Everybody Hates Belgium | The Beautiful Pod

Today’s episode with Chris Ryan and Ben Foster features Rooney, Ronaldo, God (Messi), and Haaland. Enjoy. Host: Adam FriedlandCohost: Chris RyanGuests: Ben Foster and Erlend MorchExecutive Producers: Adam Friedland, Marc Fineman, and Mason KleinWriters: Adam Friedland and Sam SerxnerProducers: Sam Serxner, Julia Cassidy, Chris WohlersEditor: Jon RoemerStudio Tech: Adam Tarin--See Adam on tour https://theadamfriedland.show/pages/tour--JOIN THE FRIEDLAND FAMILY FOUNDATION / PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION:https://www.youtube.com/@TheAdamFriedlandShow/join--Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheAdamFriedlandShow--Buy our merch: https://theadamfriedland.show/collections/new--X: https://x.com/adam_talkshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theadamfriedlandshowTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adamfriedlandshowclipsYouTube: Subscribe to @TheAdamFriedlandShow here:https://www.youtube.com/c/TheAdamFriedlandShowSubscribe to @TAFSClips here: https://www.youtube.com/@tafsclips Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 1:35Adam Friedland?

  Hello and welcome to the beautiful pod. I'm Adam Friedland. You're Chris Ryan.

• 1:40Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:42Adam Friedland?

  Has anyone said that to you? You are Chris Ryan.

• 1:44Speaker 03

  I just realized you're wearing a blazer. Is that because you're men in blazers official now? You're coded by those guys?

• 1:49Adam Friedland?

  No, this is the first time you've looked at me since we started the show. I've worn a jacket, a nice jacket. I've dressed for the job I want. I thought that it would start rubbing off on you and you could, you could those hoodies.

• 2:11Adam Friedland?

  How are we doing? How are we enjoying the cup?

• 2:13Speaker 03

  Yeah, we're loving the cup. And the reason we're loving the cup is because the stars have come out. Like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, your three favorites?

• 2:24Adam Friedland?

  In my opinion, my three favorite players are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappe.

• 2:31Speaker 03

  In my opinion.

• 2:33Adam Friedland?

  But I'm a hipster, okay?

• 2:35Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 2:35Adam Friedland?

  We're gonna do a lightning roundup of the matches. We're gonna do some fucking amazing analysis. We have our gaffer segment. This one is gonna be really good today. And then at the end of the show, I'm gonna be joined with the Foz himself, Henry Winkler.

• 2:54Speaker 03

  Ben Foster.

• 2:55Adam Friedland?

  Ben Foster, okay. Well, I'm gonna have to change a lot in my interview. Ben Foster, and then we're gonna wrap it up. I was at Senegal, Norway, last night. The level... The level...

• 3:09Speaker 03

  You didn't like it. You did not like the quality of play.

• 3:13Adam Friedland?

  Well, I would say that I was, yes, I was there with two lovely Norwegian men. I don't wanna put it that way. Why would I put it that way? I was there with my two pals that are Norwegian, my one new pal who's the Zoron of Norway, apparently. I'm collecting Zorons all over, yeah. Next week, I have a lunch with the Zoron of Israel.

• 3:39Adam Friedland?

  Okay.

• 3:41Adam Friedland?

  Jesus Christ, what am I doing? When the monster scores, it's, I can't, I can't celebrate it. I was wearing their red thing with the cross, with a Christian cross. And, you know, I was there, you know, with them rooting against Africa. The royal family were in attendance. Apparently, they have a scandal right now.

• 4:00Speaker 03

  The royal family of Norway.

• 4:02Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, Norway. What's the scandal going on with the royals there?

• 4:06Speaker 04

  I guess the stepson did something not so good.

• 4:09Adam Friedland?

  He's a nonce. He nonced.

• 4:11Speaker 03

  Oh, no.

• 4:11Adam Friedland?

  Okay, so they're becoming Anglophiles. It might be the fact that... Holland was born in, in England. It's really, they're, they're, they're really doing British stuff these days. Yeah, I gotta say that Senegal were poor. I was really excited to see them. They started three sixes and it was just incredibly, both, you could see both teams were trying to hit the other team on the break.

• 4:35Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 4:36Adam Friedland?

  And then, so it's like, uh, like, uh, well, what do we, we don't want possession, right? It was just like, the first 20 minutes were odd. Uh, it was kind of like, uh, what did they say in boxing where they, they're feeling,

• 4:49Speaker 03

  Yeah, they're feeling each other out. They're trying to find each other's distances.

• 4:52Adam Friedland?

  They were feeling each other up and, uh, yeah.

• 4:55Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 4:56Adam Friedland?

  They were snogging.

• 4:56Speaker 03

  That's actually the son of the Norwegian Prime Minister, I think you're talking about.

• 5:00Adam Friedland?

  The son of the, of the Prime Minister, not the King. Nost.

• 5:05Speaker 04

  Stepson.

• 5:06Adam Friedland?

  Okay, we're gonna break this story later on with a member of parliament and, uh, the Nathan Fielder of Norway, which apparently the government just gives you money. You can go to the government and be like, I want to be the share of Norway.

• 5:19Speaker 03

  Are you gonna start collecting Nathan Fielders around the globe too? Is there a Nathan Fielder in Israel?

• 5:24Adam Friedland?

  I don't know. No, that, that would, that intimidates me to think of it, a Jewish guy that's better at comedy. Uh, no, but, uh, no, granted, uh, yeah, it was, uh, it was like herky jerky. Uh, uh, we had a Mendy injury. Uh, my, Sam, the producer, was celebrating a little bit, so loudly. It's a man's life, okay? Sam, why would you, why would you cheer for that?

• 5:51Speaker 04

  I don't know. I regretted it as soon as I did.

• 5:53Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, yeah. Thank you, Sam.

• 5:54Speaker 03

  What was, uh, what was MetLife like as a, as a, as a football, uh, arena?

• 6:00Adam Friedland?

  I gotta say, I drove there 17 hours early and, uh, I went to the Norway fan section. And I was like, it's gonna take forever to, uh, get back. And I took the train back instead of getting the ride that I got. Uh, and it was pretty convenient.

• 6:15Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 6:16Adam Friedland?

  I have to say, from Penn Station, there's a bus to Secaucus, and then you take the 4 and 5, and then you change to the 5 and the 10. Yeah, this is really good content. Anyway, but no, I will say it wasn't as big a pain in the ass to get there as I had suspected. It's cool. It was the first ever World Cup match I'd ever been to and it's really, the anthems and the flags, I mean, it's sick. It's so sick. Have you been to a match?

• 6:44Speaker 03

  I haven't. I hope I get to go to one of the knockouts. I've been really jealous of all the footage from Philly because it seems like the countries are really like showing out in Philly especially. And everybody's like gathering on the art museum steps, which is right down the street from where I grew up. So, I wish I was there.

• 6:59Adam Friedland?

  The rocky, the rocky steps.

• 7:00Speaker 03

  The rocky steps, yeah.

• 7:01Adam Friedland?

  Yeah. Is that like a thing in Philly where people are like just snobs about it? They're like, oh god, these tourists think that they're doing a thing from one of the coolest movie scenes ever.

• 7:13Speaker 03

  Yeah, no, we suggest that they go running through southwest Philly like Creed.

• 7:17Adam Friedland?

  Do you throw coins at them perhaps?

• 7:20Speaker 03

  No, no, we don't throw batteries.

• 7:22Adam Friedland?

  Just as an aside, I know this has nothing to do with soccer, but my friend said he went to a strip club in like, in Germany. And like a euro is a coin. And I was like, aren't they throwing, so they had to like exchange them for paper currency. Cause otherwise they'd be throwing coins at the strippers, which would be obviously terrible. Holland is fucking amazing. And the presser, the press conference afterwards where they're like, you got France coming up and he's like,

• 7:49Speaker 03

  Yeah, we're getting smoked.

