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final chapter and the stakes couldn't be

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number one Michigan versus number two Washington,

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Restrictions apply. See site for details. We've

1:28

had a little hiatus over the festive period.

1:30

We have allowed Jose Mourinho, for goodness sake,

1:33

to pick up a bit of traction. Not

1:35

that needed any help. The special one has

1:37

knocked it out the park as we suspected

1:39

it would. But we're back, Johnny. We're back

1:41

in our studio and we've got Victor Boniface

1:43

on the way. A little bit on him

1:46

in just a moment, but great to see

1:48

you, my friend. Good to see you too,

1:50

Mike. How was the Christmas? I love your

1:52

outfits. A lot of people do on

1:54

our YouTube channel as well. You are rock. For

1:56

me, this is your best outfit. Is it? Season

1:59

4. You've got the high tops,

2:01

you're looking... Thanks for that. You're looking like

2:03

a professional football site, Jon. I probably said

2:05

the same with you, mate. I probably said

2:08

this is your best T-shirt I've seen. You

2:10

know, it's got Dior there, mate. Is that

2:12

Dior? It's just a ceramic and Dubai. Anyone

2:14

knows where that is. You know, you're in

2:16

the designers. You're in the designers. It's got

2:18

the Dior on. You do. But

2:20

they told me, hell figure socks. I don't think

2:22

I'm not. No, it's the major Jon. You're looking

2:24

resplendent as what you are. Jon

2:27

Jiberino quicker than him. What an

2:29

episode. A one episode. It's gone absolutely bananas.

2:31

We've got talks, more jealous of us. I

2:33

know Jim White was having a bit of

2:35

a pop. I'd watch him if you're watching.

2:38

I know exactly what you're doing. It's

2:40

you, Jon, as you've got friends and high places.

2:43

Oh, well, yeah, it's been amazing, like you said.

2:45

I mean, Mourinho's episode is, like we suspected, it's,

2:47

you know... It's not like we needed it.

2:49

We knew what we were getting. You

2:51

know, box office, as always, that's why he is. And

2:54

he gave us everything we needed. And

2:57

it's been doing, you know, it's been doing great. And

2:59

everybody loves it. I mean, my phone has been

3:01

going off about, you know, how everybody loves it

3:03

and how... He came across so well.

3:05

He came across so well and he gave us

3:07

everything. He spoke so well. He told us everything

3:09

we needed. He went really, you know,

3:11

deep inside of so many things that we didn't

3:13

know about, which was really, which was really good.

3:15

And a lot of my friends who have listened

3:17

and watched the podcast, they're all asking, is

3:20

that the real Jose? Was that the real Jose?

3:23

That is the more mature Jose right now.

3:25

I mean, when he was a younger Jose,

3:27

like he said, I

3:31

mean, like I said, like John Terry said,

3:33

like a few of my colleagues who always,

3:35

ex-colleagues, always say, he's the only guy that

3:37

when you see him, if he gives us,

3:40

you know, we say, never seen him because

3:42

we know what, you know, what we

3:44

went through with him. But it was just for our

3:47

own good to make a... Because

3:50

he knows we have it in there. You have

3:52

to improve. You have to play with it. But

3:54

the way he got it out of us was

3:56

a totally different way compared to what the kids

3:58

right now go through. And like you said, if

4:01

he's done that to the kids right now, he'd probably

4:03

be in jail. Probably locked up by

4:05

now. That's what he said. Great respect between you

4:07

both as well. He was fun. If you haven't

4:09

watched that episode seven of the Josie and Marina

4:11

podcast, you can get it in all your usual

4:14

podcast platforms. You can just watch it as well

4:16

on our YouTube channel from the special one to

4:19

a special one of sorts.

4:21

Victor Boniface is our special guest. We're waiting

4:23

for him to join this podcast. 16

4:26

games in the Bundesliga this season, 10

4:29

goals, seven assists, five games

4:31

in the Europa League, four goals,

4:33

four goals. I believe 23 years

4:35

of age, this boy is, I

4:39

know Victor Josie, mate, and I hear you're going gaga

4:41

for him. Victor Boniface is, what a

4:43

talent. What a talent he is. I mean, I

4:46

think like you said, everybody's going gaga about Victor,

4:48

Victor, Simena and obviously rightly so. He's done

4:50

really well. He's been playing really well for the

4:52

past couple of seasons. But Boniface

4:54

is somebody, he's another young kid coming

4:56

out of the block that people

4:59

need to know who this kid is.

5:01

He's special, he's a complete striker. He

5:03

still has a lot of room to

5:06

improve, but he will become a complete,

5:08

complete striker in the next couple of

5:10

years. He's got the physique, he's quick, he's

5:13

good on the ball, technically very good. And

5:16

it's difficult to see strikers that

5:18

are that big, that are

5:20

physically big and strong and powerful and

5:22

then good on the ball as well.

5:25

Like we've just mentioned, touch on that.

5:27

He's a cyst as well, not just

5:29

scoring goals, he's a cyst. And

5:31

that's something that I think that will make this

5:33

kid really special, really, really special. And I can't

5:35

wait to see what his journey is going to

5:37

be in the next two, three years. This

5:40

is Michaelo B, former Cucae Eagles and

5:42

Chelsea Miesveda. Ergin, you all just signed

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up with Betwinner. Betwinner is the platform

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that offers post-faceted casino and games. Also,

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responsibly. Victor Boniface, it's

5:57

an absolute pleasure to have you all.

6:00

on the Obi-Wan podcast, made possible by

6:02

Bet winner. You are one of

6:04

the hottest striking talent on the

6:06

planet. And I say that to

6:08

embarrass you, but it's true. 10

6:11

goals, seven assists in 16

6:13

Bundesliga games this season. A

6:15

remarkable start to life by

6:17

a Leverkusen. Before we get into that though, I

6:19

want you to tell me about the man who

6:21

is sitting. Am I right? Victor

6:24

Osemae called this man a legend.

6:27

Is he a legend in your household? Yeah, of

6:29

course, he's a level legend in injury. Every

6:33

football player respects this man here.

6:36

He's a legend, he represents the country

6:38

so good. So he's one of the biggest legends

6:40

we have here in injury. How much have you paid him to say

6:42

that, Joff? I paid him a lot of money to say that. And

6:47

it's only right, I've got to ask you, John,

6:49

you're aware of this young boy. He's passed on

6:51

the scene this season. Of course, he

6:54

did so last season, pop goalscorer of the

6:56

Europa League. This season with Bayer Leverkusen. How

6:58

impressed have you been with Victor? He

7:01

reminds me of a sudden strike, he's

7:03

a complete, complete striker when you watch

7:05

him play. He scores goals, he's good

7:07

on the ball, very technically very good.

7:10

He holds up the ball. And also quick

7:12

as well, which is something you need from a

7:14

striker. So, I mean, he's doing really well. And

7:17

all I have to say is that, you know, this

7:20

guy would be your limit if you continue

7:22

playing like this and keep working hard. I'm

7:26

pretty sure you'll do well in the mission scope and

7:28

bring the trophy back home. Oh, no

7:30

pressure, Victor. No pressure, thanks a lot,

7:32

I really appreciate it. Let's

7:34

talk about this season in

7:36

Germany with Bayer Leverkusen. You

7:39

guys are everyone's second favourite

7:42

team, Victor. The football that

7:44

Jaby Alonso has you guys

7:46

playing, it must be a real

7:49

treat for you to play in a

7:51

team that plays such attacking

7:54

football. Yeah, of course, it's a good feeling

7:56

when you play against a good coach like

7:58

Zabino. It's a type of... Of course, I want

8:00

to keep the possession and the playing style myself.

8:03

Before coming to this team, I played against

8:05

them last season in the Europa League. So

8:08

when we played against them back then when I was in

8:10

the Union, I know they are really good team.

8:13

So when they came, they want me. I know

8:15

this is like a perfect team for me,

8:17

you know, when I underbrought in good players,

8:19

experienced players, like, I granted them the team

8:21

also. So the team is a part of,

8:24

like, young football players, like, which

8:26

are determined. And to have a coach like

8:28

Zabi, you know, great guy, great

8:30

coach, football agent, play them, play

8:32

with top home coaches

8:35

in this time. So I'm really happy

8:37

I'm part of this team and we

8:39

see what it leads us to. It's

8:41

interesting you say when Bayern Leverkusen came

8:43

calling, were there a lot of clubs

8:45

in the summer? You

8:47

know, Luke Victor, the exploits,

8:49

you were the joint top goal scorer in the

8:52

Europa League. Were there a lot of clubs chasing

8:54

your signature in the summer? Yeah, of course. That's

8:56

a team, you know, couple of

8:58

teams in Germany, couple of teams in France, couple

9:00

of teams in England also. But

9:04

I chose Leverkusen because of the

9:06

way they play. And I think during that, I

9:08

think it fit the way I play

9:10

also. So that's why. Zabi Alonso, John,

9:12

you played against them. I

9:15

mean, as a manager, he's proving to have

9:17

the Midas touch. He was a handy midfielder.

9:22

What a fantastic football I was, obviously. I got

9:24

to play against him so many

9:26

times when he played for Liverpool. So

9:29

many battles we had together. What

9:32

a great, great football I was. Technically, very, very

9:34

good on the ball. Obviously,

9:36

he can't cover the ground as much. He's a bit

9:38

like you. He's a bit like

9:40

me. But that's

9:42

why he had the likes of Matt Cerrano

9:44

and Steven Gerrard. These are the guys who

9:46

covered the ground. But Chavi was very, very

9:48

good on the ball. You know, technically very,

9:51

very good. His

9:53

long passes, his short passes, the

9:56

way he reads the game, his football IQ

9:58

was second to none. a very

10:00

good footballer. And just like he said,

10:02

I mean, you played against them

10:04

last season and then you saw the

10:06

way they played and it's

10:08

really nice to hear that just because

10:10

of that, you decided to fit your

10:13

career just

10:15

so you can play where you see

10:17

that you will fit, which

10:20

is something really good. It's not like you went for

10:22

the money or you decided to go, you wanted to

10:24

go somewhere where you will grow as a footballer, which

10:26

is something really nice to hear from a young football

10:28

player like you. Yeah, it's

10:31

not just about what I want also, it's like what

10:33

they also want, like they were also, because

10:35

after the game, like

10:37

some journalists asked the coach, what

10:40

do you think go from Victor and he said,

10:42

oh, it's a good player and they're asking like

10:44

a tricky question, like maybe it

10:46

seemed like a player who complained about the

10:49

figure, you know, and he said,

10:51

to them, he's a good player. So that

10:53

game, I think, after the

10:55

first game we played in the Liverpool team, I

10:57

played one-on-one, which I scored against them and

10:59

two days later my agent called and said to me, oh,

11:02

the Vakuza is interested, they want to talk,

11:04

you know, so stuff

11:07

like that more want to

11:09

make me to do more because coming

11:11

from Nigeria and we, everyone

11:13

know about that beyond playing, to

11:15

play on time is a great feeling, you know.

