In part two of our gripping conversation, we delve into Roy Makaay’s time at the Super Depor side coached by Javier Irureta and starring the incomparable Juan Carlos Valerón.
We hear about Roy’s agony at Euro 2000 – an ankle injury meant he had to witness the Netherlands’ semi-final penalty-shootout defeat by Italy from a hospital ward.
Also: Holland’s Qatar chances and helping Rangers reach a European final.
Perhaps Roy Makaay’s striking brilliance was linked to the Scottish roots of the Dutchman’s surname, although admittedly the influence of guys like Frans Thijssen, who taught him to shoot with both feet, must also have played a part.
We discuss striking legends past and present: Gerd Müller, Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski. And I suggest that scoring a hat-trick for Deportivo de La Coruña in Munich didn’t exactly hurt Roy’s chances of Bayern signing him.
Here’s another chance to hear my interview with Tim Sherwood from season five.
Tim was recruited by Kenny Dalglish for Blackburn Rovers in 1992, and the classy midfielder captained the side to their glorious Premier League title win in season 1994-95. Rovers had blown a big lead over Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, and Tim describes the sleepless nights ahead of the decisive final day. It is incredible to thing that King Kenny’s famous Rovers team trained on a public park.
Also: Shearer, Speedie and making Emmanuel Petit cry.
In part two of my Big Interview with the engaging Emma Byrne, we reflect on the remarkable rise of Barca’s Femení. When they played a Clásico in a sold-out Camp Nou, Emma realised that the women’s game had arrived.
We hear the extraordinary tale of how an impromptu training session at Arsenal led to her being appointed the Gunners No.1. And there’s chat about how Arsenal won the Champions League against all odds. Not bad for a woman who was told, following surgery at the age of 18, that she could forget playing at the top level.
Emma Byrne is the Republic of Ireland’s most capped woman. Now a radio and TV analyst, the retired goalkeeper reflects on the current Girls in Green’s qualification for the World Cup – which she considers to be the greatest achievement in Irish sporting history.
It wasn’t always thus: Emma and her team-mates once went to war with the FAI to ensure that the women’s national side was given the respect and support it deserved.