• 7:51Adam Friedland?

  They're gonna kill us and they're like, they're the best, they're probably gonna win the World Cup. It really made me like him. I was actively maybe a little bit the Odegaard experience, chirping a little bit until that brilliant reverse pass.

• 8:06Speaker 03

  Chirping what? Were you chirping like, get out of my club?

• 8:08Adam Friedland?

  I was like, welcome to the experience, boys.

• 8:10Speaker 03

  Oh, yeah.

• 8:11Adam Friedland?

  I've had 55 matches of this. It actually hasn't been available. But yeah, apparently they're getting sick of him too. And then he had that brilliant reverse ball. Erlend, our friend was like, this is going to be like the big Odegaard game or whatever. And yeah, and we're like, no, it's not, dude. He stinks. And then he was pretty good. Okay.

• 8:32Speaker 03

  It's funny watching these guys get rejuvenated. This happened with me with McAllister on Argentina where I was like, you shaved your head. You, you look like, like prime you. Klops down there on the field, dapping you up.

• 8:45Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, because they're playing against the Kurds and like they're playing against like the Canary Islands. I mean like what like that's why. These guys that we get so frustrated with are playing against like a Sunday League team from Blackpool or some shit. I don't know.

• 9:00Speaker 03

  Blackpool sending a team to the World Cup.

• 9:02Adam Friedland?

  Blackpool is in the World Cup, right? Gianni Infantino has expanded the field to include Blackpool.

• 9:10Speaker 03

  That'd be great if random cities got to have their own World Cup team.

• 9:15Adam Friedland?

  Apparently Blackpool is, and I'm sorry if this offends anyone, the most shit place in England. Apparently it's shit. I thought, I don't know, at least they have a pool. Uh, okay, we'll clean that up. Let's go through, lightning round of games, Morocco, Scotland. I don't really want to talk much about it other than I want to introduce our gaffers segment again.

• 9:38Speaker 03

  Yeah, let's do it.

• 9:39Adam Friedland?

  Steve Clark. Uh, is Steve Clark on the hot seat? Okay?

• 9:43Speaker 03

  Uh, so yes, and I also thought that this was an interesting example of how sometimes somebody who can be like a beloved cult figure then immediately turns into an incredibly annoying man almost instantaneously after not getting much, uh, many goals.

• 9:58Adam Friedland?

  Yeah.

• 9:59Speaker 03

  Out of his side.

• 10:01Adam Friedland?

  As, as he said before, it's a new Steve Clark in this tournament. He's considering a 4-4-2 and letting them speak to their families. So, he's really letting his hair down in this tournament. For those of you who don't know, Steve Clark is the manager of Scotland. He is a man who has never smiled. That is, that is, he's, he's actually, there is in the Guinness Book of World Records, longest time without smiling. It's been his entire life. All right, let's keep moving. Uh, Brazil, Haiti, Vinny, is he free of the dictator? Are we seeing?

• 10:35Speaker 03

  Of Mbappe.

• 10:36Adam Friedland?

  Are we seeing Vinny and Jude? Are we seeing these guys who were once, uh, just living for themselves, you know? Uh, you know, are we seeing them out of jail a bit?

• 10:46Speaker 03

  I know they're playing in teams where their positions actually make sense, whereas that last Real Madrid team was like, uh, 18 square pegs and round holes or whatever. It's, it's, it's actually like the coolest thing about this tournament so far is almost every star seems to have the perfect platform to perform from. Like, it's, it's like, the team is built to get everything out of Vinny and Jude or whoever.

• 11:10Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, I think it's, that is, it's a great point. Like, that is what's really dope about this. And I think we were mentioning this in the last episode. Everyone's that sick that we want to see cook. Now, including Ronaldo, who has, let's just check on it.

• 11:24Speaker 03

  Six goals.

• 11:26Adam Friedland?

  Oh, no. Borat scored, 2-1.

• 11:29Speaker 03

  No way!

• 11:29Adam Friedland?

  Let's go! Get in! As is John Ganlev. Okay, we're, I'm not, okay. Uh, Pinaldo got a, scored the opener. So now, all of my favorite players are playing really well. Paraguay, Turkey, uh, Chris, you're dark horse, Turkey.

• 11:49Speaker 03

  I'm in tatters. In shambles.

• 11:51Adam Friedland?

  How many shots through two games? I think it's like 58 shots. They've taken 58 shots.

• 11:58Speaker 03

  Well, their XG would have been good, then.

• 12:01Adam Friedland?

  They, who are they? Mads Mikkelsen in that movie, Another Round?

• 12:09Adam Friedland?

  Who are they? I thought that was haram to take 58 shots.

• 12:13Speaker 03

  They're going home, Montella's getting canned. Uh, this didn't work. Sorry. I was, my bad.

• 12:18Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, Armenia is, is having a fucking cup right now, right? Turkey's in the mud, Iraq's in the mud. The Kurds are having a fucking cup right now. Although Iran, uh, the Kurdish goalkeeper was a, or the Iranian goalkeeper was a Kurdish shepherd. Uh, which, uh,

• 12:36Speaker 03

  He's a wall. He's amazing.

• 12:39Adam Friedland?

  He's incredible. This has been a no-name keeper tournament. I think that is a great subplot. Uh, Eloy Room from USL2's Miami FC. Which they have another one, what is it called?

• 12:55Speaker 04

  Fort Lauderdale FC, I think.

• 12:57Adam Friedland?

  Look it up, it's Miami. Never disrespect me in front of Chris again.

• 13:04Speaker 03

  Do you know who else is, uh, standing on his head was the, uh, Wazina from Cape Verde?

• 13:09Adam Friedland?

  He has 5 million followers now, uh, on Instagram. And apparently, he's followed like 2,000 women. That is a true thing.

• 13:20Speaker 03

  Good for him. Good for him.

• 13:23Adam Friedland?

  If that doesn't work, just like being a hero in public like that, how dare they? He's, yeah, he's dating, uh, he's dating, uh, he's in a love triangle right now with, Pepe and Tayana Trump.

• 13:42Adam Friedland?

  Okay. I want to get to Pepe. Let's go real quick. Paraguay, Turkey, pathetic. Just, just cancel the country. Listen, like, I'm a, anyone who knows me knows I'm a big Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan guy.

• 13:58Speaker 03

  He's your guy, yeah.

• 13:58Adam Friedland?

  I love his supermarket in LA. I get all my sea mosses there.

• 14:04Speaker 03

  All your smoothies.

• 14:06Adam Friedland?

  I get the Hallie Bieber smoothie from Tayyip Erdogan's, uh, supermarket. Guys, this is a, Ataturk just turns in his grave. Suleiman the Magnificent, uh, literally would, would vomit. And, and his, uh, and his boy consort would, uh, this would make them sick. Honestly, a lot of their players do look like Suleiman the Magnificent's boy consort. If you, I'm, I, can we put that in the episode? Can we make that joke? Can we make that joke?

• 14:41Speaker 03

  Who are you, who are you asking? Erdogan?

• 14:43Adam Friedland?

  I don't know, Spotify? The joke that I'm pitching right now, and leave this in if this is funny, is that I want to say that, uh, what's his name from, uh, Real Madrid?

• 14:53Speaker 04

  Arda Guler.

• 14:54Adam Friedland?

  Arda Guler looks like he would have been the boy consort.

• 14:57Speaker 03

  Yeah, I see.

• 14:58Adam Friedland?

  Of Suleiman the Magnificent.

• 15:00Speaker 03

  So it's sort of a Jenga tower of a joke. If you can't make the first part, you can't make the second part, right?

