That England v Panama Episode: Juan Pablo Angel on Aston Villa & England TOP their group! | Ep. 410

0:06Hello and welcome to that Peter Crouch podcast. It's me Peter Crouch, Tom Fordyce, Steve Sidsroll. Come on. Please. Sit, sit, sit. Notorious is gone. Well we're evolving. We're evolving. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We never stand still. There was a time where we were, you know, there was awful profanities getting shouted at people. Nice use of the word profanities. I wasn't expecting that. And now we're moving on as a podcast. Constantly evolving. I get it. What have you been up to, guys? Been enjoying LA. Obviously, we'll get on to the England game, which has just happened. Yes. But are you enjoying yourself?

0:44How are you? You've been to the beach, haven't you? I've enjoyed the best and I would say worst of LA. The glitz and the glam. I've been to Laguna Beach oh amazing Huntington Beach like great loved it great day with the family see the surfers going had lunch on the beach you know it was great and then woke up this morning and spent the morning in the lingerie which was we're that far into the trip aren't we which was a lingerie I had to I had to time has come where you know we can't keep recycling was it a two-one strategy did you put the lights in the dark it's incredible yeah it's madly actually really therapeutic the machines are like a joke huge what was the quality of the wash like is this a fresh garment this is packet fresh did you use Ariel the big one

1:40big deal big splash big spill I was in the lingerie this morning but it was great it was weirdly actually really I enjoyed it you went down to classic style You went down to your boxers, didn't you, and just put everything straight in the wash, just sat there in your boxers. Can you remember? Like Levi's, though. Was it Levi's or was it Wrigley? No, was it Levi's? It was Levi's, wasn't it? My dad was involved in that other. What else has been going on? Pete, we went to a swimming pool, which was, we had a great time. We had an eventful day. We had a very eventful day. It was nice that we got in.

2:16It was cash only, wasn't it? And it was looking like we wouldn't get in. And then Sid's the nice lady behind the counter just pointed to the sign, which said if you were over 50, you could get in for a dollar. Incredible. So I had no cash on me, and he had$5. It was$4 for me, and$1 for the senior citizen. And she literally just pointed to the sign. She just went, I don't know, but is it? And I just went, it is, yeah, it is. That's the first time I've ever had a senior citizen wreck, but it meant we got into the pool. We had a nice time. And then our evening went in probably a predictable way, Crouchy didn't it we lost I think six hours to the deepest dive on obscure 1990s footballers that this country's ever seen I was invited out by someone to go to um you know somewhere really nice by the sounds of it you know quite a few of the team were going out and they asked me for ones to come but I was probably an hour into um I think it was Southampton's 90s players there were shouts there were shouts between me and Crouchy of Neil Madison Jason Dodd so I caught up with you the next morning and you was a little bit not worse for wear but I could see the glint in your eye and so you was going through a night of naming 90s squads, is that right?

3:42yes squads and the more kind of out there the better so like a derby a 90s derby county squad yeah like you had Blackburn and a one shop of course you did we started already Marco Gaviodini Marco Gaviodini there was also yeah Mark Poom there would just be a nod of recognition sometimes and it would just go of course it is of course it is Paul Kitts of course do you remember there was a couple of halls I got at Coventry yeah you did Marcus yeah and Paul Paul Hall yeah oh Paul Hall yeah it finished not related it finished it finished about midnight with a triumphant shout of Terubo West and then hugging and dancing Terubo West put us to bed it was phenomenal we could go no further there was no one there was hardly one at the bar and obviously a lot of them were American yeah when he's going like Marco Gabbiadini and I've jumped up gone Terubo West they must have been thinking these aren't wild you can go to bed very satisfied then I was happy with my of evenings work.

4:48Yeah. Brilliant. In football terms, boys, we have just seen England progress from the group stage. It felt like one of those where you go, yeah, job done. Yeah. Felt like a job done to me. I think I was pleased. I think it was good performances. I thought Rashford looked sharp. Very much so. Saka, I think, is going to be a real menace later on in the tournament. Unfortunately, Bellingham played really well. Harry Kane's had it difficult to get into the game, but goals, right? Bellingham and Kane. yeah Anderson was great as well he was super wasn't he all the stuff that's going on around the transfer I thought he was brilliant yeah I agree it's like I don't know however yeah I don't know how you guys felt watching it but I was never worried no even at half time like in the bar that we was in there was just a few sort of moans and groans I was like we'll get a chance and we'll take it we'll get one just feel like after what happened last time in the Ghana game I thought like if someone gets one they're just going to get it as soon as we get one I've always said 100 % then we're fine so yeah it's fine we got it done we got through and then now it starts this is where the hard work starts for us yeah there was a point where I was slightly concerned where we were kind of finishing second in the group with the draw Croatia were winning yeah and we would have had Colombia and Portugal it would have been a difficult yeah and then had we progressed through that then you're looking at Spain and France which gets a bit ugly but I would say after that set of group games I've got us in the second tier of teams I haven't got us in the absolute top where you've got Argentina and you've got France maybe Spain I've got us next tier down I've got us with Germany I think in that little second tier, what do you think?

6:30Yeah, which doesn't worry me because again, I like playing for me when I played and again didn't play in the tournament or World Cup, but I like to play on the edge I like to play with a point to prove rather than again, when you've played with confidence like you're saying there the good lads that are in the top tier that could be going anyone that comes near us we're in great form with scoring I get it but I always like to go that little bit between your teeth to go we've got a bit more here lads do you know what I mean you've got a bit of a point to prove especially when it comes to the bigger teams and when we face the bigger teams it's going to be a case of right now let's let's step up to the plate yeah I think teams might open up I think in the knockout stages I think it's going to be a little bit more the quality of opposition goes up they fancy themselves a little bit more I think that might help us with some of the players we've got, some of the pace, the counter-attack.

7:21You know, if someone's attacking us, you imagine the counter-attack with Sack and Rashford, came dropping deep, playing the passes, putting them in. It's that weird thing, isn't it, where almost the better the team we come up against, the more relaxed you feel, because we've got issues, and we have had issues on the two called breaking teams down who are sitting deep. As you say, Pete, if a team fancies themselves against us, they're going to have to against England, they're going to have to come at England, that will leave space. I think the other way of looking at this, and this might sound unduly negative, but you almost look at a group stage and say, nothing's gone wrong, okay?

7:50So, all right, Rhys James has got his hamstring issue, but we have no calamitous injuries. We've had three games in the States where everyone expected the heat to be intense and England have swerved the heat every time. Okay, so Dallas was air conditioned, but last two games have been cool. Saka's had enough time that he can now start a match. Do you know what I mean? So some of those things that can go wrong in the groups that we haven't lost anyone to yellows. So all those little things that can go wrong haven't gone wrong. Yeah, I agree. Listen, the big teams look really good. France look very, very good.

