The Big Interview

Graeme Le Saux spent numerous family holidays in Mallorca, but he couldn’t have guessed that one day he would become a non-executive director at the island’s – now La Liga – football club. Real got promoted after a thrilling play-off with Deportivo and now the challenge is to keep improving while staying in the top flight.

Graeme was an elegant left-back with Chelsea, Blackburn and Southampton, and he tells us about his toughest opponents, offering insight into how the likes of Brian Laudrup, Chris Waddle and a young Cristiano Ronaldo bedazzled and befuddled. Graeme just loved the challenge.

Here’s another chance to hear my interview with Thierry Henry from season four.

You’ll hear about how Barcelona’s talented players adapted to the visionary Pep Guardiola’s methods. The 2009 6-2 victory at the Bernabéu – in which Thierry scored a double and then went off injured –felt like the moment things fully clicked, and the Frenchman recovered in time to star in the Champions League final against Manchester United. Barcelona knew they would win – they could see the defeat in the United players’ eyes, and not even Sir Alex Ferguson had a response.

There’s also chat about playing with Lionel Messi, whose talent is not of this planet.

Brilliant stuff.

Graham

For such an intelligent football man, you might be surprised to learn how Brad Friedel was once in the grip of crippling superstitions. Oddly, when he crossed the white line, the nerves disappeared.

Also in part two, you’ll hear about the one man Brad feared facing most of all: Alan Shearer. And there’s great stuff about how goalkeepers must never let their inner feelings show on the field of play.

Thanks, Brad. I could have chatted all day.

Graham.

Brad Friedel fell in love with English football long before he arrived on UK shores to grace the No.1 jerseys of Liverpool, Blackburn, Villa and Spurs. A trip to Wembley during a childhood family tour of Europe gave him the bug.

He was hardened by his Ohio upbringing, which set him in good stead for coping with the glorious craziness of Galatasaray.

This is an absolute corker of a Big Interview.

Graham

Welcome to our Big Interview Icons series where we shine a light on a legend whose name has lit up some of the conversations I’ve had with my guests over the years. This episode focuses on Luka Modric.

Former Tottenham colleague Robbie Keane admired the unassuming Luka’s particular courage: his willingness to take the ball under any circumstances.

I interviewed John McGinn ahead of Euro 2020, and when asked who was the forthcoming opponent he would most like to swap shirts with, Scotland’s midfield maestro chose the classy Croat.

Slaven Bilic espouses the virtues of having an independent Croatian football league to help develop younger players – but he says Modric would have made it anyway.

Lastly, Rafael van der Vaart talks about joining the fantastic, attacking Spurs side Harry Redknapp had assembled in 2010, for which Luka was the midfield fulcrum.