• 15:05Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, yeah. And honestly, shout out to the Ottomans. They were the only place that tolerated Jews after the Spanish Inquisition. Why does everything have to be Jew? Okay, Netherlands, Sweden, 5-1.

• 15:16Adam Friedland?

  Brian Broby pre tournament shout of mine.

• 15:20Speaker 03

  No big deal.

• 15:21Adam Friedland?

  No, the boy, he looks like RB1.

• 15:24Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 15:24Adam Friedland?

  He's like got a little Saquon neck, in the neck, right?

• 15:28Speaker 03

  And I miss strikers like this. I feel like, you know, this is sort of like, you usually get it in the lower third of the Premier League and then in the Championship, but like, the top six have kind of dropped dudes like this. Somebody should, somebody should sign this guy. Arsenal should sign him.

• 15:42Adam Friedland?

  Who's that hench guy that was like in League One? Like, you know who I'm talking about? Look up Buff Man. What, look, look up the Buff Man, yeah.

• 15:51Speaker 04

  Aken Fenwa.

• 15:52Adam Friedland?

  Aken Fenwa.

• 15:53Speaker 03

  Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 15:54Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, his, his, his, like, if you like, leveled him up in FIFA, you could like, actually make him into a god. You could like, have him like, win you the Champions League. Where do you see this team going in this tournament? I think they are a for real team. I think that we forgot how at the first two phases of play, they are fucking stacked. And then, they have serviceable dogs up, up front. I mean, that is a, that is a, a formula for a World Cup, uh, success.

• 16:21Speaker 03

  I'm, I'm unfamiliar with this version of Cody Gakbo. He has not played like this in 18 months for the report, it feels like.

• 16:28Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, because he's playing against Sweden.

• 16:31Speaker 03

  We like Sweden.

• 16:33Adam Friedland?

  No, I like Graham Potter, but now he's going three-piece suit and he's trying to do a Peaky Blinders thing.

• 16:38Speaker 03

  Oh, he did, he did.

• 16:39Adam Friedland?

  That's the problem. Just pull up the picture of him in the three-piece suit. I, listen, you just pick a look. Pick a look, and he's sucking his thumb like a baby. Okay. Germany Ivory Coast, this is one I want to talk about more.

• 16:53Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 16:53Adam Friedland?

  I enjoyed the hell out of this match. Ivory Coast, I, I think really impressed me, despite losing. Obviously, there was a terrible, terrible missed opportunity, right at the end.

• 17:07Speaker 03

  This is like, when you watch something like that, there's those little, little moments of like, I don't know whether you want to call it experience or class or whatever, where it was just like, god damn it, if that dude just goes one time, they beat the Germans.

• 17:20Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, um, the, the winning goal, heartbreak for, for Ivory Coast. The turn, so professional, I loved it. The, who, who dished that in? Was it Kimmich? Who, who gave him the dish?

• 17:33Speaker 03

  That wasn't Flo?

• 17:35Speaker 04

  It was Felix Nometja.

• 17:36Speaker 03

  Wow.

• 17:38Adam Friedland?

  Obviously Felix Nometra's beautiful brilliant line breaking pass, who could forget it?

• 17:45Adam Friedland?

  I think Germany looked great, but like we're gonna get to France, like do you think that they have enough firepower to knock them out?

• 17:52Speaker 03

  Yeah, you know what was impressive about them? Yes, I do think they have enough firepower to knock them out, and I do think that-

• 17:58Adam Friedland?

  I do too.

• 17:59Speaker 03

  But I thought that the Germany-Ivricost game was indicative of how much depth matters. Ivricost didn't have that extra, extra wave of talent coming off the bench like Germany did.

• 18:11Adam Friedland?

  That's really what came across is depth. I mean, that's the top tier like nations have just, you look at the bench and it's like City, like when, when they, you- Do you just remember playing those fucking fuckers and then you just see Mahrez sitting there, they'd be like, you'd be like, they also have him?

• 18:30Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 18:30Adam Friedland?

  It's not fair. Yeah, they have like, I mean, England, we said this when they made their substitution, obviously England are playing later today. And we, I think we will find out the level. I think, I think I'm now, I convinced myself after the first England match that it's coming home. And now I've gone through the cycle where I'm like-

• 18:51Speaker 03

  You're like, I'm not sure, maybe they peaked, like maybe the, like they had too much juice coming out of that first match and now they have to come back down to earth?

• 18:58Adam Friedland?

  Well, yeah, and also they're on this like Vegas vacation style. They're at the Hoover Dam and yeah, they're getting electrocuted.

• 19:06Speaker 03

  Did you see Declan and the, and the like police officer doing yokelas out in the streets?

• 19:11Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, why would, why would he act like that's a guy that should be his teammate next year? Okay, Japan Tunisia, Herven Arnaud in the mud. I'm thinking we fire him. I'm thinking he's out and I'm thinking Sir Alex Ferguson, one last job.

• 19:29Speaker 03

  Would you take, would you take Tunisia for the last group stage match? Would you, would you manage them?

• 19:34Adam Friedland?

  I would, yes. Listen, I would sit down with the boys and listen, I know that it's obnoxious as a Yank for me to speak in my- If I was with the Tunisian national team, I would sit them down.

• 19:49Speaker 05

  Should have fucked him out here.

• 19:50Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 19:50Speaker 05

  That's true.

• 19:51Speaker 06

  Ron had no deal doing that.

• 19:53Speaker 05

  Ron should have had a gay relationship with Draco Malfoy. That would have been sick.

• 19:57Speaker 06

  Malfoy having been gay and repressed is good. Yeah.

• 20:00Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 20:01Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 20:01Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 20:01Speaker 06

  Not with Ron.

• 20:03Speaker 05

  Why?

• 20:03Speaker 06

  Draco's not bumming Ron, lad.

• 20:04Speaker 05

  Yeah, he is, because Ron's ginger, he's a little bitchy.

• 20:07Speaker 06

  No, he's not.

• 20:08Adam Friedland?

  So, yeah, I mean, that's the point, is like, you, listen, Herb Bernard is coming in there, he's doing this, like, uh, uh, he's doing this, this fucking French, like, uh, like Charles de Gaulle, it's kind of like, I'm, I'm, like, this is Paths of Glory or something, he's yelling at these fucking poor guys. They've been through a lot, okay? They played their right back, uh, as the, he was the kit boy, they, they had their last, their last guy, their last manager forgot everyone's position the day before the World Cup. Uh, I would sit them down and just talk to them about, do you think Ron would be bumming Draco, uh, you know?

• 20:50Speaker 03

  You just, like, relate to them. Try, try to really just keep it real. Do you think Japan is actually a threat?

• 20:57Adam Friedland?

  Japan is a real team and I love them.

• 21:00Speaker 03

  Me too.

• 21:00Adam Friedland?

  I love them, yeah. I, I love seeing them play. Uh, Sam's, uh, Sam's boy Sano, who's like on a early, uh, what? Sam's list of boys. Why would you have a li, why? Come on.

• 21:14Speaker 04

  He's like 25.

• 21:15Adam Friedland?

  You, you kept, he's 25?

• 21:18Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 21:18Adam Friedland?

  How old are you?

• 21:19Speaker 04

  26.

• 21:20Adam Friedland?

  Okay, so, yeah, that's inappropriate. It's not appropriate. There's a problematic age gap kind of situation there. I only rank men that are, Ronaldo, he's the only one that's older than me, I think, okay?

• 21:32Speaker 03

  Adam, you know how you're like, Japan's a real team and a threat?

• 21:35Adam Friedland?

  Yeah.

• 21:36Speaker 03

  You know who's not a real team, who I never fucking want to watch play football ever again, is Belgium.

