going from being everything being positive. And now people will look after everything in and around his life and everything. He got a great girlfriend, great family, great team in and around him.
23:15But we've seen people before that you're still human beings and you have to find that energy again when you play Plymouth away in the League Cup. That's very true. Jan, what's interesting is that when you speak to fans who weren't necessarily supporters of soccer going into this tournament in this country, they talk about Erling Haaland and they talk about the Norwegian fans. They talk about the Scottish fans and the Norwegian row as well. I'm just wondering as a whole what an impact this tournament had on just the country and its attitude to soccer overall. Well, good question because when you see the rowers, I mean, don't forget we have 5 million people in our country.
23:56and a part of our identity sport, of course being the skiers. But the last years we had a golf, we have tennis, we have athletics. And now when we go to the World Cup and do this Viking thing, I just feel sorry for the Danish guys because they had some of the greatest kings in the Viking time, but they were from Denmark. And now we took them away. But it's giving us a proudness and it's giving us a brand awareness, to use a phrase like that, that we are very, very proud of. And you just see, and when you see all the other matters into sports politics, football politics now, that is the good thing that can come out of something like that.
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24:38Because that was not a guy that came up with an idea to earn all those kind of money. It just came up because they wanted enthusiasm. They wanted energy. They wanted engagement. And we have to say it helps to win football games as well. Yeah, most definitely. Very entertaining. Great World Cup overall, I think, for most. But inevitably, someone wants to come along and ruin it all. And it's the man who's in charge of FIFA, Infantino. It's a big story that's been developing over the last week. It looks like it's dead now, of course. his idea to sell off part of the World Cup to investors. It's the first time you've been on, Ali, since all this has broken and this story has developed.
25:21I'm just wondering your opinion on it overall. Yeah, so I'm not going to go to World Cups from years past. Just this past World Cup. And this was run by FIFA. Without outside investors, run by FIFA. And even run by FIFA, the tournament, because it is the nature of the tournament itself, has controversy all over it. Why was Messi not thrown out against Algeria? Is FIFA protecting Lionel Messi? What is this following Balogun situation? The suspension of the suspension and the red card. Was there a phone call from Donald Trump? Was there no phone call? Was there involvement? Why is there preferential treatment for the United States?
25:58And this is just one tournament, one World Cup that creates controversy on its own. And so you call into question the integrity of the tournament. And it's FIFA running it by itself. Imagine, imagine if it was actually multiple investors, shareholders, that have a vested interest in the World Cup. Every single call, every single call would be called into question. And the integrity of the whole tournament would be called into question because of the interest of these shareholders. Because if we go into a boardroom, let's say that all four of us go into business together and we go into a boardroom Including him.
26:38We're including Stevie. I know it's a questionable decision But let's assume that we're all in business together and we're having a board meeting We all because we have vested interest because we have put money into it We all want to have a say as to how this business is run Because we want our money to be represented and our decisions to represent that money that we have vested into this venture Right It's the same thing. At the FIFA level, if you have multiple shareholders, they're all going to want to pull their way. They all want to have influence into how the tournament is run. They all want to have a say as to how things are going to be done.
27:15And so it's no longer FIFA's tournament. It's no longer the people's tournament. It's the shareholders. And by the shareholders, I mean the limited number of people that actually are able to enter that boardroom. it really calls for all sorts of doubt in terms of what the integrity of a potential tournament would be. Because at the forefront of all of this is the interest of the people who are running the tournament. And those people have vested money. And when you include money into it, you're going to pull your way, not somebody else's way. So, Ali, sorry, are you for or against this idea? I believe I'm against it, Dan.
27:51I'm against it. Yeah. Now, but listen, this didn't start today. It didn't start with this idea from Infantino that he apparently did all on his own with some friends. This started with a havalanche. This started with Sepp Blatter. This is lack of transparency. This lack of democracy that is going around. But there is one thing that is quite general all around the world. You can't sell things you don't own. I mean, that is rule number one. And they don't own football. So that is number one. But there is another thing now. We're seeing all flying over the social media. We're seeing all condemning Infantino.