11:18

So when they came, it's a

11:20

lot of good team also, but

11:22

I picked this team because of the way they played,

11:24

I just don't want to leave Belgium to another club

11:26

just because I want to make transfer, I just want

11:28

to leave to go fit in

11:31

to a good club, like play my style of

11:33

football and lucky to me everything is working really

11:35

good. Me, myself, the club

11:37

didn't expect this soon, but they

11:40

know, I know I can, I

11:42

know how good I am, but not this

11:44

fast, you know, coming to a new country.

11:46

I doubt so, so quick, I

11:48

think it's less from going back and

11:50

give credit also to

11:53

my team at Antico, just talk. Yeah, talk

11:55

to us about Jabi and the influence that

11:57

he's had on you, Victor. How much, Has

12:00

he helped you settle in the country

12:02

off the pitch? And then tell us

12:04

a little bit about him on the

12:07

training pitch. We've seen the Instagram stories.

12:09

He could still be with me. I

12:11

feel like, for Leverkoos. For sure. I

12:13

mean, it's passing, right? For

12:16

sure. It's unbelievable, isn't it? Yeah,

12:18

it's passing. It's

12:20

passing. It's crazy. I remember after

12:22

I signed the first day, I was to have a

12:24

meeting with him in the end surface.

12:27

And he was telling me about the game

12:29

plan and everything, why they want me. To

12:31

be honest, I was not even thinking about

12:33

what he was saying to me. Because at

12:35

that point of time, I was dreaming, me

12:37

sitting close to Zab. In

12:39

my head, I was like, Coach, can

12:42

you just stop saying, can you take

12:44

a picture with me? And then in

12:46

my head, I was thinking this. Because

12:48

I didn't believe this. But what a

12:50

great coach. Everybody

12:52

knew him as a good player. Also, great,

12:54

fantastic one. Everything to be wonderful. He

12:57

really helped me a lot. He tried to advise me.

12:59

Because I think, for

13:01

example, he gave me an example. Like Drug

13:04

Vise said, when he's against Drug Vise, Drug

13:07

Vise is strong. He's this only one thing for me.

13:09

Because me, I'm the type of guy I

13:11

just want to. He didn't give you an example when I played against

13:13

him? Come on. No, no.

13:16

We didn't. He

13:19

didn't tell you how good I was when I played against him.

13:22

Of course, everybody knew how good you were. He

13:25

was talking about a strike, comparing

13:27

me to Zab, when he played

13:29

against Drug Vise, top, top, and everything. So he was trying

13:31

to put a mentality in my head. Because I'm the type

13:33

of guy that I just want to have a good game.

13:36

Even though I'm not scoring, I just want to have a good game

13:38

as long as we're winning. So he

13:40

wanted to try to change that mentality

13:43

for me to be a fighter, which

13:45

I have been the team. And like

13:48

I said, he's a top, top,

13:50

top coach. Even in the training, you can see him

13:52

when he passed the ball and everything. My

13:55

first training section, I had with the team. They

13:57

were doing like a shooting. practice

14:00

him and Grimado with

14:02

some other guy. The way

14:05

they shoot the ball, I

14:07

just don't want to go

14:09

there. I mean,

14:11

I remember when we, when we used to, obviously

14:14

when we used to play against Liverpool, he

14:17

was one, one, one player that obviously Josie Mourinho

14:19

always used to say, do not give him time

14:21

on the ball. We never used to give Chavi

14:23

time on the ball because when he give him

14:25

time on the ball, he's going to

14:27

pick it up. It doesn't matter where the player is. He

14:29

will pick that pass. He was that

14:31

good for a manager to always say, don't

14:34

give him space. That's how good

14:36

he was. The other thing about him,

14:38

Victor, and you can confirm or deny

14:40

this, when I remember watching Xabi Alonso,

14:42

very rarely did you ever see him

14:45

angry. He was always quite placid. He

14:47

was always quite level-headed. Is he like

14:49

that as a coach or to the

14:51

teacups every now and again, do they

14:53

go flying in the dressing room? No,

14:55

no, it's always like this. I

14:58

think I always felt angry one time. It was

15:00

against that moment when we were losing for staff. Then

15:03

when we came in the dressing room, we were so angry screaming.

15:06

And after the game he said to us, it's not

15:08

like this. It's just the moment we tell him to

15:11

understand, but it's calm. Super

15:13

calm. That's because you guys have never been in

15:15

that situation quite a lot this season. You guys

15:17

always winning. So you've never been in that situation.

15:19

But I mean, I don't know you myself, as

15:21

a manager, but I mean, long may you guys

15:24

continue to win. And I hope you guys win

15:28

the Bundesliga this season because I mean,

15:30

Bayern have been winning it for so

15:32

many years. So it'd be nice to

15:34

see a new club win it. Yeah,

15:37

it'd be nice. We have a long

15:39

season ahead of us and we finished

15:42

the top of the league. And now

15:45

my brain is not on the Bundesliga. And I even make

15:47

it in the Schonkopf. My head is on the Schonkopf. So

15:50

if I make it, then I wish the players

15:52

there to continue doing what we've been doing with the

15:54

games. Then we see after

15:56

the nations. Tired of ads interrupting your

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Prime members some shows may have

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ads yeah we will get

16:19

to Nigeria and the African Cup of Nations

16:21

Victor I'm gonna just labor the point on

16:24

buyer labor cousin what's been the secret to

16:26

your success I've watched an awful lot of

16:28

you big wide pitch Grimaldo wide

16:30

on the left Jeremy Frimpong formerly of Man

16:32

City formerly of Celtic he's been a revelation

16:35

Florian Wurz I'm a huge fan of and

16:37

then you of course at the top end

16:39

of the pitch getting the goals talk us

16:41

through what Xabi's trying to get you guys

16:43

to do and what the kind of philosophy

16:46

is at the football club I

16:49

think the way we

16:51

want us to play it's not just an individual

16:54

you know that's why we see player

16:56

like Grimaldo sometimes you see him in the midfield sometimes

16:58

you see him in the wing so

17:00

you want us to like even if

17:02

we are not even playing in our own position you

17:05

want us to like try to help the team you

17:07

know to always put the team first so

17:09

like me sometimes I go to the side Flores

17:12

striking Jeremy's on the wing back

17:15

I think after after my first three game with

17:17

Leva Kosei I said to Jeremy I was like

17:19

bro I don't know what formation

17:21

we're playing so as long we are keeping

17:27

the ball moving yeah yeah

17:29

as long as we are moving everyone

17:31

is passing you don't lose the ball

17:33

too easily and we have player like

17:35

Granite in the engine

17:37

room for us to communicate with because

17:40

he's been in this he's been playing this for

17:42

longer and we the young guys he's trying to

17:44

help us so that's why I have player like

17:46

Granite but we the rest we are just enjoying

17:49

the moment trying to like

17:52

he always said to us keep the ball

17:54

always keep the ball even in

17:56

training we do a lot of possession so that we

17:58

can get to know each other more I don't

18:00

mind again. Granite Jacques, I want to

18:03

talk about Granite because there's a

18:05

man who polarises opinion. It's

18:07

fair to say even some Arsenal fans, for

18:09

doing the same, weren't big fans of Granite.

18:11

But I tell you what, John, he has

18:13

proven himself this season. What an

18:16

important footballer he is. Did you have

18:18

any clashes? Did you and Granite pass

18:20

each other? Maybe he just

18:22

came after you? Yeah, I think he just came after me.

18:24

Yeah, no, we didn't. Are you a fan? I

18:28

think when I watch him, I think

18:30

towards the end of his career, his

18:32

time at Arsenal, I

18:34

started to watch him quite a bit. And

18:36

I started to see what he actually does

18:39

for the team. He's

18:42

like a box-a-box kind of player, isn't

18:44

he? And he can get

18:46

you goals as well. So when I watched

18:48

him at Arsenal, I saw what he was doing. He

18:50

didn't take part in the build-up of the game

18:53

as much. But then he was very clever with

18:56

his timing on the box. And I think that's something

18:58

he does for you guys as well. He's

19:00

been fantastic, isn't he, this season for you guys.

19:02

He's played really, really well. And

19:04

I think that's when some Arsenal fans look back

19:06

now, they'll say, you know, except

19:08

they get the goal to win the Premier

19:11

League. But I mean, they would have loved to

19:13

have kept him. I think he himself has said

19:15

that Michaela Orteza wanted to win as he kept

19:17

him. But he shall be a lonesome, persuasive man.

19:20

He felt that he'd be a vital cog. What's he

19:22

brought to the football club, Victor? Experience.