8:27The goals in France. Argentina look very good. Spain, you know, they look... But they also defensively look like they could leak a few goals in as well. To me, the art of defending is like, it's not what it was. Maybe Argentina. maybe Argentina they don't concede many but I'm the same as you watching that France game incredible though that Arsenal of the strikers is and the fact that you know you've got Mateta on the bench and he's not going to get a sniff he's not going to even get a sniff a sniff of a minute but they did look more open at the back against what was the second stream Norwegian side so I don't know there is there's weakness I think there is certain weaknesses I mean they are going to score 100 goals in there every single game it might not matter what happens at the back certainly there's other things that obviously happening at the tournament um similar to that that night we had together we were we were doing all the questions whilst the turkey um usa game was going on but obviously i don't know if you've noticed it's obviously turkeys turned into turkey yeah yeah so um and people are correcting people yeah and i had well i had to find out exactly what the reasons were and obviously it's respect they've they've asked if everyone calls them, this is what they call themselves and they would like other people to call them that as well.

9:45And that's, I think if they've asked that, it's been kind of passed and people are accepting that, which is totally fine. But myself and Tom found it really funny to be able to look at whatever happened in the game, anything happened and you can quite easily just go, but it's Turkey, eh? And I'm not joking. If there was a back pass or if they shot a shot on goal and you go, yeah, but it is Turkey, eh? It worked for absolutely anything that happened in the game because if they messed up, you just go, Turkey, eh? Yeah. To get through, Turkey, eh? But then how are we going to flip this? So is this a national thing?

10:22Is this like, so if you're going to go on holiday next year... Turkey, eh? Are you going to Turkey, eh? Which is what I mean. I don't know. It's everyone using this. Like, I'm saying, you know when, if we play them, Yeah. Do you think people in the pub are going to say, who have we got? They go, Turkey, eh? No. They'd be like, Turkey, eh? They'd be like, eh? The other thing that we noticed, Pete, I don't know if you saw this in the England-Panama game, when the director went to David Beckham in the stands, he had a real James Bond eyebrow going on. Just give us a little... It was a little bit of a...

11:03it was a kind of like the rock eyebrow as well, wasn't it? It was like a, you know where you come on the screen, the, the, the cheer in the camera. No, no, not down the barrel. He knew. I think, you know, you know, the ones where you can see, he must be surrounded by the little monitors around him. He's at a glance. He knows, he knows. He's come up and he's, he's just give it the.

11:26It's actually very good. You're having a shit.

11:33Have another crack. Maybe work on that one. Maybe work on that one. No, it was a case. It was just like a little... I think the first one was better. What was it? Because you need a bit more movement on the right. You need to separate them off, I think. You keep the left still and make the right... Right, let's... Let's all have a go, right? I'll have a go. Ready? That's your one. Oh, that's nice. Can I have a go? Oh, yes. And he can hold it. He's got it in his locker and he can hold it.

12:06Pete Pretending I was David Beckham Just want to save for when Abbie comes over

12:21Okay Right lads I've got a great I've got a great treat for you now And listen if you're a Villa fan you're going to want to get involved I know you've got two Villa legends already here Inmit myself and Sid why are you laughing can the brummie laugh what are you doing it's out of order but you know we have got an absolute treat for you and honestly you are not going to want to miss it because we delve I mean listen he tries to do a brummie accent he tells us what it's like to be you know signed by Douglas how it all came about his first impressions of the place and of course you know he was an absolute legend at the club but this is Juan Pablo Angel

13:06girl. Welcome to that Peter Crouch podcast, one pub, one girl. How are you? It's an absolute pleasure to have you on. It really is. Good to see you. It's been a long time. Been a long time. I was a young whippersnapper. I think I was 20 when I was 21 years old when I came to Villa and met you. Yeah, it must have been, what, 30 at that time, probably? Yeah. Yeah, around that thing. Or maybe, yeah, slightly younger. But, I mean... Different Aston Villa back then. Different Aston Villa. We were chatting on the car on the way up here, right? Let's start right there, okay? What were your first impressions of Aston Villa?

13:45And how does that move come about for you? I mean, Pete, we were talking about it. At that time, that particular time, we didn't really look up to the Premier League. It wasn't as, you know, the Premier League that it is today or as famous as it is today. So we used to, back in America, especially in Argentina, Brazil, we used to look up to Calcio, Italy or Spain. And I have actually, prior to joining Aston Villa, I have to fail transfer to Italy. But anyway, long story short, January 2001, I ended up, you know, signing for Aston Villa. and I remember that the first thing I did because I didn't know much about the club I knew about some of the clubs in England my United, Liverpool, Newcastle, Faustino used to play in Newcastle, Arsenal and look at, you know, obviously I knew the name and didn't know much of the history of the club but I was looking at Birmingham so I went into the website my wife was about to give birth, our first child and I looked at Birmingham What a stunning pictures, man.

14:54It was, you know, everything was sunny. It was beautiful. Oh, my. It was fantastic. Oh, my. Beautiful place. Listen, let's go there. That's the place to be, you know what I mean? That's the place to be. That's the place to be. I ended up signing and it was nothing to do with the pictures I saw, honestly. But, I mean, you know, it was a difficult start of my life. not only on the field but also off the field. But I must say that I ended up loving every minute of my time and enjoying and loving England and being extremely grateful with all the Villa fans and everybody that I get to meet and they treat me extremely well during my time in there.

15:43They absolutely loved you, right? Listen, I know we both played for the club. Sid was there as well. They absolutely loved me. like what does that feel like to be like a hero like that you know coming from colombia i mean i've always felt respected even from day one and even during that very difficult time at the beginning i went through a very difficult situation but i always felt that i own the fans in particular something because i could tell that they expect something from me and although i knew that it was in a club that i was going to challenge you know for titles or compete for titles or stuff like that i needed to do everything i could possibly can just to represent them well you know them week in and week out through a very difficult time uh in my opinion of aston villa i'm just talking about management and so on and so forth what was it like settling into the premier league because you had been at one of the great clubs of world football at river plate iconic iconic shirt beautiful beautiful club with a long history and then you arrive in the middle of an English winter to probably at that point a totally different style of football?

16:48It was, everything was difficult and different. So I finished the season in Argentina and it was summer in Buenos Aires. We just finished winning the championship. I ended up being the goal scorer of the league, best player of the league. And so it was a fantastic tournament. And I was on holidays. I was expecting my first, I mean, my wife was expecting our first child. And then I got to go second week of January and it was freezing cold. The league was right in the middle of the tournament, the Premier League at the time. The fields also, I remember there was one of the things that struck me the most that were very difficult.

17:26They were moody, they were hard. Some of them were difficult to play. It's not the fields that you see today in the Premier League, you know what I mean? I wasn't fit enough at the beginning. It was much faster, much physical. I was coming from a team that was expecting to win every league every game you have to perform well not even in every game but also in every training session because you have 100 journalists waiting for you at the end of every training session so the pressure and the expectation was extremely high and i got to a club that you know at times we're fighting you know to be in the middle of the table hopefully just to fight for qualifying to europe but the reality was at that time we fought for relegation as well so it was a very difficult mindset and and expectation tell us quickly the story about um when you landed at gatwick

18:18so tell us a story about landing at gatwick and then buenos aires gatwick so it was you know it was a very long flight anyway so landed in gatwick and couldn't speak a word of English to start with, so I was my agent. You know, we got a car waiting for us. And yeah, we go into Birmingham. I was expecting just to be, you know. 15 minutes. Yeah, you know, somewhere close. Anyway, the guy kept going. He kept going. It was in M5 or whatever. And M16 was, oh my God, it took us forever. So that, we were playing, that day Aston Villa were playing against Liverpool. The Liverpool of Michael Owen, Rui Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Sam Ippi, all of those guys.