28:31Where were they a year ago? Where were they six months ago? Money in football? No. Are there money in football? We never heard about that before. I mean, where were they? Where were they? There are 211 football associations at FIFA. 200 of them sent a letter of support of Infantino just some weeks, months ago. There were only few standing up for these principles. I mean, the worst thing you can do in a democracy is indifference. To keep yourself quiet. England supported Infantino. Germany supported Infantino. France supported Infantino. So there is a lot of things going on now. But there's going to be a general thing.
29:17You can't sell that thing you don't own. And, you know, we talk about democracy all the time. One nation, one vote. So everybody thinks that Infantini is gone now. He will find some way to get that 106 associations going for him. I'm reading a book now about Vikings. You know, the Vikings, a thousand years ago, they did the same. They were bribing the small ones to get what they wanted because they got more people supporting them. So this was a scandal and I just hope that football can save itself for the moment the sponsor of our game. When they say we don't want to be a part of it, I don't care about the big boys or girls in football.
30:06What I'm worried about is the brand, the reputation of football, the grassroot football when people see this scandal, this theatre of drama that we've seen the last couple of weeks. Jan, appreciate it. Thank you very much. If you want to hear Stevie's view, he talked about it yesterday. You can catch up on that over on our YouTube channel. Were you for or against it, Stevie? Oh, that'll get by a chill, not one. All right.
30:34Bayern Munich, third favourites to win the Champions League. PSG are the favourites to defend their title and win three in a row. Arsenal coming in at second. I don't think any particular surprise there, but from Liverpool, 9-1, but we've had enough of Liverpool. Jan, where do we stand on Bayern, what they've done this summer and expectations going into the start of the new season? They got Saibri, the striker from PSV. They took him quite early, which was good for them. The Moroccan striker did well at the World Cup. got Brown from Eintracht Frankfurt putting pressure on Davis. They want to sell Davis, apparently.
31:11Problem is, how do you sell a guy with an enormous wage and injury? That is a hard sell. I mean, you can do a FIFA, you can sell something you don't own, but they have to sell this guy. So the big thing for them now, and we talked about it earlier, is to keep Olisse. I somehow got a feeling that the last word is not said in that story. Olysses has a long-term contract. There is no clause in his contract, so he has to stay. But I have a funny feeling that something will happen. Imagine you being in the French dressing room, talking to Mbappé every night, and then you come up, yeah, yeah, yeah, I can play with Brown, I can play with some young kids from Munich.
31:53That is no problem. We'll see. We could have a surprise there. The big challenge for Max Ebel at the moment is that he has given all his players unbelievable wages. And he has been told to sell players. And you have to get our squad less expensive. And we need lower numbers. And you saw today, I mean, that team they sent out today, the starting 11 today, a lot of young kids. But it's a part of the philosophy that they want to integrate more players than Leonard Karl. with Bischoff that we do know. And then last but not least, the Harry Kane story. Harry Kane has a clause, but he had to activate that in a special date so he will be there.
32:39Now it's a matter of will they extend his contract for another couple of years to stay in Munich. And he somehow got a feeling that Harry Kane will stay at Bayern with the frequency of goals that he's scoring there. and it seems that he has a good time there. He can't surely replicate what he did last season, though. I think he's going to score a bunch of goals.
33:03Gab Marcotti:Why wouldn't he? Because he's a bit older. That's it? Yeah. That's all you got? That's all I got. He's going to get the chances. He's going to get just as many chances. Yeah. And there's no reason to think, other than injury, why he wouldn't do it. If he stays fit, then you couldn't bet against on him. Maybe not getting the exact number he's got, but pretty close to it. I have to say Bayern Munich towards the end of last season, they pay the price for not having enough squad depth. Okay. And it's a conversation that I think Jan just alluded to there, that you're still concerned about the depth of this team.