19:25

I mean, I write for my young age,

19:27

I'm Arsenal fans, but that's not all my

19:29

life. I understand what he's saying about Garnet,

19:31

you know, but it's a different

19:33

kind of team. It's

19:36

experience, it's maturity, it's top-top,

19:38

professional, it's top. Like I

19:40

said, we have a young Scott, but with Garnet,

19:43

it's like we've been playing this for

19:45

a long time because he talked to us, he tried

19:47

to advise us a lot. So

19:50

I think they're experienced there. So we've got

19:52

Chelsea Legend. We've got a big Man

19:54

United fan. We've got a big Arsenal

19:56

fan. We're not a way to vis- you

20:00

wouldn't have got an invite on this podcast. I know

20:02

the joke. Arsenal,

20:05

I've got to ask then, are

20:07

you hopeful? Do you think we'll go all the way this

20:09

season and win the Premier League? I

20:12

don't know about that. Of

20:16

course. Arsenal thing is always where kids

20:20

again, going back to the canoe thing,

20:22

you know, kids growing up, same as

20:24

me, like I said, I grew up supporting

20:26

Arsenal because of one person. And a lot

20:28

of people are lying on the, by the

20:30

way, on that. You definitely were an Arsenal

20:32

fan. I was an Arsenal fan growing up.

20:34

One or two Nigerians not happy with that.

20:39

But you were an Arsenal fan. I was an Arsenal

20:41

fan. I loved watching Arsenal and it was just

20:43

because of Cano as well. So

20:47

it's that thing that, you know,

20:49

where an engineering player

20:52

plays, you tend to support your own.

20:54

So I think that's why

20:56

I supported Arsenal growing up. But

20:59

now when you watch the younger kids

21:01

coming up, they all, everybody is, because

21:03

of me, Victor Moses,

21:05

everybody has moved to Chelsea. Any

21:07

fans as a guy? Anyone supporting

21:10

Man United? Not as

21:12

much, no. So

21:14

it's actually between, between Chelsea

21:17

and Arsenal, I think. Victor,

21:20

you know, growing up as a

21:22

young boy following football, Arsenal, your club,

21:24

who were your kind of heroes growing

21:26

up? I know Jaby Alonzo has mentioned

21:28

DDA Drogba to you and we spoke

21:30

to Victor Oceme on a previous episode

21:33

and he said that he modelled his game on DDA.

21:36

For you, personally, who were the strikers

21:38

that you looked to, to kind of

21:41

help mould your game? To be

21:44

honest, during my childhood I

21:46

have none because right from my academy

21:48

in Nigeria, until I moved to Europe,

21:51

I was a midfielder, you know, I was playing around, but

21:53

then I was never a striker. So

21:55

they come back to me to a striker when

21:57

I got to, like, a few months before coming

21:59

to Europe. So during my when

22:01

I was in Arsenal I love, I watch a

22:04

lot of meets. Even up to this present time

22:06

I watch a lot of meet

22:08

feeders videos but then in Arsenal I suppose I'm

22:10

in Arsenal a lot. I watch this

22:12

video a lot on Sante Castle. I also play

22:14

like this. Even up to

22:16

this moment I like to watch videos like

22:19

this just to get out in tight spaces

22:21

because scoring goes with conjure we come you

22:23

know but try to help your team

22:25

in different ways so I watch a

22:28

lot of dribble ups a

22:30

lot. A lot who are a striker, this

22:32

Christian I watch a lot of Christian also

22:34

but I'm alright for when

22:36

I was young I was never a striker.

22:39

It changed me a few months before coming

22:41

to Europe. Note John that he

22:43

never watched you. No, yeah. Only

22:45

the Fleur players. Only

22:47

the Fleur players. When I was always a Fleur

22:49

player when I played for the national team. Yeah.

22:54

I was the main man. I was the main man. I

22:58

was the Zizou. You

23:00

just like you just like me. I

23:03

was the Zizou, yeah. We'll

23:05

not cut that from the bottom. Interesting

23:08

there Victor you mentioned there that

23:10

Samira Nasri, Sante, Kizorla. And

23:13

it kind of changed because when you look at

23:15

your stats and John's right to point this out

23:18

you're not just a goal scorer. You know

23:20

you've got 10 goals in 16 games but

23:22

you've got seven assists and if my research

23:24

is correct you're second

23:26

in the Bundesliga assists chart

23:29

which is a blooming great start

23:31

as well. Yeah, like I said I just when I

23:33

play I want to have fun at the same time.

23:35

As long my team is winning and we

23:38

are scoring goals winning the game is important for

23:40

me but at the same time I want to have fun. And

23:43

this is what Leva Cozin is bringing you know the way we play.

23:46

Not just one man scoring but one man assisting.

23:48

The goal is spreading among everybody in the

23:51

team. I think the league

23:53

assists, goals five assists. Jeremy

23:55

have five goals assists coming from

23:57

the wing back. So this is a type

23:59

of thing. I love to play, you know, try to F

24:01

even if I'm not scoring, even if I'm not assisting, try

24:04

to be the third man before they go. This is the

24:06

type of player I am. I just want to bring possibility

24:08

to the team, try to F the team in any way.

24:10

So this is the type of player. I want to

24:12

ask about a player who has been

24:15

likened to a former Chelsea player, a

24:17

Chelsea player who was going down in

24:19

the record books, Kai Havertz, the man

24:21

who won Chelsea, their second European Cup,

24:23

21 against Man City.

24:26

Of course, he's now moved on to

24:28

Victor's beloved Arsenal. He started to pick

24:30

up a bit of form. But talk

24:32

to me about Florian Wertz, if you

24:34

can, Victor, because there's a young boy.

24:36

I watch a lot of German football

24:38

and I get excited. He's diminutive. He

24:40

likes to pick the little spaces in between

24:42

the defence and the midfield. He's got goals.

24:44

He's got a lot of assists. And I

24:46

read an article saying that he was one

24:48

of the big reasons that you chose Leverkusen

24:50

as well. You're a big fan of your

24:52

team-mate. Yeah, yeah. Before joining Leverkusen,

24:55

before we played the game, we had

24:57

an interview with me. They asked me,

24:59

what did I think about Fluke? And

25:02

when I was in Belgium, I don't have time

25:04

to work the Bundesliga early when it's a big

25:06

game between Brouche, Dortmund, and Bayern. So they asked

25:08

me about this guy and I said to the

25:10

journalist, I don't know this guy. And

25:12

the journalist said something to me. He said, you will know him in

25:14

the game. I'm

25:17

looking forward to it. So I started the game, which I

25:20

scored and he scored also. So when

25:23

I was leading to Leverkusen, I

25:26

had to watch some

25:28

of the videos. Then I saw him, the way he

25:30

played, and I watched him. But

25:32

these guys are magicians. We

25:35

are not surprised what he's doing on

25:38

the game because in training, it's crazy. When

25:40

he's with the ball, nobody wants to mark

25:42

it. He's so good. He's fast,

25:44

he's strong, he's careful. He has the strength.

25:47

Sometimes you see a number 10 that can

25:49

use the ball without defending ball. He can do all.

25:52

He can defend, he can attack. He's careful.

25:56

In training, I try to play a lot with him just because

25:58

I want the same energy in the game. game, you

26:00

know, try to try to understand the type of

26:03

player. So he can help me a lot in the game.

26:06

That's why I said, I think I, um,

26:08

out of my, um, seven, six assists, I

26:10

gave him four out of his five assists

26:13

and gave me three. So yeah, we, so

26:15

before coming, I tried to study what type of player,

26:18

what kind of pass that we gave to me. I know I would,

26:20

I would play two touch one kind of pass. It would give to

26:22

me a return one touch. Well, you will,

26:24

if you watch our game, you see the connection is

26:26

there. You think you'll be playing together for a long

26:28

time, because I watch before coming up and watching them.

26:30

He's been a top guy also. I

26:33

always wonder about connections at football clubs. John,

26:35

you know, he's talking there, Victor, him and

26:38

40 and just seem to, yeah, seem to

26:40

click your Chelsea days. Who had that kind

26:42

of feeling partnership? Oh,

26:44

probably I think probably between

26:46

us a bit between me,

26:49

Frank and Ashley, because Ashley was

26:51

a, was a guy who was always bumping on

26:53

the left side. So there was this pass where

26:55

we always play whereby, cause I'm the deeper midfield

26:57

player. So I hate to Frank and Frank lays

27:00

it off to me before he lays it. Ashley's

27:02

already gone. He's already gone. You don't have to

27:04

look. You just hit it is

27:06

there. So that's one of the connection you have

27:08

with, with, with players. It just happens automatically. Uh,

27:11

so that's, uh, that's something we, you know,

27:13

I had with Frank and that's something that we did so,

27:15

so many times, uh, in the

27:17

games and, you know, and every time you

27:19

do it, it works. You're like, how come

27:22

nobody's caught up to that? It keeps working,

27:24

but it's just, uh, something that just comes

27:26

naturally. So yeah, it's interesting. Cause you've said

27:28

on this podcast, you know, there's great respect

27:30

between you and Frank, but it wasn't as

27:32

if you were best mates. Cause I always

27:34

wondered, sometimes you think to yourself, the best

27:36

connections, you have to be friends off the

27:38

pitch, but you don't, that's a, no. Exactly.

27:41

I mean, at the end of the day, you know, you,

27:43

you guys are there, you guys are friends, you, you,

27:45

you come to work every day. Uh,

27:47

you see each other, you, you know, you guys,

27:49

uh, you know, in training, you have fun, you

27:52

enjoy yourself, you laugh, you make jokes, but then

27:54

when the training is done, when everything is said

27:56

and done, uh, and you have your lunch, you

27:58

know, you go back home. and you just want

28:00

to see at home, just be lazy

28:03

at home, watch your TV. If

28:05

you have kids, you spend time with your kids, with your

28:07

family and all, you don't have time to call your friends

28:09

and say, come on, let's go hang out, let's go out

28:11

for a coffee. Because you don't

28:13

have time for that, because the next morning you're back

28:15

in again. So you don't really have time for that.

28:17

That's why we never had that

28:20

kind of thing. So the only place

28:22

for us to build that connection and

28:24

that bond was on the training pitch.