• 21:41Adam Friedland?

  I fucking hate them, they stink in the, like, honestly, another Adam prediction, they are the worst, most terror, they're mad at Doku for wanting to see his child born. Swiss are pissing me off too in this tournament. Just choose a fucking language, okay? Like, what are you, what are you, Flemish? What are you, like, just, what are you, Walloon? Okay? Right, like, listen, they've been through a lot. They fought both world wars, basically in Belgium. That's crazy. It's crazy to think that, just like, twice. They were like, I had a friend actually once where I was like, can you do like, uh, he's a French guy. I was like, what does a Chinese accent, accent sound like?

• 22:25Speaker 03

  Oh my god.

• 22:26Adam Friedland?

  Like, stereotypical? And it just sounded like French to me, right? And I was like, and he's like, what, I was like, what about African? And it just sounded like French. And I was like, you're not doing it in, and he's like, and then he did Belgian and he was like,

• 22:39Adam Friedland?

  it was the only, it was the only one that I could.

• 22:42Speaker 03

  He was saving any, any performance for her.

• 22:44Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, yeah, it was, yeah, he's like, I could do a really good Belgian and he's like,

• 22:51Adam Friedland?

  yeah, and it was like, wow, these people have been through a ton.

• 22:54Speaker 03

  If I was Doku, I would go back home to watch literally anyone give birth, rather than play for Belgium. It didn't even have to be my wife.

• 23:03Adam Friedland?

  I would, exactly, and it would be beautiful.

• 23:11Adam Friedland?

  Okay, yeah, let's, uh, just Sam, Sam, I just saw a joke that he wrote in the notes, so let's get your big Iran joke. Let's do it, Sam's Iran joke. I need a new manager.

• 23:27Adam Friedland?

  Just put it, can we get the image? Sam's trying out comedy. He's done writing his dossier on Burnley.

• 23:37Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, okay, no, uh, Christopher Moltisanti, that was a really funny joke. Let's keep going, Uruguay, Cape Verde, what a match, what a team. Cape Verde, like, listen, they are not products of an, yes, they called him the Shah, yeah.

• 23:52Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 23:53Adam Friedland?

  Yeah.

• 23:54Speaker 04

  Thought it was funny.

• 23:55Adam Friedland?

  It's funny, yeah, he looks like the Shah over in, Reza Pahlavi. You know, he's incredibly brutal, you know, CIA backed.

• 24:03Speaker 04

  I don't know about that, I just know about Phil.

• 24:07Adam Friedland?

  Okay. Uh, you're a guy, Cape Verde. Cape Verde, I just want to say, guys, like, if you think that this, that they're like a product of an expanded field, they're not. They are a team that qualified at the top of their group. They would be in the World Cup. Were it 64 teams, or what, not 64, how many fucking teams?

• 24:23Speaker 04

  32.

• 24:24Adam Friedland?

  32 teams. If it was a, if it was a, a regular 32, Cape Verde would be in this, in this tournament. And I love to fucking watch them play.

• 24:36Speaker 03

  This is the Cinderella story of the tournament. They play their asses off. They've got a really good keeper. Their fans are amazing. It's been, it's been like a deep pleasure to see these guys.

• 24:46Adam Friedland?

  Yeah. And, and all of his DMing with Lisa Ann hasn't distracted from the heroic save. Marcelo Bielsa, uh, Sam, you put this quote in here, "I'm a generator of tension. When I arrive, the atmosphere becomes tense. And that's why, why I appear infrequently. I am toxic. Associating with me makes you worse." That's very funny. Honestly, that, shout out to Sam on that. What, like, what is he? Like, he's just like a, he goes to hot topic? He like wears Invader Zim stuff? "I'm toxic."

• 25:19Speaker 03

  He hates being here. He hates this tournament. I don't think he very much likes this team. He seems miserable every time he's on camera. And this is, this is one of my favorite managers ever.

• 25:30Adam Friedland?

  Where's their next game? Can we rescue Marcelo Bielsa and make him just chill, live, live in our Hollywood Hills house with the Scottish guy?

• 25:38Speaker 03

  Yeah, seriously.

• 25:39Adam Friedland?

  I think that's the fourth. I think that's our drama.

• 25:40Speaker 03

  He could be Turtle. Yeah.

• 25:42Adam Friedland?

  He's drama. He's like, yeah, he, tell us about Viking Quest. Tell about, tell us about his days with the Chilean national team.

• 25:49Speaker 03

  Coach James, yeah.

• 25:51Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, ask him about the guy that had the Jordan Jumpman neck tattoo. Who's that guy?

• 25:57Speaker 04

  Gary Medel.

• 25:58Speaker 03

  Oh, Gary Medel was the, was an absolute pit bull. He was great. Yeah.

• 26:02Adam Friedland?

  That, yeah, and they, and they had Arturo Vidal. Ask him what that guy's deal is like. Do, does he actually think that that look was good? Yeah. Uh, yeah, he, I guess he, he has to sit on this blue bucket, right? That is his.

• 26:20Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, he says it's the best view and honestly, if you're watching football, that's one of the worst views. Yeah, I can understand like being an offensive coordinator like up high, seeing the formations. Yeah, but like, uh, Sam, okay, you just deleted. You got embarrassed. Okay, Sam had Sam victory lap on Maxi Araujo. Uh, wait, did you say that on the show?

• 26:46Speaker 03

  I, I saw a video of Bielsa sitting with Araujo, like where he was like, this guy's mediocre and I didn't, I didn't pick him. He was given to me, but I couldn't tell if that was fake or not.

• 26:57Speaker 04

  That's just how he talks.

• 26:58Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 26:59Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, it is kinda how he talks and that's why they miss him in Leeds.

• 27:02Speaker 03

  This is how Adam feels about doing the show with me. He's like, I didn't pick this guy.

• 27:08Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, no, I, you say that about me?

• 27:11Speaker 03

  No, that's what you say about me, you know?

• 27:13Adam Friedland?

  No, I would never say that about you. Well, listen, sometimes an arranged marriage can result in love that blossoms for 40 years and we can announce our Premier League podcast, the beautiful pod, prem pod, uh, yeah, which we are doing every single day throughout the rest of the transfer window, throughout the rest of the summer, five days a week. Here we goes, we're gonna get Fabrizios, we're gonna be, listen, this is, this is how, how I met your mother. Okay, guys, Egypt, New Zealand, don't really care. Your boy Mo had a moment. That's nice.

• 27:47Speaker 03

  That was dope. He then partied with the crowd out in the streets. It was awesome.

• 27:50Adam Friedland?

  He, what was it like rooting for that guy on your team? He's truly, he is, he's a beautiful person. I love him. Uh, and the, the problem was, I, I really wanna get into Belgium. I forgot this, the, um, the problem is, Turkey is infecting, yes, I wanna get back to Belgium. Turkey is infecting the entire world of football because anytime when Salah got the hair plugs, he started to suck. Can we agree?

• 28:20Speaker 03

  You're starting to sound like Joey Barton, who was saying that Kevin De Bruyne sucked because of his veneers.

• 28:25Adam Friedland?

  Yes, and I would like to play that clip and I think that there is something to this. And I think that Turkey is just infesting everyone with these teeth and these hair.

• 28:36Speaker 05

  Arguably the best, best played in, in, in the Premier League, but got the teeth done, got the teary teeth in, fucking big mad quiff going on and.

• 28:46Speaker 05

  As is, as is, as is normal, when you get them teeth done, for any young players out there who come into a few shilling, when you get your teeth done, alright, your body compensates for your mouth, you sleep, you run, your body compensates for your mouth. You get the teeth done, as soon as you get your teeth done, it realigns your bite. Once you realign your bite, that starts to offset your spine and your spinal column and your spinal cord, and before you know it, a domino, like a domino's, chain reaction goes down your spine into your soft tissue, before you know it, body starts coming apart. Kevin De Bruyne's problem at Manchester City was getting his fucking teeth done. Every player I see, get the teeth done.