33:45I think you're willing to accept that from players 1 to 13, 14, Bayern Munich is among the best in Europe. but then you get beyond that and you start running out of options if you're Vincent Kompany and I think some of that was shown against PSG in that second leg and with the team seemed to be stuck and they didn't know where to turn now to be fair to Bayern Munich and Vincent Kompany Serge Gennaro was injured and Leonard Karl had injury concerns as well and so you kind of run out of options but I it's just two names that I just mentioned they're out of the picture and And you're kind of going, well, that's it.
34:21We're just going to have to ride with these guys that are out on the field. They're also, and if you're making an argument for Bayern Munich, they're also going to get a much better version, allegedly, of Jamal Musiala, who we assume would be fully recovered from his broken leg. And that, I think, is a boost for Bayern Munich. But I still believe that the depth of this team is not quite there as compared to, say, PSG or as compared to Arsenal. And those are the teams that we're talking about at the very top of European football at this point. We imagine that Barcelona will be better. We imagine that Real Madrid will be better.
34:55And so then you start questioning, is the window closing for this group of Bayern Munich? And that I think touches on your point. Harry Kane will score a bunch of goals. Will he score enough when Bayern Munich needs those goals the most in Champions League in the latter stages of the competition? Semi-finalists.
35:14Gab Marcotti:you've kind of got you two have got me changing my mind here I was just giving Dan the old look about Harry Kane but you know Ali's right about 1 to 14 but if Jan's right as well and they have to sell and they're going to use young guys then they're not going to be as good they're not going to be as dominant and Harry Kane's not going to get as many chances so actually you might have been asking the right question I was hey good job Dan I think I've just talked myself into it. Yeah, Harry Kane's not going to score as many goals as he did last year. For those reasons. No, Jan, that's fine. I'm right.
35:50Moving on. You're right. Good question. Good question. Go on, Jan. No, no, no. I just want to say that, I mean, Stevie, you play with some of the best. You play with Ian Rush. You know, when people like that get their service, they will score goals. And he's a very intelligent striker. So he will buy and create a lot of goals. I think when you're alluding to the Champions League semifinalists, can they go all the way? And we saw the odds there. I think one of the problems, one of the diseases in German football, and we saw that during the World Cup, there's a load of players who are overestimated by us.
36:24We think that or they think themselves that they are so good. There is a couple of three at Bayern Munich as well. They say in German, oh, they're a top, top-notch player. And when you play against their biggest team in the world, PSG, the Arsenal of this world, Barcelona, Real Madrid, you can count three, four, five, six players in their team that are super superstars. I don't see that at Bayern. As for Musiala, I think he will be fit from his injury soon. But how long will it take him to get that balance again? That way of playing, that body language that we used to love for Ischamal in Musiala.
37:06So this is going to be a very, very exciting time for him as well. And Leonard Karl was out with an injury as well. How long will it take him to come back? So, yeah. But Harry Kane will end up with 40 goals in the league anyway. Good man, Jan. Thank you very much. Jan will be back with us on Extra Time. He says more about his Vikings book. Be sure to check that out over on YouTube.
37:34And that is it. That brings us to the end of today's show. Jan is back for Extra Time, Ali and Stevie as well. Be sure to stay with us.
37:48Welcome to the latest edition of Extra Time. Jan and Ali are on for the first time since their holidays. Where did you go, Jan? Did you do anything special? I'm in the middle of my holiday. I did the World Cup and then I'm going to have a holiday until the Premier League starts. I had a quick trip to Vienna this weekend and I worked with two legends of Austrian football. Andy Herzog, you remember him playing left number 10 at Werder Bremen. And then the one and only Hans Krankel. What were you doing there? I just did a rapid Vienna against Altach in our stadium in Vienna. loves it comes here and rehearsal was my teammate with the la galaxy there you go there you are what did you do for your holiday i went to uh a beach house in florida just south ofst augustine wow invited us over we had uh the big decision to make was do we go to the pool in the backyard or do we go to the beach you know difficult decisions to make them because and then because Did you socialise with people at that house?
38:51I did, I'm very friendly. My social life. And then because I'm a company man I went to Disney for a few days. Oh nice one, did you do all four? Yeah, I went to all four parks, absolutely. Very good. Who finishes higher, Stevie, Chelsea, Spurs or Liverpool?