28:26

On the training pitch, on the games,

28:28

that's where when we win, we build

28:30

bonds, we celebrate, we have a drink

28:32

in the dressing room before we go

28:34

home. So that was our team bonding,

28:36

not really much outside. Outside, then on

28:38

that point then, Victor, are you and

28:40

Florian, are you friends away

28:42

from the pitch or is it very much similar

28:44

to what Jon said there? The connection comes on

28:46

the training pitch. Yeah, it's the same as what

28:49

he said, the connection came from the training

28:51

pitch. I have outside the

28:53

outside the footballs, I have

28:55

another team, like Jeremy, for

28:57

instance, Eddie, we

28:59

have the connection outside football. At

29:01

home, we see each other, but me and Florian is

29:04

when we are in training, when we're playing games. Of

29:06

course, we talk once in a while in the dressing

29:08

room, we talk with team, but not like we do

29:10

something outside. I have like

29:13

Jeremy, for instance, we are friends on

29:15

the pitch outside, but with Florian, it's

29:17

on training ground. Training ground, we come

29:19

with so many ideas, not we chat

29:21

after an hour, it's just

29:23

on only football. It's amazing that. You

29:26

know this, Jon, and obviously Victor maybe

29:28

a lot of people listening or watching this

29:30

podcast. You guys have a big thing

29:33

in common. What's that? You

29:35

both made your move into Europe

29:38

via Norway. Now I've been to

29:40

Norway, it's blooming cold. Last

29:42

time I went, there's snow, there's

29:45

not much here in Nigeria, the last time I

29:47

checked. So, I mean,

29:49

Jon, you've touched on it with me

29:51

in there. Amazing plays though, fantastic plays.

29:53

I mean, the women are beautiful. I'll

29:56

say that. The women

29:58

are fantastic, beautiful. It's

30:00

a country where you are probably one

30:02

of the most beautiful, I think. Yeah,

30:04

Scandinavia. Scandinavian women, yeah. Just incredible. How

30:07

much did you enjoy your time at Bodo Gwin,

30:10

Victor? Football wise, good, but

30:12

I was at football not so good because

30:14

I stayed far in the North. Yeah,

30:17

you were at. In Bodo. Oh, you're trying

30:19

to say you didn't get involved in the whole thing. You

30:23

stayed far away from it. That was also, that

30:25

was like, that was awesome. Yeah. I

30:28

was not a top city, but I was from

30:30

Bodo, Bodo. I live like

30:33

three minutes walk to my stadium from

30:35

my house to the airport. If you take a

30:37

taxi, it's two minutes. So it's a small place

30:39

and it's so cold. After that, when you go

30:41

home and sleep, there's nothing else to do. You

30:43

can't do anything. You pick the

30:45

airport, so it's easier to fly them in, isn't

30:47

it? What? To fly them in, fly them in,

30:50

and drive to the airport. You can't. He's out.

30:52

You can't. And from the

30:54

airport and... You

30:57

can fly anybody. You

31:00

know, I know he's not salaried.

31:03

Not that good for you to bring

31:05

in. But

31:09

then it was, it was good.

31:11

You know, I spent, I think, three years,

31:13

you know, I won the league twice, game

31:16

second one time. But

31:18

football-wise, it was, it

31:21

was, it was chaos for me.

31:23

It was really, really, really, really bad for

31:25

me. I

31:28

think I have more bad story than good

31:30

story there. But that's life,

31:33

you know, because I remember I

31:35

signed, I signed in, oh, after

31:37

two weeks, I got injured. Really? I

31:40

was, yeah, yeah, after signing two

31:42

weeks, I was

31:45

preparing for

31:47

the 22-word cup during then, then I got ACH.

31:50

So I was ruled out for six, six,

31:53

seven months. Six, seven months, yeah. Yeah,

31:55

I ruled out, I didn't, after which I just

31:57

signed. So I came back after six. I

32:00

think I came back our last three games of the

32:02

season, which I play with you. We

32:04

came on second. The next year we won the

32:06

league. So the

32:09

next year we won the league. During

32:12

the final, the last game to decide

32:14

the league, which we

32:16

won, the last game we were celebrating, celebrating

32:19

in the dressing room, which we just won the

32:21

league again back to back. We're

32:23

celebrating, drinking, you know, you know the feeling

32:25

when you win the league. Jumping

32:29

around and everything. After

32:32

that, that was in Oslo. So

32:35

we traveled back to our city, which is where

32:37

we get to the airport. There's

32:39

this big van waiting for us. So

32:42

we came in, went to the van, traveled around

32:44

the city and seen eyes of the people. Went

32:47

to the stadium partying, drinking,

32:49

jumping, everything. I

32:51

went home. And

32:54

before this, I was fleeing to me. We

32:57

agreed like a deal already with Club Bridge in

33:01

Belgium. So I was

33:03

fleeing to them. So mine was just to finish the

33:05

season and travel to

33:08

Belgium for me. So

33:11

after we were partying, drinking, everything, I

33:13

went home. I slept. When

33:16

I woke up, my leg was like this. Oh,

33:19

swollen. My leg was swollen. I

33:23

thought it was not in series because maybe it

33:25

was just swollen from my past injury. I

33:28

went to the training. I went to the training and the next

33:30

day I spoke to the doctor. We went to do an MRI

33:32

scan. When

33:35

I saw the doctor come with a big fire and

33:37

something bad happened, I told him I turned my ACR

33:39

again. During

33:42

that time, it was, I

33:45

didn't even wait for us to get the traffic. I speak to

33:47

the coach. I said, I want to go back to Nigeria. So

33:50

I traveled back to Nigeria. It

33:53

was the worst. During that time, I'm

33:55

telling him I'm the only child of my

33:57

mom. Then I lost my mom during

33:59

this process. process also. So

34:01

I lost my mom during that time. I had

34:03

injury, lost a big transfer for me to travel

34:05

to Belgium. My head was gone.

34:09

I started doing crazy stuff.

34:12

I almost, to be honest

34:14

with you, I almost quit. I was thinking, what

34:16

should I do after football? Because

34:19

at the

34:21

age of 21, 22, I had two days here. Losing

34:24

my mom also, it was so

34:26

difficult for me at this point of time. So

34:29

I came back, I think, I

34:32

came back to Nigeria. My weight was like 83,

34:38

84. I came back because they said

34:40

to me, I have to do surgery or I might

34:43

not play for one year, two months, which

34:45

is 40 months, a long time. So when I

34:47

came back to Nigeria, I lost my head. I started

34:50

doing crazy stuff. I came back. My weight

34:52

went to 97 from 80 because

34:57

I almost give

35:00

up. So when we resume, we

35:03

resume, we're going for Spain. At

35:05

this point of time, it was not even that painful.

35:08

On T, we were going for preseason.

35:11

So I have to fly with the team because I

35:13

need to be a strength for my knee before I

35:15

max out. So I traveled to

35:17

the team to Spain for preseason

35:19

camp. And we were sitting outside. Everybody

35:22

was putting on football shoes. I was

35:24

the only one with training canvas. I was

35:26

like, fuck my life. To be

35:29

honest, I was going through

35:32

it. I was going through it. It

35:34

was very good for me. So

35:37

I had my surgery. I

35:39

keep believing in God, trusting, training,

35:41

training a little bit. Then

35:45

I think after five months,

35:47

we're playing the conference league and we're

35:49

in the same group with Ruma. So

35:52

I fly with the team to room

35:56

for the game. So

35:58

like 45 minutes before the game, I was in the... the

36:00

VIP section working around trying to get something

36:02

to eat. Then I received

36:04

a call from my agent. So

36:07

I was like, why am I agent calling me when he knows

36:09

we have a game by this time? So I peek and say

36:11

to me, oh, I

36:15

just want to let you know some,

36:17

some clubs saw you, some, um, what

36:19

director saw you in your room and

36:21

they were asking me, what's the situation when I you're

36:24

back for me? Do you really

36:26

like they want to try something with me? This, this,

36:28

then that gave me confidence back. Okay. I said to

36:30

myself, I will play both for like six, six

36:33

months. And this is

36:35

coming. So I need to start training really. My

36:38

mentality change because I believe, okay, if I'm injured

36:40

and people are thinking about me, so what we

36:42

have, when I'm back playing, when you still playing,

36:44

yeah, when you're back playing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So

36:47

I change the mentality. I started training to

36:49

come back. So I think

36:51

I came back from the injury

36:53

last game of the season, which

36:56

because gave me one minute

36:58

to play my legs in the hospital. But we

37:00

won, we won, we won the league also again,

37:02

but I was not part of the team because

37:04

I only played one game.

37:06

So I came back from Nigeria for a day

37:08

again, started working out because I believe

37:11

in myself, I believe in my talent. But the most

37:13

important thing is God, you know, so

37:16

we came back, we came

37:18

back and started playing. And you

37:21

know, sometimes

37:23

you have to start with your coach. Why

37:26

you're not playing this, this, then I was

37:28

the lead. The few time I was playing, I was actually

37:31

doing really good. And I know if

37:33

I came and they were ready to let

37:35

me go, which I left to, to, to

37:37

bejo. So

37:40

what's got the story

37:42

short in Norway, I didn't really

37:44

enjoy the football. I didn't really

37:46

enjoy myself because I

37:48

was injured almost. Yeah, I think we

37:50

both had similar. Yeah. Yeah. But I

37:52

mean, your stories, yeah, it's a, yeah,

37:54

losing your mom. Yeah, exactly. Losing your

37:57

mom is, you know, it's, it's, it's

37:59

tougher than mine. Obviously. And

38:01

then I can't be. Yeah, yeah. Farther, I've

38:03

fallen country. You've got a bad injury, a

38:05

second ACL, you lose your mum. I can't

38:08

even begin to think what you were going

38:10

through, Victor. It's interesting you say you don't

38:12

have fond memories. I've got to ask about

38:14

your manager, Setil Nyatsein, who is someone

38:17

who has been linked with an awful

38:19

lot of big jobs, Celtic in Scotland

38:21

and O'Bryton, were rumored to be interested.

38:24

Someone who is tipped for big things.