• 29:29Speaker 05

  Within a short period of time, soft tissue injuries start happening.

• 29:32Speaker 03

  It has nothing to do with Pep making them sprint for seven yards at a point, like a hundred thousand times.

• 29:38Adam Friedland?

  He's right.

• 29:39Speaker 03

  It's too bad he's a racist scumbag, because it would be funny to put him on the pit next season and have him just coming into people's emergency room stalls, it's your fucking teeth!

• 29:48Adam Friedland?

  Can you imagine what it would be like to be fouled by him?

• 29:52Speaker 03

  Joey Barton?

• 29:53Adam Friedland?

  Yeah.

• 29:54Speaker 03

  Like outside of a pub or on a football pitch?

• 29:57Adam Friedland?

  No, in front of everyone, like, I mean, not quite Duncan Ferguson, but like, it would hurt. I'd be like, "Hey, man, come on, I know we're wearing different shirts, but like, we're wearing different costumes, but you don't have to hurt me so much. Let's talk about Messi. Siempre Messi, siempre Leo." Argentina 2, Austria 0, let's get to it real quick, because, and then we gotta go. The real question is, does the missed penalty affect his legacy? I think.

• 30:29Speaker 03

  No.

• 30:30Adam Friedland?

  Okay.

• 30:31Speaker 03

  I do feel like I've seen him, is he like, is he a good penalty taker?

• 30:38Adam Friedland?

  No, he's a, in fact, I've crunched the numbers. You know, if you want to show the graphic, yes, Ronaldo is at 84%. Messi is at 78%. Does this, are we ignoring something big here?

• 30:52Speaker 03

  That probably means Ronaldo's better. Yeah, I think he does. It makes me rethink all of my priors.

• 30:58Adam Friedland?

  But perhaps there's someone else that needs to enter the GOAT conversation. Slide. Victor Gjokares. 93%, 40 for 43.

• 31:08Speaker 03

  Did he take one against PSG?

• 31:11Adam Friedland?

  Yes.

• 31:12Speaker 03

  And he scored?

• 31:13Adam Friedland?

  Buried it. He doesn't miss. Honestly, he is the worst striker in human history, other than this one thing that he does, the best in the world. He's incredible at penalties. The other, the other best penalty taker I've ever seen is Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

• 31:32Adam Friedland?

  I wish we had a clip of it. Listen, I don't care if we keep bringing it up. The, what we're seeing, the main thing we're going to remember about this World Cup, I mean, I don't think necessarily that Ronaldo's legacy is affected by this right now, either, right? But the main thing that we're going to remember about this World Cup is that, beyond the winner, maybe even more than the winner, is that this is the end of these two people's stories, right? I'm going to talk to Ben Foster after this, but who's with him at United. Everyone that plays with him says he's, says that he's a great teammate, for the most part.

• 32:07Speaker 03

  We don't know anything. Like, most of these guys are friends, yeah.

• 32:10Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, not Bruno, but he would die for his guys. Apparently, before Ben Foster had a penalty shootout, he's like, this is your moment. Like, he G'd him up, like, but the thing is, is like, does he, does Ronaldo realize that he could easily just come on at 75, give a 15-minute cameo every match, and ride a very good team deep into this tournament, and potentially have a shot at a World Cup? That, that is, that's my main question.

• 32:38Speaker 03

  He would also be a folk hero if he did that. People would be like, this is incredible, that if you turned into like, late-period Henrik Larsson or something.

• 32:45Adam Friedland?

  Well, no. Well, oh, they disallowed, fuck, they disallowed Borat's goal, and Ronaldo has two. Okay.

• 32:55Speaker 03

  I knew this was gonna happen.

• 32:57Adam Friedland?

  I knew, we knew this was gonna happen.

• 33:00Speaker 03

  Harry Kane's gonna like break his leg, England's gonna go home, Ronaldo is gonna go nuts.

• 33:05Adam Friedland?

  Ronaldo is gonna get, the group stage merchant is back in the group, he's playing Borat. Yes, let's, let's wrap it up here. I, I think, let's, what were your takeaways from the Messi, the Messi goals?

• 33:19Speaker 03

  That Argentina is like now actually like a real like back-to-back threat for me. And that like the way that they're playing feels like incredibly connected. And that they, they left goals on the table that match. So I'm like, I still feel like their best football is to come and they've been among the more impressive teams.

• 33:38Adam Friedland?

  The first goal was just vintage.

• 33:40Speaker 03

  Straight Barca.

• 33:42Adam Friedland?

  It was vintage Barca. It was so cool. Honestly, it was like the Kobe 60-point game. It was like our friend, we, we didn't think we'd see our friend again. But like, he's doing it now, he's done it five times. Like, the, the rebound, the second goal from the, the first match was just like a vintage, like predatory, like him knowing the future, knowing where the, the ball would ricochet. The, the third goal, or the, the second goal yesterday was just like, he, he's still so, he's not fast, but he's quick, you know? And like, he's still, it's so innate within him and.

• 34:23Speaker 03

  Doesn't matter how fast he is if he's always in the right place.

• 34:28Adam Friedland?

  Is he still the best player in the world?

• 34:30Speaker 03

  He might be. He might be.

• 34:32Adam Friedland?

  I think he fucking is.

• 34:33Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 34:34Adam Friedland?

  I think honestly, I watch it and I'm like, this is still the best player in the world. It's Shohei. But I guess Shohei pitches.

• 34:42Speaker 03

  He's the best, Messi's the best baseball player in the world.

• 34:45Adam Friedland?

  Let's get to Ben. That was a lightning round of games. Chris, we're, let's, we're looking forward to England today. And it's gonna be a disaster. We know that. Sac is, Sac is gonna, just his Achilles is gonna explode and he's gonna hit two free throws. And then he's gonna take Percocets and write a Facebook post.

• 35:09Adam Friedland?

  Where he's like, god damn it, I'm so fucking pissed off right now. Alright. Thanks a lot, partner.

• 35:15Speaker 03

  See ya.

• 35:16Adam Friedland?

  Yes, yes. Back, man. Back.

• 35:20Speaker 05

  Somewhere out there is a Chevy truck. And the person who drives it, well, that's a Chevy person. You probably know one, your buddy, your sister. Ones who always show up. They're the first to rise, the last to leave. They always have that little extra something. And maybe you've got it too. Chevrolet, together let's drive. Visit chevy.com/truck to explore the lineup.

• 35:48Speaker 06

  Before this.

• 35:53Speaker 06

  There's this.

• 35:56Speaker 06

  As you celebrate the game, take a deeper look at its roots. The people growing the grass, paving the lots, welding the goalposts, inspecting every football. The hardworking people that make every Sunday possible. Carhartt is proud to outfit the crews behind the game. Visit carhartt.com/jointhetrades to learn more.

• 36:18Speaker 03

  Coca-Cola. For the big, for the small, the short, and the tall. Peacemakers, risk takers. For the optimists, pessimists. For long distance love. For introverts and extroverts. The thinkers and the doers. For old friends and new. Coca-Cola. For everyone. Pick up some Coca-Cola at a store near you.

• 36:49Adam Friedland?