39:12Gab Marcotti:Chelsea. They all go Chelsea. Liverpool. Liverpool. How can you say Liverpool, Jan? Alright, okay. Give me something to grab onto. I mean, you've been in holiday and you come back and you start all over with Liverpool again. Where did you go for your holiday, your backyard? Nowhere. Somebody had to stay here. Iraola will get this team going. Liverpool will do well. What about, they haven't got a team yet. They haven't got a team. They don't get a team. No. Because they lost to Salah, who was not playing last season, you're talking about him or what were you talking about? A defender, I think, is an issue.
39:52Gab Marcotti:Who's playing right back? Slob is that? Yeah, they will find the right back. Oh, the fuck's going, yeah, they'll find one. Who's playing centre half with Van Dijk? All right, they'll find one. Who's playing? There's a lot of searching going on. There's a lot of positivity. You know, Steve is not buying it when he starts leaning, leaning further forward. You say Chelsea, you say Liverpool. Yes, say for Chelsea up. Just because Stevie's here, go on Liverpool. There we go. What's your issue with Chelsea, Ian? I have no issue with Chelsea. I just think that when Liverpool fans are starting before they even started anything, they say they're going down, then I've got always a bad feeling.
40:34The Liverpool echoes on it, don't they?
40:35Gab Marcotti:Chelsea's got no Europe. Chelsea's got one game a week. And we saw how that works with Man United. Man United were not a great team last year. They were playing once a week. They ain't a great team. And they won the majority of the games because of it. Nay. Liverpool don't have an 11 yet. They're in all these competitions. All the Liverpool play are wrong. And Chelsea... Seriously. How can you? Which case is it today? Is it a 4th of June? 4th of August? Nay. And Liverpool are gone? Nay. Speaking of gone, where do you think Julian Nagelsmann will go next? Oh, you asked the right man. I told him where to go in January and I was right.
41:17I mean, he did everything wrong. I think that it's a good question because I think that he has lost that gloria that everybody gave him. I think that to be a top, top manager, a top, top coach, you also have to be a top, top leader working with people. And this catastrophe that happened to Germany, that was expected. I mean we all knew that or some of us knew that that was gonna happen when he saw his man management So I think that he should get a great book and put himself in Central Park or whatever Lovely like Guardiola did that Sabbath year and just read just read about management and leadership That's interesting.
41:59Can you learn that though? You can learn tactics, but can you learn man management? You can learn to be humble Dan. That's what you can learn You can learn that you were not the Christopher Columbus of football, or I would say Leif Eriksen, who came there 500 years earlier. But that you can learn. You can't learn it through courses. But Julian Nagelsmann, to be fair to him, he did a good job at RB Leipzig. He started well at Bayern. But how he took his role as a leader for the German national team, that is not leadership-level, top-notch clubs in Europe. I have a question for you, Stevie. Who's more overrated as a manager?
42:41Julian Nagelsmann or Roberto Martinez?
42:48Gab Marcotti:I'd probably go in Nagelsmann. I'd probably go in Nagelsmann. I mean... I wouldn't have either, is what I'm saying. No, well... Talk to me about man management, Stevie. Because this is one of your... You speak to any of your former players. And you had that magic touch with them, in that sense. is it something you can learn? I'm not so sure about that. I think there's certain things that you have to have that naturally come out. And one of them is a personality. And it doesn't, you know, was it Magath? The personality he had was an absolute shocker. But it got results though. So you don't always have to be like Klopp or be the nice guy.
43:32Gab Marcotti:He can be like a Felix Magath and everybody's scared of you and I mean, Fergie, Fergie got all these results. People are scared of Fergie. If they saw Fergie coming down the corridor, they would turn and go the other way just to avoid. Just in case he might shout at them or even say something to them. And Nagelsmann looks to me, Jan, from the outside, as though he doesn't have a personality. I mean, what... Well, I think, you know, I think he has a personality, but I think he creates a personality that doesn't fit to him. So it's a false one he's got, right? Yeah, exactly. So there you go. Because, I mean, and I've said, and I say, I repeat myself, but sometimes we say a manager has lost the dressing room.