38:26

Can you talk to us about him

38:28

as a manager? Do you share those

38:30

sentiments that he has a big future? When

38:33

you lost your mother, was he a big

38:35

presence for you? Was he a big reason

38:38

to help you get back onto the street in

38:40

Narrow again? Sure, sure. It's

38:42

a great coach, great guy. During

38:45

this time he was there for me. Not just him,

38:47

the old team were there for me. And actually I

38:49

was leaving in his own apartment because he had no

38:51

other apartment. So I was leaving. In

38:55

general, Norwegian people are taught to

38:57

take care of foreign people. Nice people, yeah.

39:01

But the coach is top of transmission,

39:04

top mentality. He

39:06

wants to win, he wants to keep fighting,

39:08

he wants to do better and better and

39:10

better. So I'm not surprised that

39:12

we get linked to top clubs. I think we would

39:15

do perfectly okay there. Yeah, he is

39:17

someone to keep a very close eye on. He's been

39:19

in that job, I think, since 2018. It's a little

39:21

bit of a surprise that he's not yet had his

39:23

big break. You then make the

39:26

move over to Belgium. I've had two

39:28

ACLs. I think on you, John, I

39:30

can't remember. Again, I've not looked

39:32

at your injury records. I don't remember you

39:34

having any serious... No, no, no, no. I

39:37

didn't have an ACL but I had my... No,

39:39

I didn't have an ACL but I had

39:41

my adaptor here pulled out from my... You

39:43

know when you have this muscle here? Well,

39:46

you're making my balls go inside

39:49

me right now, Johnny. Look

39:52

painful. Just... It is.

39:54

It was. It

39:57

was before when it happened and it is.

40:00

Fucking painful, I'm telling you mate. Like

40:02

when it happened, so this muscle here

40:04

that connects between your thigh and

40:07

your, just between here.

40:09

Yeah. Groin. Yeah, just

40:12

everything. It's not like, you know, some people,

40:14

they tore it and you tore it like

40:16

a little bit of it comes out. Mind,

40:18

the whole thing pulled. Oh.

40:20

Yeah, and the whole thing came off.

40:23

And that was when I was in China, you

40:25

know, I was, you know, yeah, I was training.

40:27

You were an old man by the... I was

40:30

an old man by then, yeah. And I was

40:32

training and, you know, obviously as a midfield player,

40:34

we do this ton, obviously we do this ton

40:36

and it's not like striking. Sometimes you train for

40:38

like, you know, so, but midfield

40:40

players, you know, we always turn around and you

40:42

know, so I was training and then it

40:45

happened. And I was like, fuck,

40:47

like something has happened. And I

40:49

was, when it happened and the first time

40:51

it happened, I was like, shit, something just happened. But then I

40:53

was like, okay, you know what? Let me just try and play.

40:57

And then I did the similar ton

40:59

again where I had to turn around

41:01

again. And then the whole thing just

41:03

came, pulled. And I

41:05

was on the floor just shouting

41:07

and screaming and shouting and screaming.

41:10

And you know what the fucking doctors and

41:13

the fucking train team said? They said

41:15

to me, you can't believe it.

41:17

They say you pulled your hand

41:19

here. They say you've got your hand

41:21

here, you've pulled your hand here. They say, like, you say anything.

41:24

I'm like, what do you mean it's a fucking hand here? It's

41:26

not a hand here. And I was

41:28

like, I remember then talking to my missus. She was like,

41:30

are you sure? Is that what they said? I

41:33

said, I don't know, but the doctor is telling me

41:35

that I've done my hand here.

41:37

So I need to go to the hospital and

41:39

take my handies off. And she's

41:42

like, fuck no, you're not doing that. Make

41:44

sure you buy your ticket and come back home.

41:46

So you came back to London. So you come

41:48

back to London and get a proper assessment

41:51

and checkup. And I did

41:53

that. I bought my flight, I came back to London,

41:55

and then I went to the hospital. And

41:58

then I did the check and everything. and

42:00

then Mariah said you've pulled your muscles.

42:02

You're a doctor not your name. Yeah,

42:04

my doctor exactly. You know, my man,

42:06

you can't go to the hospital to

42:08

take my fucking hennies off. Imagine

42:11

that. Your

42:14

career would have ended better, man. If

42:17

you've done that, no stoking, no middles. Victor,

42:20

then, on the basis of that, your

42:22

ace of injuries, both in the same

42:24

knee or different knees? Same. Same knee.

42:27

So how do you then mentally, physically,

42:29

it's all about taking time mentally, my

42:31

friend. How do you get over that?

42:33

Firstly, if you come to, if you're

42:36

from Nigeria, you're already, your mentality is

42:38

different. When you come to Nigeria,

42:40

because they are,

42:43

yeah, in Nigeria, we're already prepared to

42:45

face anything. We know why they're here because we know, we need to,

42:49

we need to fight for everything. So after

42:51

this, like I said, I have my family

42:53

that check on me every, every

42:55

time, which is important for me at that time of my

42:57

career. And I have my team

42:59

also, which they were there

43:01

for me also. But to be

43:03

honest, I was really down. I

43:07

was really down, like far from home,

43:10

I had this, this, this problem.

43:12

I was really down. But when

43:14

I got the move from, away from Norway to

43:16

Belgium, I was really happy because I

43:18

think it's time for me to move from

43:21

up north here, which is so

43:23

cold, you know. So then I

43:26

moved to, I moved to, to Belgium.

43:28

Union, not so big team also,

43:30

but they know what they need.

43:32

They want to play right here. Me also young player

43:34

that they believe in me also. That's why I'm surprised

43:36

what they try to give my 100%. This

43:39

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43:41

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43:55

responsibly. I want to talk

43:57

about Union, it seems, j'ai l'oir. And I hope I'm

43:59

pronouncing that. correctly. It's always a bit

44:01

of a mouthful. They are another football

44:03

club that are doing things a bit

44:05

differently. It's fair to say I've been

44:07

a huge fan in the last couple

44:09

of years. To

44:11

anyone viewing this, listening to this,

44:13

the minority shareholder is Tony Bloom,

44:15

man who owns Brighton and Hove

44:17

Albion. Simon Adringa, who's been

44:19

brilliant for Brighton this season, here at

44:21

Spell over there with Union. They are

44:24

a club to very much keep an

44:26

eye on in the next few seasons.

44:28

I've got no doubt about that. Talk

44:30

to me about that experience, the environment there

44:32

and how much that helped you develop as

44:34

a football player. Yeah, actually it was really

44:36

good because I think that my best time

44:39

in Belgium, you know,

44:41

because before coming, they really wanted me so

44:44

bad. They want me. To be honest, before

44:46

coming to Union, I know

44:49

nothing about this

44:51

club. I had nothing

44:53

about this club. Before

44:55

coming, I was so honest. I

44:57

had something from Nederland also, you

45:00

know, some good team that really wanted me also.

45:02

But the main reason I came

45:04

to Union was because they were in the Europa

45:06

League at that time. So

45:09

I said to my agent, like, I

45:12

know this other team is better than, at this point

45:14

they are bigger than Union, but I want a good

45:16

stage, a world stage, which I can showcase myself

45:19

because I think I've missed

45:21

a lot in football. So I want to showcase more

45:24

in the Europa League. I signed there,

45:26

the coach, the top guy, the coaches in Chicago for

45:28

now. Top team,

45:30

compared to like Nederland,

45:33

club bridge, we are not that standard,

45:36

but top good players. We

45:38

have so many young good players in the team. So

45:41

last season was really good for

45:43

us, but we messed it up

45:45

like last three minutes of

45:47

the game. Yeah, talk to me about

45:49

that. I remember this. It went viral.

45:51

I hate to remind you of this,

45:53

Victor. Yeah. Landwurf,

46:01

deep in Stauff and Stein, take us through it.

46:03

John won't be aware of this. No, talk to

46:05

me. It was. I've

46:08

never seen something like this before

46:11

the last game. So it was

46:13

between Union, Gank and

46:16

Antwerp. Yeah. So

46:18

Antwerp is playing against Gank and

46:21

we are playing against Club

46:24

Rouge. Yeah. So all we need to do

46:26

is to win the game. For

46:30

we, we need to win the game. We

46:32

will won the league because Gank

46:34

is playing against Antwerp

46:36

in Gank home. So it will be difficult

46:38

for Antwerp to beat Gank in

46:40

Gank. Yeah. So we just need to win. So

46:44

if we win Gank win, we

46:46

won the league. If we

46:48

draw Gank win, Gank won

46:50

the league. If we

46:52

win, Antwerp win, Antwerp

46:55

won the league. So

46:58

if we lose Gank win,

47:01

Gank won the league. So I

47:03

think in the first 20-25 minutes Gank scored.

47:08

So Gank we are leading 1-0

47:10

and we were playing 0-0. So

47:12

first half Gank is leading Gank

47:14

in first position. We are

47:16

in second position and Antwerp is

47:18

in third position. So second half

47:21

for the seven minutes we scored.

47:24

So we are winning the league.

47:26

Winning the league. Gank is second

47:29

position and third position. I

47:31

think 47 and third recollect. So

47:35

Antwerp recollects. We are winning the league already.

47:37

Yeah. Up to 75 minutes Gank scored.

47:42

So we already won the league because

47:45

Antwerp is losing and we are leading

47:47

already. Yeah. 89 minutes. Last

47:51

three minutes of the game, Club Roger collides.

47:54

One-one. The funniest

47:56

part, they have the scope moving around with the trophy.

47:59

No. Oh,

48:01

yeah. So 89 minutes. Club

48:04

will recollect. Oh my God. And

48:07

again, we're leading at that time. So when

48:10

they win, again, we will join. You

48:13

were celebrating then the win in the

48:15

league already. 92 minutes. We

48:18

can see one more. Which is

48:21

two one. We are losing a time to 95

48:23

minutes. Three one.

48:25

So we are out of the title

48:27

is last three minutes. We are we

48:29

could concentrate goes in last three

48:32

minutes. Then Genkwe already

48:34

the winner. They were winning the league

48:36

and 90, I think 96 minutes. Antwerp

48:40

score in Antwerp one league.