18:59And I remember getting into the club, into the stadium, And it was probably 15 minutes into the game already. And we were losing 1-0. So I sat down next to Doug Elyse and some of the, you know, whatever. And I sat down. It was 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 at halftime. And I said, what the heck? What's going on in here? And you could tell that the quality of, you know, the red team was far better than the one that I was going to play. And I said, what the heck is going on? So anyway, we get there 15 minutes into the game. And whatever, we were losing 3-0. and the girl is, grab me by my hand, takes me down to the field and present me in front of everybody.

19:36And I was clapping and we haven't even signed the contract. I didn't understand what he's doing. And I said to myself, there's no way back. There's no way back, you know. So he's just going, and that's it. Yeah, and he was talking to me like, you know, fluent in English and I couldn't understand a word of the guy. He was grabbing me, do this, do that. I just kept following him. He's always going like this. Anyway, that was my first day in England. Wow. Amazing. What's it like, I just want to go back a little bit before we get back to Villa again, but what's it like for a young boy growing up in Colombia and playing football?

20:11Obviously, it's so far from kind of what we understand and what we know. What's it like growing up in South America and being a footballer? It's completely different. The way I grew up playing the sport and the impact that it has on my life. It was completely, at that time, you know, obviously it was a very difficult period for Colombia especially in my city my hometown was Medellin for obvious reasons things that you might have seen even in you know some of the documentaries of us they are good documentaries I mean is it like that was it like that, is that real to life honestly it's not something that I like to talk about a bit it was, I don't like to talk about it it was a bad time wasn't it maybe the only good thing at that time I don't know if you heard this story, Pete, is that apparently there are still wild hippos in Colombia who were part of...

21:04There's still a problem right now. Yeah, so this was when the cartels had their own private zoos and they escaped, is this true? So there were hippos rampaging around Colombia? And they have been like crazy, you know, reproduce, because they found, you know, proper ecosystem in Colombia. They don't have natural hunters, is the way it is. Yeah, yeah, predators. So, yes, so they basically are becoming a big, big problem, you know. But anyway. It's amazing, amazing. I was not expecting that. But the guy basically, at that time, Escobar, wanted to build his own zoo. And he basically brought giraffes, elephants, you know, everything, you know what I mean?

21:43Yeah. And he opened it up to the public. But anyway, the story that I like to tell always is, you know, although we face those challenges or some difficulties, Medellin in particular is a city that has been able to reinvent themselves time and time again. And there's very resilient people, lovely people, people that like to help people, people that like to obviously move forward. And that's, you know, the thing that I love about my city. I don't like to talk about, you know, but anyway, it was a different time, different way of life. I grew up playing on the streets. I didn't have any, you know, grass field or anything.

22:28It was on the streets. We have, you know, it was a plastic bowl that it has a very, very hard side on it. So we have to put a needle on it just to take a little bit of the air. Okay. But you have to leave the needle in. So imagine when you had it. What? So you end up leaving like, what's going on? You know what I mean? So in Spanish, it's pelota de caray. And we used to get two rucks, put it in the middle of the streets. When a car was coming, we got to stop him. And that was the way we grew up. And I didn't want to be a footballer. It just became something because at that time, also, you relate to your idols.

23:06So the team that I always supported, it was the base, pretty much, of the national team at the time. but also was the team that won the Copa Libertadores for the first time in the history of the country. So obviously we wanted to do exactly what they were doing. So my dream was only just to be able to play one game with that team. What's the team, sorry? Atletico Nacional. So I just wanted to wear that shirt. I wanted to play at the stadium, you know, with the guys that I was supporting, you know, on the stands. And long story short, I started to understand, you know, the industry. I managed to obviously make my debut with them, you know, won a championship.

23:46And then I ended up going to Argentina. And Argentina was the best of the best. We would play, you know, a much passionate league, faster, you know, with a lot of, you know, players well-known, you know, history, so on and so forth. But then you start to, listen, what am I going to do from here? And that's when I told you that, you know, we started to look up, you know, what is the best league in the world? At that time, it was Italy, it was Spain. but then I ended up going to England and I, you know, it became what it became and it was probably one of the best decisions Was football back then when you were growing up I can imagine, I can just sort of envisage it now like it was a passion, it was like it was a community like in terms of like you said they were planning out in the streets was that your get out as well from what was going on?

24:31It was the safe place At that time it was a lot of challenges in society you know, it was a broken society a lot of troubles and some stories. A lot of the kids that I play with, you know, they're not here anymore. Friends, family, you know, it was a very difficult time, you know, for, you know, especially in our city. And so it was a way out. I come from a middle-class family. It was a very challenging period in Colombian history. And does your style of football, the way you play, do you think it reflects the fact that you learn on the street? because street footballers we hear about all the time.

25:07And in England, we always talk about Wayne Rooney being the last street footballer. But the idea that you'd be playing against big kids, against rough kids, and you had to fight for space and to get on the ball. I mean, sometimes you talk about what was best, if it was best. I mean, that was the circumstances that I grew up with. Were they better or worse? I just don't know. They were the ones that I was exposed to. It was exactly like that. I play in the street. So you have to use the hassles from your advantage. I used to play with the wall just to get past someone. I used to play with bigger kids.

25:34with slower kids, with, you know, faster kids. So it's survival. And in a way that teach you things that, you know, but, you know, I'm not necessarily saying that, you know, it was just different and you adjust to it. But you need to survive on the streets, you know, against faster, stronger, better opponents and make sure that you, in there, you leave a mark because that was the only way that you would move up. And that was the, you know, the very, very, very beginning of everything. Can I just ask you about the derbies? Like when you play like Boca River, For me, it's the game that's on my bucket list to go to.

26:07But listen, this is a story. My first game, so imagine I land, it happens the thing with Liverpool, then that next weekend, we're playing Man United, and I was going to make my debut, and it was an afternoon game, but it was dark, so I couldn't understand why it was dark. But hold on, we haven't even had dinner yet. But listen, so I had... We just had lunch. What was it done for? Remember Jim? No, Jim wasn't there when you were there. Yes, yes, the fitness coach. Yeah. So imagine this. So I got to Manchester, I got to the hotel, and I fall asleep. Of course. So I got Jim knocking on the door. It's just so clogged like Craig's in the home.

26:52Jim Walker. Yeah. Couldn't speak a word. So he goes to me, Juan. And I say, yes. Juan. And he pointed the dinner. I said, what's going on? I said, so it goes like this. And I said, six o 'clock. He said, everybody's having dinner. So it's six o 'clock.