44:12But the main thing, and we know that, guys, you have to win the dressing room. You have to get in there and say, listen, this is what I do. So Jürgen Klopp, now starting as a German national coach, he owns the, at the, at the, the moment he signed the contract, he owned the dressing room. That's just how it is. So if you're not that kind of guy, at least you have to be humble. At least you have to treat Unda well when he scores a goal and don't say, no, that was just a lucky hit. Or you tell Neuer, you won't play, or you will play, or no, you won't play, or you will play with a 39-year-old at that time and those kind of things.
44:47So I think that the main thing for a leader is to be authentic. And like Dan was alluding to, Steve, what you did, I mean, everybody speaks about you were so good at man management. And I'd rather have a leader, a coach that is good at man management, that knows how the six is going to be compared with the number eight. Can I speak to the fact of what Stevie was known for in MLS? Players talk and players communicate. And Stevie won't say this, but I will. he was known for players loving to play for him. And you can't say that about every manager. In fact, most managers you don't say that about.
45:31And I think even now, if you were to run into players that played for Stevie, they'll look back to that as a great experience. And again, that doesn't happen with most managers. So because of Stevie, because of Paul, because of the relationship that they had, because how they handled and how they communicated, it made a difference in those players' career to the point to where a lot of those players, and again, Stevie won't say this and he won't take credit for this, a lot of those players, after they've retired, they've gone on to do great things too. And some of that is individual drive, but some of that has to do with the fact that there are certain principles that Stevie put forth.
46:09That in itself, I think, is something that a manager takes for granted. Stevie did not. He was a great manager in MLS. Stevie, back in your day and most of Jan's day there was really no... Do you want a hug? I'll give you a hug. No, I'm feeling good.
46:24Gab Marcotti:I'm feeling good Ali. No, I feel really good after that, thank you. Back in your day Stevie, there was really no transfer deadline and absolutely no social media to drive transfer talk. Did you even hear transfer rumours or did they just come out of the blue? If there was one thing Liverpool, and Liverpool's famous for a lot of things, But the one thing they were famous for was you didn't know until you walked into the dressing room and somebody was sat next to you. Right. Really? That's how it used to be at Liverpool. None of this, oh, he's going here and he's going there and they were talking to him.
47:00What about when Ian Rush went to Juventus? Did you know that was going to happen? No.
47:06Gab Marcotti:Wow. No. No, because he, Rush obviously would keep his trap shot. Yeah. No, not at all. no nothing there was no leaks nobody was talking out of school you know Peter Robinson and and the board up there kept absolutely everything tight and that's the way it should be yeah that's the way it should be and it's the best way for everybody really is well we would struggle on this show yeah I mean Stevie was a great man manager not this again to be fair To be fair, we played in a time where there was no Wi-Fi. Stevie played in a time where there was no electricity. So how could they do that? That's right.
47:51Just a quick story. When I went from Shelf United to Barnsley, played Bury away championship, and our secretary came into the restroom. I was in the shower and he said, Jan, we have agreed a fee with Barnsley. And I was in the Premier League then and I said, OK. And he said, can you speak to the manager tomorrow? Yeah, I can and then he turned around and I said I want all my money and he turned around and said yes So that was done in two minutes. So I mean there was no there was no here we go But like speaking of here we go Ali Yeah, that was never on the cards in MLS really at all because it was all about trades This is something that I never knew about obviously we don't know it doesn't really happen in Europe But here and too many people you but everyone it's yeah, and and you have as a player zero control zero say right you just one day you get a phone call or a text message I mean you're going what do you mean I just signed a new deal here well it's not here you sign a new deal with MLS and that deal just right goes your contracts with MLS yeah yeah so your contract goes with you wherever you go so we're just moving you literally like pieces you go from here to there and who decided that?