48:43

Antwerp won the league. Oh,

48:45

my God. It

48:48

was crazy. And an incredible goal. I

48:50

know obviously you've not got the memories

48:53

of this, but a remarkable finish. Royal

48:55

Antwerp Mark von Baumel, their manager. Yeah,

48:57

my mom. I'm a league in 70

49:00

odd years and they go and get the job

49:03

done. Now, I've got to ask Victor, what the

49:05

heck was your dressing room like at the end

49:07

of that game? Because you've got to end your

49:09

hands at this point. To be honest, we are

49:11

quiet for like almost one hour. No

49:14

one can say anything. Nobody,

49:17

because we've been we've

49:19

been working so hard for this, you know, everybody

49:22

don't want Antwerp to win the league because

49:24

in the Badger

49:26

League, when you finish the main league, so

49:29

they share the points. So it's

49:31

like a playoff. So after the main league, the

49:33

first one, two, three, four, I have to play

49:35

a play of each other. Then

49:38

we have to divide your points. So

49:40

in the main league, we are leading Antwerp like

49:42

five points. So so

49:44

when you come to the playoff, they cut the point, then

49:46

it comes to two and the half. So

49:49

for them to win the league, nobody won them,

49:51

because imagine you copying them with five

49:53

points and you went to play around the window league. Right.

49:56

The dressing room was it was

49:58

quiet. No one can. see anything

50:01

until I can even sleep.

50:03

I was just thinking what's going

50:05

on. It's football and

50:09

more. And by the Champions

50:11

League final in 2008, Jon, what's the worst

50:13

dressing room that you've ever been in, in

50:16

terms of being absolutely gutted? Was

50:18

that boss born again the famous one with

50:20

all those decisions? Yeah, I think that one.

50:22

I think that one. When did your drug

50:24

bar last hit? Yeah, I think that

50:27

one probably. I think

50:29

the 2008 one, it was

50:32

bad, but not as bad

50:35

as the Barcelona. Yeah, because

50:38

the 2008 one, we thought, okay, you know

50:40

what, we can still have time. We can

50:44

still probably sleep when the Champions League.

50:47

But then when the

50:49

Champions League, the Barcelona one,

50:51

was like, because our

50:54

aim, our focus then was like, if we beat Barcelona,

50:56

for sure we're going to win the Champions League at that time. And

51:00

the whole incident happened and then,

51:02

yeah, drug bar lost his shit

51:04

and everybody went crazy. And

51:06

then you can imagine what the dressing room looked like.

51:09

It was like the whole energy from the

51:12

pitch. We took it into the dressing room.

51:14

So it wasn't quiet. It was people screaming.

51:16

It was people getting in fight with, I

51:18

remember players getting in fight with the physios

51:21

for not giving them what they wanted to

51:23

cut their tapes or to do that. They were

51:25

like, you're just screaming. It was like a

51:27

fucking, you know, the dressing room was going

51:30

to fall down. You know, it was

51:32

a total, total nightmare.

51:35

And yeah, until everybody left,

51:37

it was an actual

51:41

nightmare. You didn't have to do that. You struggled

51:43

to sleep. Was that an affliction that you suffered?

51:45

If you lost a bad game or you played

51:47

poorly, would you struggle? Yeah, I was one. Yeah,

51:49

when I had a bad game, I really struggled.

51:52

When I was young, I didn't know how to

51:54

deal with it. I didn't know how to deal

51:56

with it. I used to beat myself down completely.

52:00

I didn't want to go out, I didn't want to talk to

52:02

anybody, I didn't want to have a chat with anybody, I just

52:05

wanted to lock myself at home and

52:09

don't answer my phone and just be

52:11

there for a couple of days, go

52:14

back to training next day, don't

52:16

speak to anybody because everyone is looking at you

52:18

thinking, fuck me, you had a stinker yesterday. You

52:22

know? So that's what it

52:25

looks like, because everybody's looking at you thinking,

52:27

you had a stinker yesterday, you didn't want to be that

52:29

guy. And

52:32

that's what I talk about again, when the

52:34

mentality of we back then compared

52:36

to now, we

52:39

were judged, we were judged properly

52:41

and very harsh. You know, you

52:43

need to have balls to be

52:46

able to withstand the pressure and

52:49

the criticism from the manager, from

52:51

your teammates, from the fans, you

52:54

need to have balls to be able

52:56

to deal with that. Now, we're a

52:58

bit more sensitive towards, I understand, towards

53:00

the younger generation like Victor. So,

53:04

but back then, we were judged

53:06

pretty harshly. And are

53:08

you the same, Victor? A bad performance, a

53:10

bad defeat? Do you struggle to get over

53:12

it? Sure, so. Right now,

53:15

if I maybe, if we win another

53:18

bad game, then I start thinking, what went wrong, I

53:20

can't see. But be

53:22

fair, Victor, you've not had many bad games.

53:25

You don't know? Of course. Yeah,

53:28

yeah, that doesn't mean, but you're on like

53:30

individual performance also, you know. Sometimes

53:33

when I have a bad game, you know,

53:35

sometimes you might win a

53:37

game and you yourself here, you didn't really

53:39

do good. Then you start

53:41

questioning like, what went wrong? So I'm

53:43

that type of guy, if I have a bad game, I

53:45

think I'll watch it. What will happen in the training games

53:48

tomorrow, what will the coach say to me? What?

53:51

So I'm like this, I can't sleep. You know,

53:53

you've said that one season in Belgium, you were

53:55

happy to get away from Norway. You

53:58

have a good season, double figures go. goals, your

54:00

joint top goalscorer of the Europa League.

54:03

The Tony Bloom, I mentioned Tony's

54:05

involvement in Union, he's Brighton owner.

54:07

If I look at your make-up

54:09

and your profile, you would

54:12

seem like the perfect player for a Brighton

54:14

and a whole Albion. When you look at

54:16

their identity and their recruitment, but a move

54:18

to England, was that an offer for you

54:20

before your move to Germany? Maybe

54:23

not Brighton, but maybe some other English

54:25

team. I said

54:27

to my agent directly, like, moving

54:29

from Belgium to England is not for me. I don't want

54:31

to do this. I want to do this too.

54:37

To be honest, it's here. I never liked the playing. Why?

54:47

I just, I just, I

54:50

don't think it's not my style. I

54:52

love to play in Spain or Germany.

54:55

Yeah, but you

54:57

have, you have the qualities of playing

54:59

the Premier League. You're strong, you're

55:02

a big guy, you're strong, you're

55:04

quick, very technically very

55:06

good. When I watch some other strikers,

55:08

I think when I watch you and

55:10

I watch Victor, both of

55:12

you can score goals. Both of you have the physicality,

55:14

both of you are quick. But I think one thing

55:17

that I think you have a bit more than Victor,

55:19

you're very good on the ball. Victor, I'm not saying

55:21

Victor's not good on the ball. Victor's good on the

55:23

ball, but you're a bit more technical. Like you

55:25

said as well, you played in the midfield with something

55:27

probably something that helped you with that.

55:30

But when I look at you, I

55:32

watched you, you're like a complete, okay,

55:34

you still have a lot of room

55:37

to improve, but you seem like somebody,

55:39

when you improve, you can be a

55:41

complete, complete striker. And I think also

55:44

a Premier

55:46

League, a club like an Arsenal

55:48

where or a Man City where

55:50

they play good football. We need

55:52

to stand the standard high, so

55:54

probably you never know. One of the

55:56

two, three years in Germany, who knows? A

55:58

Man to you on our

56:00

mark and come knocking on the door. So we hope to

56:02

see you in the Premier League. Victor,

56:04

Jon is turning into Jon Shittu is 40

56:07

years old. He's already, he's not trying to

56:11

make money. No, no, no, no. Don't

56:13

get me wrong. I'm not saying if

56:15

the time, if the right moment for

56:21

me to come to England is there, I will not, I will say

56:23

no. But what I'm trying to say, like when

56:25

I was young, I, I love Spanish

56:27

like so much, like

56:30

Spanish and German because

56:32

of the way the play, you understand? Good football, you understand?

56:35

But I'm not saying if I, if I have enough, I would

56:37

have to come to the England or refuse. No, I'm

56:40

just saying in general, I have to pay to

56:42

even have to pick one. I pick spin to

56:44

play. Yeah. Yeah. And Jaby

56:46

Alonso's in your ear already. He's

56:49

telling you, God, I think. Yeah.

56:51

Yeah. Yeah. It's probably, it's probably

56:54

pointing at one, you know, but

56:56

you know, we, we have some

56:58

certain college, a lot to

57:00

live in to Brazil, isn't it?

57:02

It's going to become the next Brazil

57:04

manager. We're joining the

57:06

goal. And there's a

57:09

certain Jaby Alonso who, who him,

57:11

who I, you know, who will be

57:13

heading to England, you know, we can

57:15

see the whole collection. This

57:19

mentality, even before coming to Europe,

57:22

I just love Spanish football. Yeah.

57:25

Watch the space. It's really interesting to hear

57:27

you say that. And you're at a football

57:29

club though right now that seems perfect for

57:31

you, nucleus of young players playing a brand

57:33

of football that really has got everyone talking

57:35

in Europe. And listen, you know what I

57:37

can say this, Victor? We're fed up or

57:39

buy your Munich winning. We want a new

57:41

team to win it. And I tell you

57:43

what, I know Bruce Adornment have been the

57:45

team for the last decade that have pushed

57:47

by. They're pushed by. Yeah. It would be

57:49

a breath of fresh air. It would be

57:52

a breath of fresh air. I mean, they're

57:55

playing fantastic, fantastic football. I mean,

57:57

I see the way they play

57:59

this. similarity with Pep, you

58:01

know, that two center back

58:03

on the ball and the two full

58:07

backs talking in the middle and then

58:09

creating space, you know, for the number

58:11

10, the number nine and the wing

58:13

as everybody's tucked in there. It's about

58:15

when the openings move, when

58:17

is the right time to pass the ball when the opponent moves.

58:19

You need to drag them out. You need to drag an opening out.

58:22

So when you drag them out and then

58:24

your teammates run, you pass the ball, then there is

58:26

a triangle over there where you can bounce it and

58:28

then you can bounce it there. It's about the right.