  Ben Foster, thank you for joining me. Absolute pleasure, lovely to be here. Yeah, yeah, he has no idea who I am. I'm, I am the foremost expert on footy in America. In fact, I'm, I'm the Ted Lasso of, uh, well, I wouldn't say that. I'm actually funny. What is this called? What's the name of the podcast? What is it? It's, it's, I'm doing the World Cup coverage for The Ringer. So I'm doing, yeah, so for Bill Simmons. So it's called The Beautiful Pod. Yeah, I'm Adam Friedland, I'm a, I'm a comedian. I've seen you, I've seen you on some stuff before. I like it, you're like that way of like awkward comedian, it's good, I like it. Oh, yeah, I would, I would say incredibly just brilliant, fascinating.

• 37:29Adam Friedland?

  Thanks for joining us. I, I know you have to get back because your, your, your old mate from Old Trafford. He's, uh, he's, he's doing the Remontata right now. He has, he scored two against Borat.

• 37:44Speaker 05

  Mate, people are writing him off, see, there you go, he can always score goals.

• 37:48Adam Friedland?

  People, I think you, his staunchest supporter perhaps, may have said that he should get benched.

• 37:55Speaker 05

  I think after the last game, then he had a good chance of it, to be fair, but I think the manager might have been a little bit, what's the word, strong-armed. He doesn't get much saying that he's playing regardless, alright?

• 38:07Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, what is the, what's the, what's the, what's the kind of, the consensus on Roberto Martinez? Is he just, he just wants to be like, what are you guys doing after the game? Like, do you guys want to hang out?

• 38:20Speaker 05

  I think he's, I think he's like-

• 38:21Adam Friedland?

  Great abs Ronaldo, great quads, great, yeah, great belts.

• 38:25Speaker 05

  Yeah, I think he's like that with Ronaldo, isn't he? I think Ronaldo does the team talks, the halftime team talk, the water break team talks, and he tells Roberto Martinez where to stand as well.

• 38:34Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, Carlos Quiros takes training.

• 38:40Adam Friedland?

  What, so you, obviously you were, you were in the World Cup in 2014. That was, that was the Roy year, correct?

• 38:49Speaker 05

  Yes, Roy Hodgson, yeah.

• 38:50Adam Friedland?

  He's managed you a couple of times, if I'm not mistaken?

• 38:54Speaker 05

  Three times, actually, West Brom, England, and Watford.

• 38:58Adam Friedland?

  What was he like, like, memories of Roy?

• 39:01Speaker 05

  He's like a bit of a granddad, father figure. He's the loveliest man, actually, you know what, he's lovely, but in a football setting, if somebody does or says or acts a way that's probably a bit unprofessional, oh my god, he had a filthy, filthy snap in him. And he would give it to you, and he would not beat about the bush, and he would not hold his words, and he would be horrible, but he needed to, but I liked it as well.

• 39:24Adam Friedland?

  Did he ever, did he ever chew you out? Like, did you ever, were you ever a victim of the, or a target?

• 39:30Speaker 05

  No, it's usually somebody who was being a little bit unprofessional, so basically just being sloppy.

• 39:38Speaker 05

  Not working hard enough, um if he's doing a team talk, they were talking and mumbling. It it that was one of his big pet peeves. If he was doing a bit of a team talk, if it was like on the side of the pitch.

• 39:46Adam Friedland?

  He was mumbling?

• 39:48Speaker 05

  No, if if say say if um say if the manager, say if Roy was doing a team talk, it could have been outside of a training pitch, it could have been in the changing. And you have a couple of players sort of sat next to each to each other, just sort of mumbling away to each other, still talking. Oh my god, honestly, I just remember watching and thinking he's gonna go in a minute, he's gonna go in a minute, and then all of a sudden he returns and snap in front of the whole team, thirty men. And he would absolutely snap at them and give it to them. Um so I always knew not to do silly things really.

• 40:17Adam Friedland?

  What what's different about the England camp now than what you remember twenty fourteen? You guys didn't qualify, is that correct?

• 40:23Speaker 05

  Yeah, we didn't qualify. We lost our first two group games against Italy and Uruguay, and then the final game against Costa Rica, we were already out, so it didn't really matter. Um but I'd say the difference, um the difference now, this team to what we had, um we, I feel. We've got one probably a better team as opposed to what the other nations have got. I think we played in an era where a lot of nations were. Top heavy, honestly, they were so good, real good teams like Uruguay and Italy. We had a we had a we had a group.

• 40:55Adam Friedland?

  Forlán, right.

• 40:56Speaker 05

  Yeah, we had a group of Luis Suarez, we had a group of Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica, and Costa Rica topped our group. Costa Rica won our group, we came bottom. Um so it was a World Cup full of big names and big hitters and big teams.

• 41:12Adam Friedland?

  Now, Italy isn't even in the World Cup.

• 41:14Speaker 05

  Italy's not even in the World Cup. The football landscape's probably changed a little bit, to be fair, but we are one of the top nations now, so. We go into, there's a lot of expectation in England, there always has been, we've always had. Um if we don't get past like the quarters or semis, then it's like the world has ended in England, honestly, so. Uh nothing's changed really in that respect, but um we are doing a lot better in tournaments. Now, I think our last three tournaments, we've done final, semi-final. Um final, so it's not not bad to be fair, is it?

• 41:41Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, um yeah, do you you mentioned Italy, like, do you do you worry that they're in Ibiza right now chirping, like chatting your birds? Like, because you guys have to, they have to be here play playing football. Yeah, and all the Italian guys, you like, I don't know, Calafiore might be uh picking up some, okay, anyway.

• 42:05Speaker 05

  In Engli- in England, they say chirps. Chirps and they do.

• 42:08Adam Friedland?

  Yeah.

• 42:09Speaker 05

  It means chatting to about giving some risk to the girl. That's what the kids are saying nowadays.

• 42:13Adam Friedland?

  Everyone gets to be on holiday except for Harry Maguire who somehow.

• 42:18Speaker 05

  He was in Times Square the other day selling panini stickers, I think.

• 42:21Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, he's ready. He's ready to go. He's he's got his kit with him. He's got his. He's got his molded studs.

• 42:27Speaker 05

  You know, you said at the beginning, you said that you know your football. You're like really big into your football. I've got, um, if you want, I could give you a load of English football sayings if you want and um, see if you know what they actually mean.

• 42:38Adam Friedland?

  I know all them probably already.

• 42:40Speaker 05

  You sure?

• 42:40Adam Friedland?

  Around any of the ones I don't know. Okay, continue. Let's go.

• 42:44Speaker 05

  Do you want me to give you some?

• 42:45Adam Friedland?

  Yes.

• 42:46Speaker 05

  Okay, then. He's had a Reggie blinker.

• 42:48Adam Friedland?

  Okay, so it's a stinker.

• 42:51Speaker 05

  Fuck, I'm allowed to swear, sorry. Very good.

• 42:54Adam Friedland?

  You can swear. You could fucking cuss. You could. Yeah, well, it's a Cockney rhyme scheme, right?

• 43:01Speaker 05

  Yeah, very, very good.

• 43:02Adam Friedland?

  You're my China plate, mate.

• 43:03Speaker 05

  Well done, well done. Um, he's got a fifty p head.

• 43:07Adam Friedland?

  Uh, it means it's, uh, he's dead.

• 43:11Speaker 05

  No.

• 43:11Adam Friedland?

  He's no, he's a, he's, he's red. Fergie? Fergie? Fergie's got a fifty p head. Uh.

• 43:19Speaker 05

  I'll tell you, you, you know an error.

• 43:21Adam Friedland?

  Wait, wait, wait, let me guess. What?

• 43:25Speaker 05

  See, that's cheating.

• 43:25Adam Friedland?

  He's dumb. He's, he's, he's half a, yeah, he's half a pound sterling.

• 43:30Speaker 05

  No, right, I'll tell you. Okay, so the fifty p coin in England is kind of, it's like, what, like octagon shaped or something?

• 43:37Adam Friedland?