49:08Well, not me. You get the communication. In best cases, you get the communication directly from the coach of the team that is trading you. But that doesn't always happen. Sometimes you get the communication from your agent, or you find out, and when I was, this is another thing that people from other places in the world may not be familiar with, when there was expansion in MLS, you protected a certain amount of players. And for different reasons, you didn't end up protecting older guys or more expensive guys because you didn't think that a new expansion team was going to take on older guys or expensive guys.
49:45In my sort of last interview with the Columbus crew, after we finished our season, there wasn't really any conversation in regards to what was going to happen with who was going to be protected or not. There wasn't any hint given that I may not be protected. I found out that I wasn't being protected because I saw it in the newspaper. Wow. And not only did I... The newspaper, ladies and gentlemen, used to be printed daily. Yes, yes, yes. So I see the report in the newspaper and then I get a phone call from the Philadelphia Union and the manager at the time, Philadelphia Union, about the possibility of being picked, selected in the expansion draft.
50:25I never heard from the Columbus crew directly. A team that I had won a championship just a year before and I scored a goal in the MLS Cup and I've been the leading goal scorer for that team. Nobody said anything to me. I had a meeting with the manager ahead of that happening. He never mentioned it as a possibility. The GM never reached out. I ended up finding out because of the newspaper and because of a phone call from the next team, not my old team. So I have great sympathy for players that sort of go through this sort of things in which you have no control. I have very little sympathy with players today in which you get all these things in terms of option.
51:09It's this team. It's that team. It's that team. You see it coming and you have an input. But we don't get an input. Or we didn't get an input in MLS. Now things have changed a little bit. But back then, we didn't get an input. You were just moved and you were told you were going. But I think it's interesting in a way because we talked about in the show I mean, that is not a typical thing. And when you see in England, you have four professional divisions and these kind of talks. I mean, now we talk about premiership. Now they may be down to championship. There is a lot of money as well. And some big, big spenders also in league one.
51:45But I can still remember that we were talking about different options when we also had a deadline day. We were not that old. We had a deadline day. And when the deadline day came closer, there was always a possibility. So as a player, you would say to your wife, well, let's see what's happening all the last couple of days before the deadline day. And somehow they managed to make all deals the last hours before that five o 'clock when the last fax had to come. And I remember I went to Middlesbrough. I think there was John 4.30. There was a guy called Phil Whelan, I remember he came from Ipswich, a defender, and his facts didn't come through.
52:29So he couldn't play. This was in March, I think the deadline day, and he couldn't play the rest of the season. So we were still discussing it, but it was more like text TV for those who we could see on page BBC who would be linked to whom. Yeah, what's it like as a father seeing your son kind of go through it? Because obviously, Marcus played, didn't he, like the lower leagues, trying to scramble. That must be such a frustrating time as a parent to see kind of your son kind of go through that. Yeah, I remember after he went to this Duke thing, he played at Duke, and then he was picked by Seattle Sounders.
53:10And I was sitting here, not far from here, and I said, and Marcus said, yeah, I've been picked. I was second picked for Duke. And I said, and I had no clue what was that all about. And I had to put myself into the rules and go in there and understand what was that going on. And I understood that the chances were not big, but it was still a big praise for him as a player. Good for him to take further on his career. And when he then came to Scotland, it was like back to the 90s again because it was not the big money. And he went to air. That's just Scotland in general.
53:42Gab Marcotti:He was playing in my own team. Yeah, I know. He played in your team. And I want to visit him there. I felt like it was back in the 90s. But as you were saying, you were nervous because we forget that. That when people are saying that footballers have a great life, but we only see the guys who are in a private jet, but here we go. But this is the professional. This is their life. They have mortgages. They have a heart that needs to be paid, a couple of kids, and you just wait what happened. And the story Al is telling that, I can't imagine that. USA is not a small country. I mean, you can be turned all over the continent, so to say, in one phone call.
54:23Gab Marcotti:I could never get my head around that. You know, somebody that was in your squad, that was in your team, maybe didn't play. And you, you don't have the gumption to call them and tell them what's happening. There you go. I just could never get my head around that. I mean, I don't get it. there was way too many coaches back then who couldn't wait to be talking to the sign-in who was coming. They're all over it. It's all pictures and stuff. But as soon as you had to do something that wasn't the best part of your job, well, you've got to man up. Don't be a coward. You know, you can't always have it all the way you want.