58:30

Are you after the fucking Chelsea? That's a natural analysis there.

58:32

What on earth just happened? If

58:35

you're watching this, but he makes all

58:37

salient points. Tactically,

58:47

you guys are as good as there

58:49

is certainly from our opinion. Yeah. Yeah.

58:52

I said it before, it's credit to the coach,

58:54

you know, credit. He played under God, the last,

58:56

a lot of top coaches. So he knows what

58:59

he's doing. There

59:02

are some games which

59:04

we approach with different, different tactics, you

59:06

know, boys, the same, almost the same

59:08

team part. We

59:11

wait for the right time. We

59:13

just move forward just because you want to move.

59:16

No, we wait for this perfect time. And

59:18

we have so much, we have like a

59:21

good center back that can play for the

59:23

ball. Sometimes you have a team which from

59:25

the midfield to the striker can keep the

59:27

ball, but from the goalkeeper to the

59:29

striker, everyone can keep the ball, which

59:32

is really good for us. We've spoken

59:34

to a lot of people on this

59:36

podcast and I know Kevin De Bruyne,

59:38

Javi have talked about Pep Guardiola. He

59:41

opened their mind to see football in

59:43

a different way. Their understanding of football

59:45

improved working under Pep, working with Javi

59:47

over the last four or five

59:49

months, Victor, has your appreciation for football

59:52

changed? Are you watching the game? Are

59:54

you seeing the game very differently now?

59:57

Of course, of course, I see the

59:59

difference. about

1:02:00

what we are putting in the next three,

1:02:02

four months, one year now, I live my life

1:02:05

day by day, what happens today, what happens tomorrow.

1:02:07

So right now I'm focusing on the podcast, when

1:02:09

I'm done I'm going for training. I'm

1:02:11

putting it in the model. I love

1:02:13

that answer Victor. John and I before

1:02:15

we popped on this podcast, we were

1:02:18

discussing you and what you bring to

1:02:20

our football team. And there's the small

1:02:22

matter of another Victor, Victor Oseme, who

1:02:24

won episode two or three,

1:02:26

three, episode three of this podcast. Do

1:02:28

you and Victor compliment one another? I

1:02:30

guess the million dollar question, do you

1:02:32

feel that you and Victor Oseme can play in

1:02:35

the same team? Sure, sure, why

1:02:37

not? We are good friends, we speak,

1:02:40

we encourage each other. And I see

1:02:43

Victor as a respect to

1:02:45

him a lot, apart from football, but

1:02:48

I say like a brother, Victor is a

1:02:50

top guy. So boy, you

1:02:52

all depend on the

1:02:54

coach, everybody defines, defines,

1:02:56

keeps speaking, or play Boniface and

1:02:58

Victor, play Victor, or Murphy, play

1:03:01

this, this, but we

1:03:04

just want to represent the country, you know,

1:03:06

when you come for a great country like

1:03:08

Nigeria, it doesn't matter, you

1:03:10

have to fight for the country. That's the

1:03:12

most important thing. So with Victor, Victor

1:03:15

doesn't mind who is playing with him

1:03:17

also, I don't mind who I'm playing with, I just want

1:03:19

to help my team same

1:03:22

as Victor, or if we can play together,

1:03:24

it will be really great for us. You know,

1:03:27

that's the thing though, top strikers, they always have

1:03:29

these things, when you have two good strikers in

1:03:31

the national team, or wherever, they

1:03:33

always feel they can play together, because

1:03:35

they know they can play together, they

1:03:41

would score goals, but

1:03:43

then it's just, it's

1:03:45

because one of them doesn't want to see

1:03:47

on the bench, let's say that way, you

1:03:49

know what I mean? That's

1:03:51

the reason why, but then when you look at

1:03:53

the team, does he affect the team though? Does

1:03:55

he affect the balance, the shape of the team?

1:03:57

But they always, when you have those two big.

1:06:00

Do they have, when you look at the nucleus of

1:06:02

that squad, do they have what it takes to

1:06:05

clinch your fourth African combination? I think they do.

1:06:07

Of course they do. Of course they do. You

1:06:09

know, we always have said it every time I've

1:06:12

spoke about the National Scarpen, we have the talent,

1:06:14

we have the team to be able

1:06:16

to win this tournament.

1:06:20

But there's just certain aspects

1:06:24

on the team that we need to start

1:06:26

out. I think when it comes to the

1:06:28

striking force, everybody knows, okay, that area, we

1:06:31

don't have any problem there. Then

1:06:33

when I start to trick down, you

1:06:35

know, the midfields, okay, there

1:06:37

is Ndidi, but then Ndidi and then

1:06:39

Afendidi, then who you're looking at, Reeball,

1:06:41

okay, everybody talked about him when we

1:06:44

left, that he was going to be the

1:06:46

next guy. He hasn't really shown that much.

1:06:48

You know, Alexi Wobi, he's the guy who's

1:06:50

always in and out, in and out. Sometimes

1:06:52

you don't know who you get from him,

1:06:54

but you know, he's been playing a

1:06:57

bit for Fulham. If a Fulham has been doing

1:06:59

okay, but he's also playing wide. So when you

1:07:01

look at the midfield

1:07:07

and then you look at the defense, and

1:07:09

then you start to come down there, the

1:07:11

defense as well, which I don't think is

1:07:13

that strong. And obviously the big question is

1:07:15

the goalkeeping situation. I mean, I

1:07:18

don't know, we need to sort that

1:07:21

issue out. I know Uzo, and

1:07:23

then I know Uzo really

1:07:25

well. And you know, I played

1:07:27

him in the World Cup in 2018. But

1:07:31

for us to be able to win, I

1:07:33

think something that helped us when we won it,

1:07:35

because we had a great, great goalkeeper, Vincent

1:07:37

Yama. We had Vincent with one of the

1:07:40

best goalkeepers, for me, in my opinion, in Nigeria,

1:07:42

that I ever seen. I mean, I don't, I

1:07:44

didn't watch the rest of them, but for me,

1:07:47

he is top, top, top. And he was somebody

1:07:49

that gave us that foundation to make,

1:07:52

to be able to rebuild on that foundation.

1:07:54

And then the defense was strong, the method

1:07:56

was powerful. And then we had the striking

1:07:58

force. everything that worked

1:08:01

for us. So I

1:08:03

hope that those issues are sorted out and

1:08:06

then you guys can go on and have a

1:08:08

good tournament. Of course we can win it. Oh yeah,

1:08:11

I'm loving the confidence. Yes, okay, Victor,

1:08:13

the feeling in the camp, you know,

1:08:15

there'll be a lot of Nigerians that

1:08:17

will listen or watch this podcast. Give

1:08:19

us a flavor for the camaraderie. Are

1:08:21

you a close-knit bunch? Do you all

1:08:23

get on well? Of course, of course.

1:08:25

Last one thing we Nigerians, when we're

1:08:27

on the national team, the bonus is

1:08:30

there because most of us knew each other

1:08:32

before coming to Europe. So the bonus top.

1:08:35

It's a really unfair question, this. But

1:08:38

African Cup of Nations glory with Nigeria

1:08:40

or a Bundesliga title. Oh, don't put

1:08:42

them in this spot there. Hopefully

1:08:49

both, hopefully both. I'm sure it will be

1:08:52

both. If you continue the way

1:08:54

that you're playing. Of course he can

1:08:56

do both. I did both. You did both. I

1:08:58

did both. And you still didn't win African Bloody

1:09:00

Plate of the year. Exactly. Something

1:09:04

that Victor might do if he wins the Bundesliga

1:09:06

and the African Cup of Nations. And

1:09:08

then it's back to life in Germany

1:09:10

and then it's hopefully, as you say,

1:09:12

you're in the Europa League and beaten

1:09:14

there. I mean, you haven't lost a

1:09:16

game with Waverco. That's unbelievable. Unbelievable.

1:09:19

I looked at the record the stats

1:09:22

today. It's unbelievable what you guys are

1:09:24

doing. Unbelievable. And every weekend

1:09:26

you look at it, you think, okay,

1:09:28

this is the weekend, but you guys

1:09:30

keep putting up some good performances and

1:09:32

just still playing the way you play

1:09:34

and scoring goals, free-flowing

1:09:37

football. And the pressure now is on buying.

1:09:39

I mean, if you guys keep winning, the

1:09:42

pressure will be on buying. And I

1:09:44

really think long may it continues. I hope

1:09:47

we can see a New

1:09:49

team winning the Bundesliga, but

1:09:51

not in the Premier League.

1:10:00

The teenage rest of the season victor

1:10:02

abuse discuss that are this may sound

1:10:04

like a really silly question. Shows can

1:10:06

shoot me a bad week with a

1:10:08

spot that or a deceitful surely com

1:10:11

have you discussed when it does com

1:10:13

are you make sure it's it to

1:10:15

get basket and remains of. I'm

1:10:18

always in phenomenon of us are you don't

1:10:20

know and it's going to called by us

1:10:22

is just to win every game you play

1:10:24

does given up ascendancy with apple You don't

1:10:27

know when they lose it of course. So

1:10:29

today I said. We're. Gonna

1:10:31

lose for so both. But.

1:10:33

We're we're blue light. Not this game, Not

1:10:35

this one. Yeah so it doesn't mean devices

1:10:37

Yeah Adam entire and as I'm anti we

1:10:40

have and us up the ass most. did

1:10:42

it Invincibles wine or you got into it

1:10:44

before day we my said. Miss.

1:10:46

Some group of friends yeah I think is

1:10:48

good but where we're on the pitch decide

1:10:51

not to the realities of at it. So.

1:10:54

Asking company since when I see

1:10:56

the unsafe trees Bundesliga title me

1:10:58

and by Aleve virtues and shop

1:11:01

he becomes Real Madrid boss. A

1:11:03

new motherboard analysis Autonomous number nine,

1:11:06

His office. Yeah, exactly what. Was

1:11:09

it was a bad job? It's

1:11:11

a dream. homeless and it's been a real

1:11:13

it's been awesome of you on the podcast

1:11:15

the really as you know When John mentioned

1:11:17

answer is yes to us I was excited

1:11:19

because I'm a huge fan. There's a lot

1:11:21

of the point they are who are big

1:11:23

fans. Masala was a marine you on

1:11:26

the porch Austin episode Seven Seven Years

1:11:28

the special one a not too modest

1:11:30

this boy too much but he's a

1:11:32

special one is well he simply com

1:11:34

and yes he behaves is he was

1:11:36

he. I definitely would become one definitely.