27:11So I go down to the restaurant. Everybody was sitting in the table. And everybody clapped. So I couldn't speak a word. So I sat down and it was David James, Vigino Lad, Dion Dublin, Paul Mercer, and all of these guys. They were talking to me like he was fluent in English. So what am I going to do? So I just was following the gestures, face gestures or whatever. They were laughing. I couldn't explain. So good. So I was, oh, my gosh. I went up to the room, went to the game next day, and as I was walking in the room in Old Trafford, sorry, the tunnel, I looked at my son and I said, okay, so it was Fabian Barthez.

27:53it was Silvestre Laurent Blanc Jabstam Gary Neville Paul Scholes Roy Keane David Beckham Ryan Giggs Paul Scholes no Andy Cole Dwight York who Panicero was on the bench and honestly I was so I and I look at him and I said there's no chance so played the game you hadn't saw Pierre Crouch

28:26I remember I lost the game. We lost the game and I played horrible that they couldn't touch the ball. And I was so scared to go to the dressing room because of going back to your point. It was Astonville, sorry, River Plate, Boca Juniors. So when you play for any of the big teams in there, you cannot even train bad one day. Not even a bad training session because you will be all over the news. Talking about you. He was in training. it was a training session they don't care why you didn't school why you didn't do this why you fell why you this why and the pressure was huge so I didn't want to go into the dressing room because I was so scared that you know they were going to you know call me up or something anyway went to the dressing room opened the thing and all all traffic and everybody was drinking beer fishing chips pizza and I couldn't believe we just got hammered with the then as I was going out everybody was clapping and I said oh my god gotta stay here forever.

29:25So going back to your point, Pete, you know, I've seen, because I like, you know, I like the sport, I like to watch games and stuff, and I've been in some of the biggest derbies in the world, but nothing like Boca River. Yeah. You can go and see Rangers, Celtic, you know, Galatasaray, Ferembache, or Bexitas, whatever you want, but Boca River is special. Really? It is special. What makes it so special? The passion of the fans, the game? So going back to my time, just sign for River, preseason. So we're doing preseason. And in Argentina at that time, I don't know if it's still the same, they make you run forever.

30:05And Argentinian players at that time, we were built like, if you don't train hard, it's like you're doing anything. You're doing nothing. So anyway, we got to the first day, and it was miles. We're running and go back and forth, back and forth, then weights, then running, then football. So the second day, I couldn't even sit in the table. because I was extremely sore. So we played a game, a friendly game against Boca Juniors and Marga Plata. Friendly game, I'm telling you. We just definitely got 80 ,000 people. And then I don't remember if we lost. I honestly don't remember. And I have everybody.

30:39You shit, you things go back home. And I say, it's a friendly game. It's just an awful point. So then when we went to play the first game in La Bombonera, the first start that I played, I got there. it was very difficult because the tension, you feel the tension three weeks earlier. So you have to go away from the city because of the fans and so on and so forth. There's an expectation. People want you to win because you basically change the, I guess, the well-being of your fans for weeks. You know what I mean? So I remember getting changed and the thing was shaking. I said, there's an earthquake, man.

31:13What's going on? So one of the players said, no, that's the fans. The thing was shaking, shaking. And I said, what the heck is this? so when you go out you feel it's i don't know how i can explain it but it was extremely heavy you know what i mean and that's what it is so if you play those games and if you do well in those games that's it for you you made it yeah it's particularly playing away um if you're a river plate player the stands at bocca are so steep aren't they like it's like nothing else in world football it's so intense yeah it's but also what i'm saying is the pressure you know is you know you you made a you make a mistake and you could whoa you feel it you know what I mean I never felt that in England you know what I mean anywhere in the world it was just just to play for those teams is special and if you manage to be in a time that the team does well and if you get to win titles is the best thing that can happen or can you that you can experience as a footballer I guess but they spent a lot of money on you like at Aston Villa Did you feel that pressure?

32:19I did. Because at that time, I suppose it wasn't, you know, there wasn't big fees, but that felt like a big fee when you were signed. It was. But to be honest with you, and you will relate to it, it's not that you put the price on yourself. It's someone else's business. You know what I mean? But then I realized when I got there, because one of the things that struck me the most when I joined Estambila was that I was calling the media the 9.5 million pound player. It was never Juan, not Juan Pablo. It was the 9.5 million pound player. And I said, what do I have to do with this? You know, there's nothing I can do.

32:50You know what I mean? It wasn't me putting the price on it. You pay for it. You know, it was a negotiation between you guys. You agree in it. But then I realized that it was a massive expectation because at that time I was the most expensive player in the history of the club. But as I said to you, regardless of that, that, you know, play into consideration where you get to understand what's happening, I always felt that I have to deliver or at least to do everything I could. I don't know how are we going to perform because then you have to understand that, you know, we weren't at the level of the top five, six, seven clubs in England at the time.

33:22But I felt that I had a responsibility just to give something back to the supporters because I felt respected from day one. Did you feel like when you signed for Villa and you was there for seven seasons at Villa? I can't believe you were there that long. That's mad. I didn't realise that. Did you feel like, because obviously Asprey was over as well, Newcastle at the early stages, that the profile of the Premier League, because you said when you signed, it was like the Premier League, only the big teams we knew that the profile within them seven years grew massively in South America not within seven years it changed within a couple of years I think it was from 2001 to 2003 it was a completely different league wow and it went rapidly and what I'm saying you know my first game at Villa my first semester at Villa I remember we have you know fish and ship every day it was beer it was it was everything then then following I really enjoyed it following season The following season, we were all with, you know, heart rate monitors.

34:17You know, we were getting weight. We were getting, you know, everything. You know what I mean? Technology started to change and came into the game, and technology changed the game completely. And then the Premier League took off. And I was, you know, I was part of, I remember that, I think it was 2003, 2004 season, you might correct me, Steve. It was the invincibles for Arsenal. I mean, I remember playing against Arsenal, Thierry Henry, and all of those guys, you know, they were, I mean, difficult. My United, even Newcastle, Blackburn was doing well at the time, but it was a very difficult league to be in.

34:52But the league took off, I say, from 2003 onwards. Can I just ask you, who were your, like, kind of mates? Who did you knock about with at Aston Villa? Like, was it the South American boys? I don't know if you were still there when Novi Solano came in. At the beginning, I was on my own. There was nobody. And nobody speaking Spanish at that time. So the first guy to speak Spanish was, I think he joined me a few months after. He was Olof Melberg because he played in Spain. Yeah, that's right. So I used to interact with him. David Ginola used to speak Italian a bit, so we used to communicate in Italian.

35:26But none of the rest of the guys. That's so hard. When you're trying to embed yourself in a new group of players. And I remember at the beginning, I don't remember the old cafeteria at Borreau Heath. So it was round tables. So he must have had probably seat chairs or something like that. You know, the old one. And I remember some of the guys grabbing the chairs and pulling someone over because I was sitting in there. So it's not that they were, you know, putting me off. It was that they didn't want to sit with me because there was no way to communicate to each other. You know what I mean? So sometimes I was sitting on my own on the table.