  Yeah.

• 43:37Speaker 05

  And if you've got a fifty p head, it means you're trying to head it there, but you headed it there. Yeah, you're trying to score, but it's gone over there. Fifty p head.

• 43:45Adam Friedland?

  You have a head like a, like a, like a stop sign.

• 43:47Speaker 05

  Like, yeah, like a stop sign, yeah.

• 43:49Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 43:50Speaker 05

  What is the beans on toast? He's hit the beans on toast.

• 43:53Adam Friedland?

  Uh, he just, he hit the post.

• 43:57Speaker 05

  Yes, well done, well done.

• 43:59Adam Friedland?

  Yeah.

• 44:00Speaker 05

  Do you want me to keep going?

• 44:02Adam Friedland?

  No, well, I have, I've, I've hard hitting questions for you about. No, keep going. I mean, we, I, no, I mean, it's you're the guest. We could do, we could do anything.

• 44:12Speaker 05

  Right, if I said, uh, he couldn't trap a bag of.

• 44:14Adam Friedland?

  Cement, what would that mean? Uh, that he's a, he's a Harry Maguire.

• 44:24Adam Friedland?

  You know that, the Arabic announcer that calls him like Virgil van Maguire, like Uwe Maguire? He's the guy who just has it out for, uh, the guy on like BeIN Sports like that. I, I kind of wanna see if he's working the World Cup and just listen to him. Cause we, we don't have Ray Hudson anymore, so it's kind of like, uh, he was the always the best to listen to. Speaking of Hudson, um, you, you played, you were at Old Trafford, um, famously with Cristiano Ronaldo. What you did by saying he should be benched is you, you motivated him. I think so, yeah. That was some, that was like old school, very Allardyce in the view.

• 45:04Adam Friedland?

  But, but, but, uh, I guess, what do you make of like, um, there's this story that I've watched for 20 years and now we're seeing it kind of, Ronaldo says he wants to play in the next World Cup, we're seeing this being the conclusion of it. We're seeing Leo be, perhaps, is he still the best player in the world? I mean, I ask myself that every, I ask myself that every time I see him play. It's, it's, it's insane. And then we're seeing Cristiano who, granted, to his credit, I was saying this earlier, he could just be coming on at 75, making cameos and then riding a very good team, very deep into the tournament, right?

• 45:45Adam Friedland?

  And instead, he wants to be the main man, like, um, what do you make of like, as, as someone that, that knows Cristiano Ronaldo and has, has praised his work ethic and, you know, and I think you liked him, he was a, he was a good bloke? Good lad? Yeah, good guy. Yeah. What do you, what do you make of, uh, the story of, you know, these two men right now? Yeah, I like the, there's always obviously that the conversation of who's best Messi, Ronaldo. But I think even in this World Cup here, you're starting to see like the real emergence of all the other big boys as well. Haaland scoring goals for fun and Mbappe scoring goals for fun. I think if you're going to be the main striker for your nation, a big nation, top nation,

• 46:27Adam Friedland?

  you've got to be able to run around very, very hard for ninety-five, a hundred minutes. You've got to be able to put a real shift in for your team. And I think that's probably just the bit that's missing a little bit from Ronaldo now. He's not going to be the type, he never really has really, but he's not going to be the type to chase back and defend and help his other teammates out. But in fairness to him, he scored two today against Uzbekistan, so Ronaldo's back, baby. He'll score you goals. I guess like the question is, is like from knowing Ronaldo, like, do you think, maybe I'm speculating here because obviously people think they know these guys. Messi seems to be a guy that just likes hanging out with his family.

• 47:06Adam Friedland?

  Cristiano Ronaldo seems like a, like they've, they've clearly motivated one another to achieve the greatness. That's why we're all so lucky to have watched this. But like, do you think that there, I mean, one thing that I have floating around in my mind is like, is there a fear in him of what comes after the one thing you do your whole life, which is banging it in the back of the net, you know? And granted, can you relate to that as someone that, you know, let it into the back of the net? I'm sorry, why did I say that? It's rude of me. The League Cup final, twenty-eleven, how dare you?

• 47:46Adam Friedland?

  Well, I'd say Ronaldo's a slightly different character to a lot of people. Yeah, he very much has dedicated his whole life and his craft, to his craft, sorry, to being the utmost professional, you know, three percent body fat. And a lot of people just aren't built like that. Like I couldn't think of anything worse to try, of trying to be.

• 48:06Speaker 05

  Two percent body fat, like you won't be able to have a beer, you can't have a burger, you can't. We went to a Chinese place for crispy duck last night and it was phenomenal, do you know what I mean? Like he doesn't do that, he doesn't get to enjoy those little luxuries of life. Um, but he does.

• 48:18Adam Friedland?

  Maybe text him a picture of the duck.

• 48:20Speaker 05

  I'll put it on my Instagram, he can follow me and have a look at the stories if he wants, um.

• 48:23Adam Friedland?

  What, yeah.

• 48:24Speaker 05

  But he.

• 48:25Adam Friedland?

  Text it to Ronaldo, do you have his number also?

• 48:27Speaker 05

  I don't have Ronaldo's number, no, I don't have Ronaldo's number, no, no.

• 48:31Adam Friedland?

  I'm just kidding.

• 48:32Speaker 05

  I, I think if I followed him as well, I don't think he'd see it, I think he'd get lost amongst his, how many hundreds?

• 48:36Adam Friedland?

  He's the most famous person in the world also.

• 48:38Speaker 05

  It's like half a billion Instagram followers, isn't it, or something?

• 48:43Adam Friedland?

  Yeah. Uh, wait, but continue, so like, so his life is regimented in this way, like, do you think that there's a consideration in him that like? What, what do I do after this shit? I mean, like, like, uh, I don't think Messi knows that he's going to retire. Like, I think Messi's just like, I'm going to my job and I'm, you know, just like, I have to score the goals. He hates talking about being the best ever, right? And it's nice that he got a World Cup at the last one because he's so relaxed now. And the press conferences Messi's like, I'm fucking tired, you know, so. Uh, but, but yeah, I mean, like, what do you make of like, knowing Cristiano, seeing that process and like, what, just speculating, like, wh- where is his head at right now?

• 49:25Speaker 05

  Yeah, what's he gonna do after football, do you mean? I'd say he's probably.

• 49:28Adam Friedland?

  Or do you think he's afraid?

• 49:30Speaker 05

  Yeah, maybe, man, you know what, it'd be really good if somebody could ask him and, and get an honest a- answer out of him. I don't think you'd ever get an honest answer, we'd give you the top line professional answer of what everybody wants to hear. Um, whereas if you ask that to Messi, he would be like, man, maybe, like, I don't know, I haven't really thought about it, to be honest with you, you know, he loves his family. And even when that day does come, he'll be absolutely fine because he's got that support network around him, he's got his family, he's got his friends.

• 49:53Adam Friedland?

  Yeah.

• 49:53Speaker 05

  Um, and it seems like that is the most important thing in his world. Um, Ronaldo, still, I'd say he's a very good sort of father, I think you see, always seeing his Instagram with his family, he obviously loves his family an awful lot. But, um, he dedicates, I'd say, a lot more of his time to, um, perfecting his craft and being the best he possibly can be for as long as he can be.

• 50:14Adam Friedland?

  Question for you, when like when you were at United Rooney obviously came after Ronaldo was there, right? Yeah, no, they were at the same time, yeah, but yeah. But yeah Rooney came from Everton, I think a year or two after, I think Ronaldo came in 2004 maybe. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Was there, was that like, did they, was that a precursor to the Messi Ronaldo thing? Like, obviously, we all remember the wink in the World Cup, you know, like, how did, did that, did Fergie just like, like, put that out immediately, like, how, did that bleed into the culture of the locker room? Were those two men like competitive with one another, or? Yeah, that's the way Rooney is, Rooney's like a different beast to any of these guys.

