CLASSIC CLIPS | with The Night Ronaldinho Taught Joe Cole A Brutal Lesson & Mourinho’s RUTHLESS Chelsea

0:00What was different with Jose to make you get into the right position at that time? He liked partnerships on the pitch. So I played on the right. Paulo Ferreira played behind me. What he was very big on was you'd pick up left back, right? And if he got a cross in, it was my responsibility, not the right backs. Do you know what I mean? And you just knew if you got it wrong. Like there's a game, we're playing Barcelona in the Nou Camp, right? I was playing right midfield and it was the first time I played against Ronaldinho so stupidly so the ball's got into Ronaldinho he's pinned Paolo Ferreira and he's got we're all in a nice defensive position we're all set I can see Van Brontkos and he's made a run and I thought that's a stupid run he's never going to get that and Ronaldinho just gone done something lollipop bang backheeled it into Van Brontkos and it's one of them moments on the pitch when I was like oh shit Yeah.

0:57Van Broncos witching across. Esu's missed it by a Rizla. But like, that was because it was Ronaldinho and I took a gamble where I let Van Broncos run. And I thought right now, for the rest of the 40 or 50 games, there's no ever, there's not going to be a fullback that's going to run past me. Jose was the best at like, just like putting a player down in a brilliant way. Like it was like, Ricky Cavaglio, obviously great player. Great at a game, right? he had a row with Jose about something. After the game, he didn't play. And Jose's gone. You, same thing, you will never play again for me. You will never play.

1:36John Terry, number one. Gallas, number two. Robert Hoof, three. Young kid, number four. And he went, Nick, I'll play Mick ahead of you. He's gone like that. I've gone. Mick's his 50 year old fan of a big derby on him like that Carl Valio it's Ricky Carl Valio it's not bad isn't it you mentioned it before so you made your you were part of the England squad in the year 2000 and bearing in mind Joe's younger than me I made my debut in the 99-2000 season for QPR Joe's playing for England at that time you must have been involved with like Seaman in that kind of era. Yeah. And how old are you when you walk into that dress room and what's it like?

2:27Must have been, I think my first squad I was in was, well, I know the game. We can check the dates. Come and snap, man. Come and snap, man. The last game at Wembley, Kevin Keegan's last, you know the... Did your man squad? Yes. Germany, that one. Yeah, I was in the squad. I didn't make the bench. That was my first squad. So I don't know, I'd have been 18. Plus the old Wembley. Old Wembley. The 7th of October, 2000. Here you go. Wow. 2000, man. Yeah, I would have been 18 there. Yeah, probably 18. Yeah, so I think that's the end of my first season playing. Yeah, QPR. You were starting at England.

2:59I got in the squad, yeah. First squad. What's that like? You know, you get the call. How old are you there? 18? Yeah, I don't even know if I could drive. I can't remember. I didn't drive myself, but I can't even. Anyway, I got the call up, and I've turned up. And to be fair, and I'll always remember this. Do you know like the Beckham butt skullsies and the Nevels? class like so they were the first people they were they were great they were like I bummed into them first of all they was always great and they was right the way through my England career as a young player they always looked after us and made sure I was alright and was welcoming but then getting to your room first training met Keegan and all that just come and enjoy yourself you're not going to play but you know big part of future plans for us and blah blah whatever great going to training I got on the coach and I think where do I sit and it's nervous and I just see I like I just see this head pop up from the hugest the hugest paper the Financial Times like that Tony Adams like and I'm like just give me the little like come and sit here mate come sit here and I've so big tones on the Financial Times that's like some Corden sketch or something I know I know almost not real like comic relief get his footsie numbers in it I know and I'm like I think alright let me go and sit next to the to Tony and we're just chatting away and this paper's so big I've just got no room to sit on this thing and I'm like that and it was the famous game where Keegan retired right so I was literally I wasn't so we're sitting at Wembley watching the game and then I got beat come down and I'm standing outside the dressing room and Keegan's walked past and he's like I'm not up to this I'm resigning and the poor little PR person for England was like you can't do that and I'm like I'm standing there going, what is going on here?

4:51I've only turned up. As if that was going to change his mind. And he's just gone back, gone to the Sky Sports cameras, come here, mate. I don't know, probably Nick Collins has come over. He said, yeah, I've had enough. And I'm just going, what's fucking going on here? So anyway, yeah, that was my first experience of England. what an experience that was big thing this series on the pod Joe is about draft excluders which are sort of new to the game really I don't think when you were 16 year old or 18 year old starting out in England you were practicing being a draft excluder to be honest with you I don't think you'd potentially make a very good one I know you're above average height as you're keen to point out but you're not that far off we've clarified that already in England do you need a long draft excluder and in Scotland I think I'd be a good draft excluder I'm real with you but we've taken it up another level with the draft it's glued us this series when we were chatting to Aaron Ramsdale we discussed going full frontal Dave there was a player who went full frontal the other day I saw it we've had two instances so far in the Premier League Diogo Jota against Newcastle full frontal and Dan James for Leeds against Arsenal do you know what my job a lot was the charger that's the worst job oh that is a bad job you would never have got that job is that just because you were rapid no that was just because I was not very good I wasn't at anything else I'm not going to beat anyone in the air.

6:17So you couldn't mark. I wasn't big for the wall. I wasn't tall enough for the wall. If it clips to the far post I'm no good to know one there but I can take one in the mush as good as anyone. There's nothing worse. Like actually charging it's like if you watch someone who doesn't actually really want to charge like the way the whistle goes and then they bend their run a little bit. Just to make it later. Let me tell you I've seen some good chargers in one time. I've had some I've broken leg ankle toe wrist I've done medials right the most pain I've experienced on a football pitch is charging and taking one in the nuts I was I had a tear in my eye it was like straight in it it was oh it was oh horrible worst we're in series 6 now I think this is right I don't think we've discussed the charge the art of charging I was an experienced charger right so let me tell you I was an experienced charger it was the worst job When you get the jobs on set pieces that's pretty easy you're like oh for fuck's sake I'm going to cop a few this year right so listen this is what you got to do first of all you got to be a bit cheeky because you got to nick a yard right and you got to be brave and a little bit mental mental as well like I'm not mental but I'm brave enough to get it but you got to be cheeky right you're right there's a few that play at it they do the bend the run they go oh look at me I'm brave and then all of a sudden then they're on they're on the outside so yeah but I did it and it's bloody painful.

7:44No one's ever made a montage on YouTube of fantastic chargers. Oh, I like that. Like, you know, it's all about goals and beautiful saves. Like, let's have a charging montage and there's people that can do that out there. Yeah, I think you're right. Send in your clips, people. Sunday League.

8:05Immersing yourself in all things soccer ahead of this summer's World Cup? I'm Alex Abnos, senior sports editor from The Guardian. And whether you're a soccer beginner or you know the game inside and out, we've got you covered. Read, watch, and listen as our journalists connect the dots between the games, the cultures, and this political moment. We'll have daily newsletters throughout the tournament, reporters on the ground with all the big teams, and the legendary Football Weekly podcast, The Guardian, bringing you the whole picture on soccer. Search Guardian Soccer for more.