35:54I must be so hard. Yeah, it was difficult for sure. Yes. And I wasn't able to communicate. And at that time, the worst part is that, you know, you spend that amount of money for a player. But we didn't have a welfare person to look after to you or whatever. So I was expecting just to have an English teacher or someone that get me around, go to the bank, go to the supermarket, go to, you know, anything. And it wasn't the case. So after all of the things that I went through, they hired a girl that, you know, Lorna. Lorna, yeah. She was extremely handful. And she was, I think she was very helpful for the majority of the guys that were joining, not only foreign players, but also, you know, local guys.

36:32But then a couple of years after Novi Solano came, Ulises de la Cruz came. so it was easier to speak to them. But at that time, I already speak English and I remember getting involved with your generation, with the likes of Gareth, Lee Hendry. In my time, Ian Taylor, George Bothan, I got involved really, really well with them. George's wife was Colombian. But yeah, I mean, I got involved with everybody. They treated me well, Pete, in general. But, you know, communication was an issue at the beginning and that, in a way, you know, put you off, yeah. Was there a point, Juan, where you felt just from a football perspective that you were at home in the Premier League?

37:10Was there a particular game or a goal where you thought, actually, I'm up to speed now? There was, you know, my first few months in Abila, I struggled big time for several reasons. I didn't do pre-season, I wasn't fit enough, but then I went through a situation with my wife that, you know, was extremely difficult to deal with. And my mind wasn't there. I wasn't even playing because she was about to die. You know, simple as that. There was no way back. But then I felt that I needed to do right. So I went early preseason. I remember at that time I was playing with the national team and I decided to come back early just to do a proper preseason because I needed it just to prove myself for me and for everybody.

37:52And that, you know, second season was very, very good. And I started to score goals. But it was an up and down time at Villa. And it was due to, I guess, the management as well. Because when we started to create a team, everything went sideways. We didn't, I guess, add the players that we needed just to give us that pooch. It was a very unstable club in terms of management. And we didn't really have a squad that was able to compete. We were just an average, you know, regular team, I guess. That's my take on it. Yeah. what's your memories of being a Columbia player and playing for Columbia oh but like anybody Pete you know if you are privileged enough regardless what it is to represent the country and play you know with that jersey is everything you know for me was you know the biggest and most honorable moment of my career you know what I mean you know just I see these guys and I get goosebumps.

38:56When you get to sing the national anthem, you know what I mean? It's just, you know that it's not you. You're basically making someone else proud, somewhere else. That's the only moment. So imagine if you're a Colombian living in the US or in England or whatever it might be. That's the only place that you belong or the only moment that you belong somewhere. You're in there, but listen, I'm part of that. So you have a responsibility with those guys that are watching you so for me it was it was a special special moment what was your proudest kind of moments for Colombia and there was qualification we went through a very difficult period during my time because obviously the previous generation were the likes of Valderrama Asprilla Freddy Rincon Alvarez all of those guys that were the guys that put us on the map and the guys that basically made us love the sport and wanted to be footballers and then due to many things we didn't qualify to the World Cup for several years.

39:54And that was a difficult time. And then the new generation, the likes of Falcao, James, came back again back in Brazil. And we are, but it was up and down. But the proudest moment is always the games that we play. We were always so close to qualify, but we didn't manage to make it for a different reason. We were changing costs pretty much in every eliminatoria to the World Cup. And that didn't help. Management wasn't great. and I think the team also was in the best generation. But you scored against Brazil, scored against Argentina, like literally near back to back as well. Yeah, but when it was, I'm not saying, but it was difficult to play against them at the time.

40:35When you look at the team that I scored against, it was, you know, Ronaldo, Arnain. Yeah, Ronaldo. It was Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Kaká, Ronaldinho. I mean, Adriano, Rivaldo, Brazil. It's not bad, too. You know what I mean? It was difficult at that time. They dominated South American football. And then when you look at Argentine, it was Batistuta, Crespo. I mean, it was a different story. But anyway, it was a proud moment just to be able to represent the country as well. And what do you make of the team now? We're here at the World Cup. Luis Diaz, I've seen close quarters. I love him as a footballer.

41:16Bahamas Rodriguez. As I said, Pete, it's a different generation. They were exposed to something different, but those guys are always having tremendous careers. So we're talking about Luis Diaz. He's one of the best wingers, if not the best wingers in the world, with Olisse. That's my view. He's a guy that, you know, I still don't understand why Liverpool are in the middle. He's thinking quite a few fans about him. But we have very good individualities or individual players. Daniel Munoz has done a tremendous job in Crystal Palace. And we have James Rodriguez. He's getting towards the end of his career, but he's been an unbelievable player for us.

41:51So we have quality. And we have this ability that on the day we can beat anybody. It's about us being consistent. But this generation, they managed to do extremely well in Brazil. Then they play okay in Russia. But they didn't qualify for a couple of years, and now they're back in the World Cup. For some of them, it's going to be the last dance. But for some others, you know, are at the perfect age to compete. So I'm optimistic. I think that, you know, the real World Cup will start, you know, next round. That's my view of things. But what I saw from them, you know, against DR Congo, I think it was a good test for them because of the way they play.

42:35They're very hard defensively. They're good in transitions. And I never felt that Colombia was, you know, against the world. They could have scored more goals. They could have been more clinical. but at the end of the day, I think they managed to get through it. And now they're going to play the final game against Portugal, comfortably qualify, which makes a huge difference. As a kid who grew up in Medellin and who grew up worshipping those superstars who played for Colombia, what would it be like for Colombians back home if this iteration of the Colombian team went deep in the tournament? What would it be like at home?

43:09Our sport has the ability to change society's state of mind, well-being, you know what I mean? just with one game. You can make everybody happy or you can make everybody sad. But you've seen, you know, the two games that we play so far in the tournament, they're full of Colombians. We're very passionate about it and we have a lot of expectations. So I can only imagine this, particularly this group of players, they, and this is for what is worth, my view, they connected the country with the team again because we almost won the Copa America a couple of years ago. We lost against, you know, Messi and, you know, Argentina.

43:46But for the first time, I felt that we connected again with, you know, the majority of the fans. So there's expectation for sure. And I'm sure if we do well, it'll be, you know, a party back home for sure. Yes. Can I just ask about your relationship with the US? I know you've got a house over here. There's an amazing story with you. You signed for Red Bull Salzburg. Yes. Is that correct? No, I was about to, but I ended up coming to... And you ended up coming out. I mean, can you tell the story when you're sitting in the office? No, I wasn't. I was offered to go to Red Bull Salzburg when I guess they started the project and Trapatoni wasn't there.

44:21And there was a scale stadium in the table and I kept asking, what is this? What is this? So then the owner said, listen, this is the team that I just bought in New York. I said, what, you bought a team in New York? Yes. I bought the Metro Stars. And I said, oh, wow, I'd like to play there. And long story short, I ended up coming here. But I knew a bit about the MLS because a lot of the Colombian players, particularly that generation of the Valderramas, the Alvarez, and so on and so forth, they play here. Do you know what I mean? El Tren Valencia, he played at the Metro Stars. And some of that generation, they play here.

44:57And I always liked this country. And when I get to understand the project, what was the league about, I wanted it to be part of it. And there was something in me that I said, listen, I think I have something to add to these guys. I was coming from the Premier League and I thought that I was getting towards the end of my time in the Premier League. At the time, there was the young...