55:03Gab Marcotti:It really irritated me. The amount of times that guys would come to us and they would be the same and nobody spoke to them. I mean And basically what it does is They actually arrive at your place Not happy Yeah Not happy at all Because they've just been dumped Sure Basically Yeah without an explanation Can I just add one thing though About You were saying earlier About the way Liverpool did things And people will probably go How come though Somebody must have said something How come they didn't find out Well Liverpool when they went to watch somebody They didn't even get comp tickets They bought tickets Right They would actually go and queue up and buy a ticket and go into the game.
55:43Gab Marcotti:So nobody would know. Nobody would have a clue. They wore glasses and a fake moustache. Oh, big moustache. Big hooter. The whole thing. Jan, a couple of questions left. Over-under, two years before Haaland leaves Manchester City for either Barcelona or Real Madrid. How long will he be at City for, Jan? What's your money on? Interesting season. I start there. Interesting season with Mareska, a new coach. Having said that, when Erling Haaland did this evaluation program that he did with all clubs, which impressed me a lot when we made a documentary about him, one of the things that I was most surprised of was that he didn't put the coach in as one of the major things.
56:25Because they were always thinking about, well, the coach could leave. And when he went to Salzburg, Marco Rose was there and he just left for Germany. Marco Rose is now in Bournemouth, as you know. And the same thing happened now with Manchester City. I think that he won't play for Manchester City the rest of his career. I think that he will end up in Spain at one stage. But I think it will depend how things will develop with Mareschka. Because when you have the statue now with Erling Haaland, he's won the treble. He's been top scorer all the time, winning trophies for Manchester City. You have to win titles.
57:04You have to be a part of a team that gets trophies. And as long as Manchester City do that, I don't think that they will think of leaving them. Final question, Ali, on a scale from one to ten, how much did you miss Dan? We haven't worked together for over a month. Obviously you were doing the morning show, I was doing the evening show, and then we had the holiday. One being not a lot, ten being I miss you a lot. Yeah, let's go with that. I'd say a ten. I know. Two weeks today Ali, we're going to Spain together. Lovely. Maybe I won't miss you so much then. That'd be lovely.
57:41Gab Marcotti:I don't know why you said ten. One of the abiding memories of the last time we went to Spain together was after the game we all went to a club and you had like a... Is it a pina colada bowl? Yes, in a fish bowl. Now let's give you some context. Pina colada? Yeah, but hold on. Hold on, the Shirley Temple kill. No, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I just want to say, Maka was there. Yeah. And he was just like, you got to have something. You got to, you're having a beer, you're having a beer. All right. And I said, fine. You know, I'll have a piña colada, right? And he ordered the piña colada. And it was the biggest piña colada I've ever seen in my life.
58:17It was a fishbowl. And I'm walking with this whole thing the whole night while Dan is singing karaoke. Brilliant. Everyone's a winner. It's great. The best thing was Maka. What did you sing, Dan? I can't remember. A plethora of things. Normal, yeah. Don't worry about that. That is it. Fantastic. It is great to be back. It really is. Thank you very much. ESPN FC returns tomorrow. You working tomorrow? Have I got my lip?
58:43Gab Marcotti:Shmegma. I'll be there an hour. Are you on tomorrow boys? I am. Oh no. What? You're right, you're right. Maybe Shaq is the hero of the day at the revs. I'm going to ask him about that.
59:01We'll be right back.
From the publisher
The FC Crew react to the latest news as Real Madrid stay firm on their contract offer to Vinícius Júnior as he wishes for a deal closer to Kylian Mbappé's. Also, Rodri is continuously linked away from Manchester City, to Real Madrid, but would it hurt Manchester City too much if they sold him? Then, a recap of Erling Haaland and Norway at the World Cup, and the latest on Gianni Infantino's controversial decisions.
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