• 50:59Adam Friedland?

  Rooney has got the nastiest side of football to him ever. The reason why Rooney was so good at football was because he was a filthy winner, like a filthy, dirty, nasty winner, where everything, everything he, he did was aggressive based, but he was an incredible footballer to boot with it. He wouldn't have been as good as a footballer if he didn't have the aggression, but he did, and it was the best I've ever seen. He would always be one of the first people I wanted on my team, because, oh mate, you'd follow Wayne Rooney into war. Seriously, he was a sicko, absolute sicko. The other players have got probably more natural ability, but Wayne Rooney, my goodness. But again, that's in an era, like, you're talking, what, 2005, 2004, mate, like, the, like, the nations then, back then,

• 51:42Adam Friedland?

  you think about some of those Brazil teams and Italian teams and French teams, Zidane and Ronaldinho and Ronaldo, and proper big boys, proper big names in world football. That was probably before, like, the Ronaldo and Messi thing really took, took fire, didn't it? But having two young, like, star boys, like, both on the come up with their, like, paternalistic character like Fergie, like, were there bust ups? Like, there was, you know, like, did Fergie, how did he keep that under control? Mate, it wasn't even a thing, it wasn't even a question back then. I think it was easier back then to try and control players like that. But Fergie was the boss of everything, so it's not like he had to try and step in and put fires out. He, he had, he had the changing room already set, they knew where everybody stood,

• 52:27Adam Friedland?

  and nobody would get too big for their station, but, because that's the Surrounded by massive personalities as well, you know, when you're surrounded by Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville and Roy Keane. Proper big, like, real strong men. None of them would have stood a chance of trying to, like, get above their station, do you know what I mean? You've got no chance. True, yeah. I mean, if Roy was there, I wouldn't try to go at Dad.

• 52:55Adam Friedland?

  You've got no chance, you're gonna get nowhere. Yeah, my older brother is there, he's gonna beat my ass if I do anything. Question for you, you're an England supporter, but you saw the retake in the first match, did that hurt as a keeper? And also, what the fuck are you supposed to do if they're stutter stepping? Like, honestly, I support England because we have five Arsenal players there, you know, like. Yeah. We're getting, we're English, we're English. It's amazing, Lord Wenger would be turning in his grave. As a keeper, were you like, come on, that's bullshit? Or are you like, oh yeah, come on, here we go again, Harry, let's go. That's clearly a great retake.

• 53:38Adam Friedland?

  I'd always bank on Harry Kane scoring a penalty as well, but it's just like, you saw it in the Champions League final with the penalties that they missed. The players that missed it doing that silly stuttering step up, kind of waiting for the goalkeeper. And I think you've got to be some player to be able to execute that, because if the goalie calls your bluff and he just stands there and waits for you. You haven't got any pace with your run-up to be able to really put it into the corner and really get some pace on the ball. So you can really wait and just, as long as you go the right way, you're saving it. Leo Messi yesterday did the same thing, didn't he? Horrific penalty, I'm thinking, what are you doing? That's the best player in the world. And it's been proven that you shouldn't be stuttering up to penalties, just run up, well, he is out as you can. And even if the goalie goes the right way, he's got a very small chance of saving it.

• 54:23Adam Friedland?

  Unless you're Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who somehow, I don't know, have you seen his, how he does it? Yeah, he's like, it's like that game where you're like, with a girl at summer camp, you're like, stop me when my finger gets here. And you're like going like this, and like, yeah, the keeper's just like, just fucking kick the shit, kick the fucking ball. And he's like, yeah, whatever, I mean, what is your mindset? Like, you guys are weird, are keepers strange? Is it a strange fraternity? No, we're the good ones. We're the good ones.

• 54:58Speaker 05

  We're.

• 54:59Adam Friedland?

  I mean, you're getting just fucking hundred mile an hour like missiles fired at you. You have to be a little bit crazy.

• 55:05Speaker 05

  Yeah, we're the good ones. I promise you we are. The um like you like so in a in a soccer team, I hate saying soccer. It sounds so shit.

• 55:13Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, me too, mate.

• 55:14Speaker 05

  In a in a football team, right?

• 55:16Adam Friedland?

  Yeah.

• 55:17Speaker 05

  You have the goalies at the back who are the good ones. Honestly, we're cool. We're we're down to earth. We can talk. We've got good personalities. Um approachable. And then you go, you defenders just in front and they're they defenders are normally good guys, like nice guys, down to earth, no egos. And then you get into midfield and they start to become a little bit of a ballend. They start to be a little bit like ego. And then um you get to the front lads, the ones at the top, the strikers, Jesus, egos are out of control. Honestly, they are massive time. Yeah.

• 55:49Adam Friedland?

  They go to Saudi for a billion dollars to do pushups. Yeah.

• 55:52Speaker 05

  Exactly.

• 55:53Adam Friedland?

  Uh yeah, uh I guess uh last point as an Arsenal supporter, um uh we loved Rambo, top lad, great guy. Do you feel like a little bit like in that podcast you were like a little bit like, don't, don't, just stop saying it. Just say you pay attention the whole time. Just say you pay. To concentrate on a game of football for ninety minutes. I'm finished. I can't do it.

• 56:15Speaker 05

  No, because I know what I know what that's like. I'm exactly the same as that. Rambo Rambo is very similar to myself as a goalkeeper, as a personality. Um I I find I've it's what what do they call it nowadays? Everybody seems to have ADHD or something anyway. And I can't sit still. I can't um I like I I love my own company, but I have to be doing something. So I make sure I'm either running or cycling or something in the gym. I can't sit still. And that's what it's like in a football match because you get bored. You you're just watching the game and you get bored. So you either have to sing or you have to commentate yourself or you have to talk your way through the game so that you stay in the game because it is boring sometimes to just stand there and watch.

• 56:55Adam Friedland?

  Yeah, um what and just final question, like who are the most ruthless fans in any stadium you played at, like to you? Because the other thing about the keeper is that you're stationary. So you have the you have the you have the geezers just going having a go at you the entire match. Who who what's the worst thing you ever heard?

• 57:14Speaker 05

  Oh, worst thing. I had um like when I used to play for West. From our our archrival Wolverhampton Wanderers and um some of the things the Wolves fans used to say to me were absolutely rank, double disgusting.

• 57:27Adam Friedland?

  You could cuss.

• 57:28Speaker 05

  Mate, I'm talking about like, I hope your dog died Foster, because I put an Instagram picture on me, "I hope your fucking dog dies Foster." And I'm like, "You bastard mate, you're an absolute bastard, how dare you say that."

• 57:40Adam Friedland?

  Because you posted on Instagram that you had a dog.

• 57:42Speaker 05

  "I hope your fucking dog dies Foster," and I'm like, "You're a twat." Like, so they can say anything, they'll be saying stuff about my family, my wife, my kids, and this and that, but as soon as they said something about my dog, honestly, I was like, "You're a dickhead, you're an absolute dickhead."

• 57:55Adam Friedland?

  Oh man, yeah, I wonder if like, it'd be like, having a, being a psycho enough guy to have a dossier on the keeper, like his entire personal life, know who his sister's having sex with, I mean, you could really get in uh into their heads. Uh Ben Foster, it's been great, let's uh, let's, thank you so much, it's uh, it's a pleasure, as always.

• 58:17Speaker 05

  Thanks for having me on, appreciate it.

• 58:18Adam Friedland?

  Alright, peace.

• 58:19Speaker 05

  Bye.

• 58:30Speaker 03

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• 59:00Speaker 05

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