45:20So I knew that those guys, it was their time already. We signed Ashley Young. So I knew that those guys needed obviously the space and were just going to be the starters. So I wanted to be part of something else. And I came to the league to a very different league than what it is today. but I enjoy every minute of it. I embrace the values. I respect it. And this league is, you know, when you look at the league that I played for back in 2007 to what it is today, it's just an extraordinary story. And there's a lot of things if you would have asked me back then. For instance, when you look at, you know, LAFC, the stadium that they built in downtown LA, if you would have asked me 10 years ago, 20, sorry, 20 years ago, one, we're going to build a brand new stadium, soccer-specific stadium downtown.

46:10I say there's no chance. Same as, you know, the majority of the training facilities that you see. There are, you know, Premier League standards and the way the league has grown. People sometimes want to compare it with the top three leagues in the world, and I think it's extremely unfair. But I think the sport is growing and it's growing rapidly. The league is getting better. This country is an unbelievable country if you come here to respect the values, to honor, obviously, what they're about. and I'm just a big fan of the United States. How competitive is the MLS? Because you keep close tabs on it now.

46:41So people, I think a lot of people still, especially I think back at home in Britain, they're a bit naive. They say, MLS, that's easy. From what we've seen, especially from the national team now, and I've watched a few games as well in terms of MLS, it seems like it's at a really good level. But Steve, you cannot start with, Premier League is one thing, and MLS. So it depends who you compare it with. But it's not a comfortable league by any means. People think that, ah, I come to the U.S., I'm going to live in beautiful L.A. or whatever, New York, and then I'm going to have fun. It's not a comfortable league by any means.

47:15It's a fast league. It's a physical league. It's a league that you have to travel. And the traveling is, you know, it's not easy. One day you play in L.A. and then the next day you play in New York and then you have to go to Vancouver. So it takes a little bit of time and different time zones and different climates. So it's not an easy league, but it's also very, very competitive. And one of the things that I've seen, the way the sport has grown, then you see what they're doing in player development. It's changed. I'm not saying that they're going to win the World Cup right now, but you see the progress.

47:53And I was part of this league years ago. and it's a completely different league today and it's going to keep growing. It's going to keep getting better. And then there's a lot of things that are very attractive in my opinion because the more competitive it becomes and then you're offered to come and live and play in LA or you're offering to come and play in New York, in Chicago, it's beautiful places. It's a quality of life in the US. It's fantastic. So I think they have an advantage you know, to in a way, you know, bring people over. There's things that have to happen. They will, for sure. And I think the impact that, you know, this World Cup is going to make in this new generation is going to be huge.

48:36But also there's a lot of people, owners, people, you know, very wealthy that are involved in this industry, sport industry, that now I realize in that our sport is the biggest sport in the world. So if you look at what happened in 1994, 20 plus years later of what's happening right now it's just a huge difference it's a huge huge difference what are you up to now I was obviously working with Fox doing bits together what are you up to I do TV only big events by now so I started doing that in Brazil that was my first work up and I've been working in the overseens, you know, in big events. Then I have businesses back home.

49:22Family for me has been a very important part of my life. They're always, you know, the priority. So I have three kids, you know, Geronimo, Tommy and Pascual. And those three guys, you know, I like to spend time with them to be able to do the things that I like. And then I, you know, I do my own thing. But I'm involved in the sport. I do, you know, things related to the game, yes. Well, listen, Juan, it's been an absolute pleasure having you on. It really has. I'm not sure if Tom's got a little quiz for us. We've got a little treat for you, Juan. I don't like this. Just the sound of it, I didn't like it.

49:56I just didn't like it. Tom's quizzes are fantastic. So we've had quizzes for Brad Friedel. We had a quiz for Rio Ferdinand. And today, in honour of the city that ties the three of you together, today's quiz is all about Birmingham. Birmingham. Okay. What we're going to do for the format of this, it's going to be the first one to buzz in. so I just want to buzz noise if you know the answer. Your first question. I don't like this, man. Your first question. Ozzy Osbourne was the lead singer in which Birmingham band? Okay. Black Sabbath. Yeah. He knows. He knows. He knows. I'll do it. Right, we're going to step up now.

50:36I don't know, to be fair. What is the name of the cricket ground in Birmingham that hosts Test Matches? H-Baston. Yeah. Unbelievable. I don't know. Bonus question on Edgbaston. You don't need to answer this for you two. True or false, one of the ends at Edgbaston is named after Ian Bell, former Warwickshire and England test batter. True or false? What, the bellum? I knew you'd see through it. I knew you'd see through it. It's a good one. It's a false. It's a false.

51:15Number three. How many league titles have Aston Villa won in their history? Cool. Oh. I know that they won the European League. They were the first one to win it.

51:32Yeah, first division. Pete? You want me to answer? Have a little guess. I am going to go for four. Sid? Five. Higher or lower than five? Three. Seven. Seven. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's good. And here is one last thing you can all, three of you, have a go at having lived in Birmingham. I would like you to try the following phrase in a Brummie accent. Oh, shit. The phrase. I can't wait to hear one. No, no, no. Juan, you're going to go last. Listen, just a story. I could speak a word, and then you go to the doctor in Birmingham. That's German. That's not the English.

52:16so Sid you're going to go first the phrase for all of you is ta-ra I'm off to get the bus home ta-ra mate I'm off to get the bus home

52:35Peter Crouch ta-ra mate I'm off to get the bus home that is good that is good what's wrong mate can I get the bar home I'm sorry guys I can't oh god he's down here he wins that point I'm quite pleased with me bro I've got a problem telling him it was alright so it's okay thank you I appreciate it well honestly genuinely because I know you're a British man out here everyone wants a piece of you out here there's enough Colombians as well by the way so but it's an absolute pleasure having you on I obviously loved every moment of that I've listened to your stories for all day pleasure to be here man two gentlemen you were really kind to me I was a young boy at Villa you were very thank you you know very hospitable with me so I want to thank you for that it's a pleasure to be here with you guys thank you thanks thanks thank you

53:42Hey, it's Paige from Giggly Squad, and I want to let you know that if you want the newest and hottest beauty products, you have to go to Sephora. I'm obsessed with the One Size Liquid Blotting Paper Spray. It's the first of its kind blotting spray that mattifies for up to eight hours. It's unreal. There's also the Summer Friday Shade Drops SPF 50, which basically lives in my bag at this point. Oh, and the Kayali Eden Plush Pear smells so good. It's sweet, warm, and addictive. like people literally stop me and ask what perfume I'm wearing which you know I love so if you want the makeup skincare hair and fragrance products everyone's about to be obsessed with shop only at Sephora

54:24right now we head over to Chris Stark who's in Canada believe it or not um he's finding out what the fans out there think crouchy Sids how are ya I just thought I'd check in uh you boys are smashing it i i'm on a bit of a side mission myself so i know you boys are in america right now having a great time for the england panama game i'm doing something incredibly special so i'm here in canada on a mountain called grouse mountain okay this is so good we're just grabbing fans here at grouse mountain i can't believe i'm in canada boys how does this work i mean do you watch every game on a mountain like this?