1:11:38

I've seen some of like assess the

1:11:40

so much room for hims improve by.

1:11:42

like I said I and I watched

1:11:44

him and I us in our i

1:11:46

Love to see Strikers who announces. Who

1:11:48

are also technically very good and he's

1:11:50

got that a mom when you have

1:11:52

all.as a package is to Young's twenty

1:11:54

C is holes. He has so much

1:11:57

room to improve on other to see

1:11:59

his paw they would the right coach

1:12:01

ways planes. you know either something disco

1:12:03

be a limits really. Sensor that opposite

1:12:05

touched on a big to. There was

1:12:07

nowhere to party in the northeast of

1:12:09

Norway's he turned twenty three. I think

1:12:11

it was five days ago from the

1:12:13

time of a Blade recording this podcast

1:12:15

to what was the party like for

1:12:17

your twenty third birthday I was it

1:12:20

may done with of land from. From.

1:12:22

Done with idea. Is as good

1:12:24

as. The eye with

1:12:26

chemical coming from done this for the rest.

1:12:30

Of it is that too much work to do Not

1:12:32

fly. Know

1:12:34

because we'll with in his last game I

1:12:36

think on the swim team is on the

1:12:38

twenty on the to it's own first though

1:12:40

we fly from john nonsense but. So.

1:12:42

Was on the flood. On the flight that

1:12:45

we are, a humble boy turns them off

1:12:47

stricter Boniface. Thank you so much! Good luck

1:12:49

and I got a lot of Angeles. Good

1:12:51

luck faceless. He's this is Michelle Obese from

1:12:53

a profile north and south and me Athena

1:12:56

as in you as a sign up with

1:12:58

that when I bet when I. See

1:13:02

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1:13:11

On the podcast episode a be will

1:13:13

be one podcast made possible by bait

1:13:15

when I join you continue to know

1:13:17

kind of the part you got friends

1:13:19

in high places. Lots of lovely young

1:13:21

man he is here. Why lovely I

1:13:23

have a and spoke really well and

1:13:25

he and I'll give us a lotta

1:13:27

love insides of you know his lies

1:13:29

and was happened and you know his

1:13:32

carriers and it's amazing to see that.

1:13:34

ah as why sometimes when you speak

1:13:36

about family we we we really don't

1:13:38

know what this young players go to

1:13:40

especially you know. when they

1:13:42

come from africa s u you see

1:13:44

when you leave your family and you

1:13:46

com a while to her as a

1:13:48

whole totally country new the spear as

1:13:50

view and and you lose your mom

1:13:52

in the middle of that i'm in

1:13:54

a served as crazy and i'm people

1:13:56

see me like was happening to him

1:14:00

They don't know, you know, he's gone through so much.

1:14:02

That's why when you don't talk about things, when

1:14:04

people don't open up, you don't know what's happening. So

1:14:07

you open up, we talk about things, and you know,

1:14:09

you learn about people. The other thing that amazes

1:14:11

me, and I wasn't aware of this in actual fact,

1:14:14

23 years of age, he's had two

1:14:16

ACLs. ACLs, yeah, yeah. I mean, that

1:14:18

in itself, John, it's remarkable. It's

1:14:20

remarkable, that. I mean, when he said it,

1:14:22

I remember that my, you know, a certain

1:14:25

teammate, Michael Essen, who suffered similar

1:14:27

thing, was always injured. And

1:14:29

Sam was always ACL. He had them

1:14:31

both knees. I think

1:14:34

then the doctor said, listen, your

1:14:36

weight on your thighs, your thighs

1:14:38

are so heavy to carry

1:14:40

your, your knees can't be able to hold

1:14:42

them. That's why you keep having them. Because

1:14:45

when you look at Michael, his thighs are

1:14:47

this massive. But then when you

1:14:49

look at his knees, the knees are that tiny.

1:14:51

And then he made sense what the doctor said,

1:14:54

because he kept having a recurrence of same injury.

1:14:56

And then until he started to lose

1:14:59

the upper body, to be able to give his knees

1:15:02

a rest, a freedom to be able to

1:15:04

move, and then it started to work

1:15:06

out much better for him. But then, yeah, Michael

1:15:08

suffered. It's so sad when you see players go

1:15:11

through those, because it's an injury that keeps you

1:15:13

out of the game for like, six months. Anybody's

1:15:15

really worried about that. And obviously we don't know

1:15:17

his injury history. We know he's had two ACLs.

1:15:20

He's still a young man, but

1:15:22

two ACLs. Two ACLs, yeah, the age of 23, yeah.

1:15:26

That's something he needs to obviously probably look

1:15:28

at, food, food

1:15:30

related diet. And then

1:15:33

when you see a team like Bialyk,

1:15:36

of course, and now football clubs look

1:15:38

into that and they help the players as

1:15:40

well. Even when the players are needed, they

1:15:42

help them to make sure they look after

1:15:44

themselves properly. Well, what an absolute gem he

1:15:46

was. Victor Boniface remembered the name. And an

1:15:48

awful lot of people are already aware of

1:15:50

him. Yeah, his breakout has been this season.

1:15:52

Bundesliga rookie all of the month for August,

1:15:55

September, four times, yeah, four times in a

1:15:57

row. Something right. Yeah, is this something right?

1:15:59

You love him. because you said it to

1:16:01

him, it's not just the goals, he's getting a

1:16:03

six. Oran, oran, oran game, yeah, oran game. He's

1:16:06

a, I think, I'll be

1:16:09

surprised if he stays another season after this season.

1:16:11

I like you. I'll be surprised. And you said,

1:16:13

John, you watched the game, you knew it. He

1:16:15

would be perfect. He will be.

1:16:17

Japheelonzo's way of playing, not too dissimilar

1:16:20

to, dare I say it, Mikheilertator. Gabriel

1:16:22

Jesus has got his injury problems. Eddie

1:16:24

and Kethia, in my opinion, not quite

1:16:26

to the standard. Exactly. I'm putting, I'm

1:16:28

doing your job. I'm

1:16:30

becoming a score of 260. 20, 20% each. I'm

1:16:33

definitely, I'm trying to tie it off, but

1:16:36

he'd be great in the Premier League. Amazing

1:16:38

to see, hear him say, not a fan.

1:16:41

Yeah, I mean, obviously we all kind of say

1:16:43

that, but then when the Premier League calls, it

1:16:47

is the Premier League, so yeah, you pick

1:16:49

up the phone. So I

1:16:51

give him, I don't know what his next move is gonna

1:16:53

be, but

1:16:57

if he wants to play proper

1:16:59

football and test himself for

1:17:01

the highest, highest level, and

1:17:04

there's no better place than the Premier League.

1:17:06

No disrespect to the Spanish League or the

1:17:08

Italian League, but the physicality, the pace of

1:17:10

the game, the emotion

1:17:13

of the game, it's the

1:17:15

Premier League. So that's where you come to

1:17:17

the Premier League to

1:17:19

enjoy and leave

1:17:21

the game. And I hope he comes

1:17:24

to the Premier League. Right then, maybe

1:17:26

just maybe next season, Victor O, Chelsea

1:17:28

number nine, Victor Ben

1:17:31

Arsa's number nine. We

1:17:33

wait to see what interest on that, but listen, John, episode

1:17:36

eight, done and dusted, well done and

1:17:38

snaring Victor. I know you are literally

1:17:40

the John Shih-Tzu of the podcast. That

1:17:43

phone of yours never stops. Trying, mate, trying,

1:17:45

trying, trying. For the people, just gonna stay

1:17:48

tuned for what we've got upcoming, but it's

1:17:50

always a pleasure, John. Thank you so much.

1:17:54

You've enjoyed it? I have, I have. It's

1:17:56

been amazing. Yeah, it's been great, hasn't it?

1:17:58

It's been, you know. Yeah, just chill,

1:18:00

yeah, and I'm a sunshine, you know. It doesn't

1:18:03

feel a bit more like it is back in

1:18:05

the UK, with

1:18:08

the rain, it is great, the

1:18:11

rain's in five minutes, it's great, you know.

1:18:14

The whole thing, that's what makes the Christmas, you

1:18:16

know. And here,

1:18:19

you don't get that, but yeah. We

1:18:22

can't complain, we can't complain. Before we finish up

1:18:24

on this episode, do you miss festive

1:18:27

football box? Oh yes, yes,

1:18:29

oh yes, I used to love it, used to

1:18:31

love it. One of my favorite times of the year,

1:18:34

and during the current year of

1:18:36

the season, was the festive year, I

1:18:38

loved it, because the games comes thick

1:18:41

and fast. So if you make a mistake,

1:18:43

you have a shit game yesterday, you have

1:18:45

two days to make sure you make up

1:18:47

for it. So yeah, it's perfect,

1:18:49

it's really good for the players. I

1:18:52

hate when I see managers or players complain about

1:18:54

it, the loads of too many games and all

1:18:56

that. This is the Premier League, we have to

1:18:59

enjoy it. That's what makes you special, that's what

1:19:01

makes you different from every other league. We play

1:19:03

during the festive season, there's no excuses, you have

1:19:05

to get on with it. Yeah, you lucky buggers.

1:19:07

Please don't quit people for the living over the

1:19:10

festive period. That is episode eight

1:19:12

of the OB1 Podcast, made possible, of course,

1:19:14

by Bette when our big shout out to

1:19:16

our sponsors. We'll be back with another episode.

1:19:18

I appreciate following up from the special one

1:19:21

with Difficult, but that boy is special. He's

1:19:23

got a big future in the game. I'm

1:19:25

hoping for Bonifatian, remember the name. All

1:19:35

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