55:05This feels very unusual. We don't watch every game on a mountain like this, but it's very, very special that we're able to do this here. It's unbelievable. So what have you enjoyed about this World Cup so far? Just the total energy, the energy of the North American audience. Everyone's into it, the parties, everyone's just having fun. Yeah, and what's the reputation of the English in Canada at the moment? Have they been behaving themselves? How are you guys viewing it? The bars love them. Yeah. The bars love them. They're drinking, they're breaking records on alcohol and everyone's just having a great time.

55:36That seems to be the story. I mean, we saw it first with the Scottish fans and then it was interesting to see how the English fans came in after because you know, fellow Scotland kicked things off. And it's fair to say, I think everyone is really sort of embracing the UK. Absolutely. And they're well behaved and everyone's just loving them being here. And are you enjoying watching the game in this just incredible setting? It's unreal. The view is sort of shit, but other than that, it's beautiful up here. It's like we're on top of a mountain. I don't know like what else could you really want? Yeah I'm real atmosphere and just like this bears and I know it's bears.

56:08There's everything I obviously never seen grizzly bears before and I spoke to someone here and they were like It's not the bears you got to look out for it's the cougars and I thought this might peak particularly Steve Sidwell You've got a massive sort of cougar thing going on here. It's a theme. It's a theme. Yeah bears are out there You gotta be careful kind of what's lurking out in the woods. Yeah, yeah What BC is all about. This is my BC. Yeah. All right. Any words for Peter Crouch? Peter, we love you. Wish you were still playing. Yeah, fair. Yourself? Coming home, baby. So this is the gravity coaster I've been hearing about.

56:46Thing is, right, I've put on Instagram that I'm here on Grouse Mountain. I'm starting to get messages from people. And a lot of people know that I'm not great with heights. Oh, my God. Do you want to do it? Oh, I genuinely don't know if I can do that. Really? Do you want me to go first? Look at it. Have you ever been on a roller coaster where you can't actually see where it goes into? Welcome to Grouse Mountain.

57:18Okay, the next part of the podcast is supported by Paddy Power. It's the big World Cup fixture. We've got another letter here from the Ministry of Ministry. Ah, nice and dropping. Hi Crouchy, Tom and Notorious S.I.D. He hasn't let that one go. I like it. First things first, let me say one honour is to have three greats of their respective sports offer their services on the last episode. That was good. To hear from one of the most distinguished centre-backs in Premier League history, John Terry. And England and Harlequin's legend, Joe Marlon, was fantastic. But I'm sure the lads won't mind me saying that actually having the great LeBron James was something truly special.

57:56Crouchy, your star power never ceases to amaze me. Blown away. Yeah, everyone actually on the socials and everything's blown away by that. Fair play to you, I think. That's LeBron, though. Yeah, that's classic LeBron. You're doing everything for me. You're crushing.

58:13All right, but how did our guests fare in their predictions? Now, it would be no shock to hear that Sid and JT dovetailed to produce another barnstorming week for our leader. It's getting embarrassing now, isn't it? It is getting embarrassing. indeed a point for correctly calling a france win plus three for killing the buffet's two shots on target combined to give an impressive four points an almost identical set of predictions from joe marler and tom left them on the same total unfortunately joe's vague joe's vague prediction of a french center back to be carded couldn't make the difference uh leading to a tie for the bonus points, meaning Tom and Sid both end the game week on nine points.

58:55Which brings us to Crouchy and LeBron, a dastardly duo with a combined height of 13 foot and four inches.

59:05Despite that impressive length,

59:10LeBron's chances of scoring a three-pointer were decimated when both Erling Haaland and big Will-I-Am Saliba found themselves benched. Chuck in a questionable 2-2 score prediction and it was a miserable zero-point game week for the big men. On to what all this means to the table then. Another big week for Sid Seas in, flying high on 35 points. Wow. Tom remains in touching distance on 19. As for Crouchy, a stinker for a week, leaves him rooted to the foot of the table on just 10 points. Bit of a blow, really. Obviously, I thought LeBron would be great for the podcast. You know what I mean? He's a big star.

59:44But obviously, he's not a huge football fan. You've taken one for the team there, really. Yeah, that's my issue. I could have gone for like, you know, Gary Neville or something. I went for LeBron just because I thought he really had something spicy to the podcast. Well, the double deuce didn't really hold up. And I didn't think he probably looked at the... I forgot the double deuce. The double deuce didn't really hold up. He probably didn't look at the tactical substitutions that could be made in the last group game. No. Lovely comments about Liverpool, wasn't it? Yeah. Yo, Crouchy. Yo, Crouchy, man.

1:00:12It's your boy LeBron. The less said about that, the better. so let's focus our sights on the next Panic Power Big feature, which would be Brazil versus Japan in the round of 32. It's an intriguing tie, no doubt. And to wrap things up, I can also reveal that your next Chaos card will be the First Lady. Ooh, there it is. That's right. So impressed by the performance of the other halves when called upon last season that we'd like to get them involved once more. And as always, with Chaos cards, they're bonus points up for grabs to the winner of the game week, banking another five points. With that, I'll leave it to you.

1:00:46Best of luck as ever, lads. The Paddy Power Up, Minister of Mischief. Remember, please gamble responsibly. Okay. Massive curveball. Sid, do you want to go first? Has Chris come up with... Chris has left the voice, no? Yes. Phone, bear with me. I did give her one bit of advice. Just a little step. That allowed? Just one. it was that I think looking at it looking into it Japan haven't been cautioned a starting player hasn't been cautioned for Japan Is this inside of trading? Very much so It's very very specific No no no I didn't say I told her this You basically I didn't tell her that I told her this I said I'm telling you guys that Japan haven't been I think this needs a investigation This smells to me Stooks So I said to her you can pick Eve Rohr just go for a name obviously she looked at the Japan names and probably thought she couldn't say them but she probably couldn't say the Brazil names shall we see what she says yeah let's see what Chris has come up with

1:02:01hi guys firstly warm regards to all of your families lovely lovely lovely on to the predictions I'm going for an all Brazilian clean sweep I'm going for Brazil Queen 3-1 I'm going to go for Bruno Guimaran yes to be carded definitely he's on that list today and I don't know how to say this guy's name but is it Vinicus Vinicus Vinicus Junior I need to have two more shots on target, I reckon. I hope you're having fun and enjoy. He now will only ever be known as Vinicus Jr. Bruno Gimminenj. Vinicus. Vinicus Jr. Vinicus Jr. Funny they didn't go for a Japan yellow card there. Well, you know I'm a big fan of Japan.

1:03:04I've got their jersey. I would have gone for one or two of their players, but... Yeah, she's her own woman, isn't she? well she's the she's the first lady yeah alright okay let's see what Philip has I've obviously not listened to this and you know I haven't told her anything so let's just hi Peacons missing you guys and LA already and Tom of course what a game this is maybe too big for this early in the World Cup two great football kits too but purely in football terms here's my thoughts score sounds like Susie Dent I'm saying 2-1 Japan. I know it's a big shout, but I love the way they play. Great shape, they're technically good, they're a real team.

1:03:48And by contrast, this is the most prosaic Brazil team that I can remember. I'm not even particularly enjoying watching them at the moment, which is insane. Two or more shots. Has to be Vinny Jr. And yellow card, easy. It's the ageing legs of Casamero. See you soon, boys. go easy on the margaritas well she's fully dissected that game to pieces if you scrolled up on my phone you definitely wouldn't see you didn't write a script no it's nothing absolutely nothing there

1:04:25I'm not sure about this that was the first time I've heard that I'll be honest with you I was working on the England game when I spoke to Ab and I fired into her and left her to her own devices completely I feel like there's been some indecider trade in here I don't know what you're talking about. I think the Minister of Mystery needs to have a look at this. This is Ab's projection. Sorry, I don't know what two plus shots on target means and player to be carded.

1:04:53Okay. Hold on.

1:04:59I feel like I've been stitched up here a little bit. You've got nothing. There's no more. That's it. I've got nothing left. I've got nothing left. He's not in Scripps. He's telling her to power out another card. And this is what I get. Sorry, I don't know what two plus shots on target means and player to be carded. Listen, don't look at his shoes in the background as well. No, she has done more. She has done more, sorry. Okay, so I reckon it's going to be 2-1 to Brazil. two plus shots for Vinny Jr and player to be called Ayo Tanaka of Leeds but I'm sad because I really like the Japanese kit yeah see she likes the Japanese kit she loves Tanaka at Leeds she's always said it always all about it yeah it's pretty similar isn't it Vinny Kus yeah three for Vinny Kus Vinny Kus across the board yeah we've got two Brazil wins one Japan win 2-1-3-1 yeah could go this could be big swing this interesting yeah interesting and if we could just have a little look at some of the bringing the game into disrepute charges I'd like to raise some man city you two we're going to push this down the line it's going to be two years until you hear anything from this you haven't got the lawyers for that it's true

1:06:34Well, brilliant having one on, wasn't it? He was good, wasn't he? He's so good. He looks a million dollars as well. Well, we had heard in advance that he had, quote, perfect skin, hadn't we? From someone who's been working with him. What did you think of it close up? It was perfection. It really was. Wasn't it? What did you think? I just think he's, you know, bathed in moisturiser for his time. I think so. He looks great. Yeah. But I love him as well. Like, he's a really interesting man. His chat was good, wasn't it? Even off camera as well. Like, he's opened up and stuff and like. Even talking about his experience out in the US and stuff.

1:07:02Well, that was interesting, but like the villa stuff was amazing. The river plate being there. Imagine playing for river plate. Even growing up in Medellin. Yeah. That must have been that. Isn't it great when you dive in, because you see a lot of, you see the surface, you know, what people are, and you get a gist of how they are and how they conduct themselves and the kind of where they grew up. But then when you sort of plug a few questions and you scratch the surface and you get below, it's a case of going like, wow. All the different experiences. It's pretty different to kind of what we're...

1:07:33We've known or what we're used to. Yeah, Medellin and Pitzhanger Park and Ealing. Totally different vibes. Still got to be aware, though. Yeah, very aware. Streets. I don't know. So thoughts now move towards the first round of knockout games, boys. And when you look at some of the fixtures that have been confirmed, there's some big old games. There's some big old games for the first knockout round. Brazil-Japan feels like it should happen later. yeah Netherlands Morocco huge could be a semi or a quarter yeah and we've got Argentina Cape Verde that's amazing isn't it class population of 500 ,000 yeah and they're playing in a knockout game against the world champions possibly one of the best players we mentioned earlier on earlier on in the podcast a few months ago about a nation that's just giving it a go they've come we spoke about Scotland didn't we about maybe possibly going out on a bit of a whimper great first game but after that but these lot have just like they've seemed like they've really enjoyed the experience and Argentina that's actually the perfect perfect fixture isn't it how are you going to beat that if you're Cape Verde in your first World Cup you've drawn against Spain you've made it through and then you're probably happy to make it through and then someone goes actually you got the world champions great fantastic imagine they give them a scare you never know you never know and they play well yeah they are playing well they're a really good side and of course you're going to think Argentina are going to win but imagine if it was nil at half time imagine if it gets to 50-60 minutes and it's still squeaky hopefully they get a goal as well you know because the place will go off erupt just a few things on just being out here really lads I don't know if you've noticed obviously you've been in one one of the driverless cars just interesting for the people at home it's interesting to just let you know what our life's like out here Tom got in a driverless car couldn't get out of it which wasn't ideal No, that was a bit scary.

1:09:30You know, because what would you say? Like, sorry, mate, can you just... You're just going to sit in it. Literally, it does open. Do you know what? I really missed the chat off the driver because we've been getting a few Ubers, haven't we? A few cabs around. It's how you have to get around in LA. And the other night, coming back from the podcast, I was in with a guy called Pedro, who was a massive Peru fan. He was cheering on Colombia. Got chatting to him. Turns out he's a DJ. His DJ name is DJ Peter the Misfit. and he started sticking his tunes on in the car you don't get that from a driverless cab no that's weird his name's Pedro and he's called him Peter because I get I get called Pedro yeah and I'm a Peter I wish I'd made that point to him I can see it now from messages log this one Pedro Pedro Tom and Esteban

1:10:20well yeah and just on that subject as well I don't know if you've noticed but there's boxes that are oh yeah walking the sidewalks. They're delivering, I'm talking like a yank now, but like groceries. You've been here too long. Delivering groceries on the side. I walked past one the other day and it was just a box and it had two little eyes and you said that one was called Shaniqua. Did I? Was it you? No. Oh, it was you. Yeah, Gaz said that... They've all got names. They've all got names, yeah. Individual names. He walked past Shaniqua the other day. This little box. I thought, when did we get to this stage in life where little boxes are just walking down the road?

1:10:54But also, when you see them moving, they don't seem very good. They're really slow and every time they see something coming, they panic, don't they? But there's a couple of things. One of them, it's almost like it was having a time off. It was stopped in the shade. And it didn't move for ages. I thought, maybe it has to legally have... It was his lunch break. The taco graft's gone on. It's gone too much. It's got a big tumble.

1:11:25But honestly, there's another one, right? I was driving past the car and I've never listened off one of those boxes and it was just waiting at the side of the road. I keep going to cross. You keep giving it an expression. Just like, just waiting to cross. It's really well behaved, isn't it? It's just sitting there going like, yeah. Then the green man, he's just... Off he goes. Or the green box, whatever it is. They don't seem to go very fast, do they? So I think if I was ordering my groceries, I'd have fears about perishable items, cold items, things for the freezer. Would they make it? They're not very fast, are you probably?

1:11:56No. I feel like we're a bit behind back home. Do you reckon? It feels like we're advanced here. I'm comfortable with it. Oh, you like it? I'm comfortable, no, I'm comfortable with home, with going to get my own. Yeah. I mean, I like Shanika's box. I'm honest.

1:12:22That, ladies and gentlemen, It's a wrap.

1:12:35It's coming. Absolutely nothing.

1:12:43Just didn't see it coming. Did not see it coming.

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