- 9 hours ago
The Football Interview - Season 1 Episode 15 -
Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino
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😹
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00:00asking them the questions they don't normally get asked as I try to find out
00:03more about the person behind the player. The first half will be on football, the
00:07second on their life away from the pitch. This isn't just any interview, this is
00:11the football interview. This week I'm joined by the current USA men's head
00:16coach Mauricio Pochettino.
00:22Mauricio Pochettino, like this is okay?
00:26Perfect, that's right, thank you. I am a coach, I am only a coach, you believe that I am in
00:34Hollywood but I am coaching there in the USA, not acting. Mauricio as always lovely to see you,
00:42let's start with why football? Why did you want to be involved in football? I don't know why
00:49because that is a thing that when I was a child, it started to grow in my brain, in my body,
00:57in my blood. Maybe we can say because my dad or my family, my granddad, they always love,
01:04you know, and feel the passion for football. But when I try to remember why football,
01:10always I go back and to my dad, granddad and I remember when I was very, very little,
01:19have a ball in my hand and play. That was my, you know, my memories when I was a child and
01:27when I start to feel, you know, a real passion about the game. Can you remember the first team
01:32that you played for? It was in my own town, in Murphy, Centro Recreativo Uni Cultura de Murphy.
01:39That was my first team and then because my dad was a wrestling club, the fans always, I grow,
01:47you know, always supporting the wrestling club and then moved to New Bell Soul Boys and I do my
01:54career in the academy and then in the first team and, you know, but that is my, you know,
02:00my memories when I was a kid and I started to grow in Argentina. That is when the way that I grow up.
02:06Can you remember as a young player, a moment where you thought, I've got a chance of making it here.
02:11This isn't just my passion. It could be my career, my life. It's a thing that never was in my head to
02:18to realize that I'm going to, you know, to live about playing football, no, and to earn more money.
02:24I never thought about to one day to have a professional, you know, contract. When I was 13,
02:3014 that when New Bell Soul Boys signed me, in this moment I started to realize, oh,
02:36that is not only to play and compete, it's maybe can be my, my way to, to build my journey and,
02:44and be professional, no? That was in the moment that I, I started to realize that it's not only
02:50to play for fun. It was, uh, also to play because it's going to be, uh, the way that we're going to,
02:57to survive in life and to, to earn money. That was in the moment that I can be,
03:03said, oh, the possibility to be professional. 13, 14 year old.
03:06Can you remember the moment where you thought, I want to be a manager? Was there a particular
03:11incident, something that happened? You thought that's, that's the path for me,
03:14or was it always going to be that way? That was also, it started to grow very,
03:18little by little in my mind. When I was 27, 28 year old, that move from Espanol to Paris Saint-Germain.
03:25In this moment, I started to like, you know, to see how the coaches lead with the, with the situation.
03:33I started to challenge, you know, my coaches, because we, uh, I was mature enough to, to see
03:41things and to maybe, you know, to try to understand why some decision or deal with different situation.
03:49That is in the moment that I started to realize I wanted to be a coach. And then it's, it's up to you,
03:53because it's up to you, your, your character, your personality, your capacity to understand
03:58situation, to make decisions. When you need to make decisions, you need to say, oh,
04:03wait, I need to ask. It's like now that the people ask, chat, chat, uh, CVT, they say,
04:08oh, what I can do with this, no? And when that happens, you need to make decisions very quick,
04:13like it's in the pitch. And that is a, the important thing that you need to store knowledge
04:20and also experience from different people. And then to really, um, believe in yourself and be sure that
04:27the decision that you're going to take is the best decision. If you could relive one match from
04:32your career, what would it be? Player, coach? Either. Changing the result or,
04:38you know, or leaving the experience. Whichever way you want to go with it. We've had different
04:42people go different ways with this question. I think one of the games that maybe I go back and
04:48I'm finishing the same way after, you know, 90 minutes or more than 90 minutes is when I was a
04:53coach playing the semi-final in Amsterdam, Ajax, Tottenham. That for me was one of the best, you know,
05:01moment in my career, in my life. The feeling was amazing, the emotion, how the people was happy. I
05:07think it was one of the greatest moments, you know, but also I will back to the after, one month after and
05:14I'll leave the experience in Madrid and try to play again this game, for sure. We don't regret, but I
05:22think if you give me the possibility, okay, I would like to not to finish in the same way, no? But I think
05:30these two games, I think in a very short time, that was, were the two games that really, really
05:38enjoy with different end, no?
05:46Let's move on to learn a little bit more about Maurizio, the person. Describe to me
05:50a young Maurizio Pochettino. What were you like growing up?
05:53How I can describe my, the young Maurizio was, I don't know if you can be more happy, you know,
05:59when you are a child. I, when I try to go back in my emotion, when I start to, you know, to be conscious
06:06about life and my first memories is be a very happy kid. Who was at home? Describe to me,
06:15the home set up and what it was like being in your household. My parents, my brothers,
06:19in the farm. Did you grow up on a farm? Yes, I grew up until six, when I was six years old in the farm.
06:25What was that like? Amazing. With animals? With animals, with my dogs, with horses,
06:31not a luxury farm, eh? Right. In a very, in a farmer that the people work. My dad was working
06:38the farm and I have only one part of shoes, eh? For Sundays, you know? I think what I learned from
06:45the nature, from the animals, from the things that after I, you know, helped me to evolve like a man
06:52and then how you respect the life, how you respect people, how you respect everything. That is because
07:00when you grow in a freedom place with animals that they don't judge you, that they show love
07:09and you share all these things in life that are really important. I think it's a massive lesson and
07:17it's an amazing environment for a child to grow, no? With not interference of different things and
07:25I love the city, but I think if… I was going to say when we turned up to that… Yes, I love, I love, I love.
07:30But I think when you are a child, I think to grow in an environment that is very natural with animals and,
07:37you know, I think you can learn a lot from, from the nature. Well, we will of course all be watching
07:43the World Cup next summer. What can we expect out there? How much excitement will there be for this
07:48tournament? It's going to be amazing. First of all, because USA is an amazing country with amazing
07:54people, amazing fans. And I think I invite all the people to, to go and to visit America and share
08:03the assignments that are there. It's a massive opportunity for USA, for the country to show
08:11that that sport, football, soccer there, can… Still football? Are you still calling it football
08:18or are you trying to call it soccer now? No, soccer. Their soccer. They push me to say,
08:21no, tell soccer, tell soccer, no? Speak about soccer. It must be really exciting for you to kind of
08:27be spearheading that and be a part of that coming in from such a football culture. You must want to
08:32kind of instill a lot of what you've learned throughout your career to them. Yes, it's,
08:36the motivation is massive. In the same time, sometimes you feel people sometimes doesn't
08:43understand too much what means the culture of football, of soccer. And sometimes you need to
08:48deal with people that you believe that they can help you, but not really help. You find some coaches
08:55there that say, oh, you know, you need to know the culture of the American player. I say, no,
09:02I know the most important thing, the culture of football and soccer. They need to know. And we
09:08need to translate the culture of football to the American player. And sometimes, you know, you find
09:15this obstacle to progress. But I think after one year, we are doing a great progress. We are building
09:23with the people that start to realize that the language of football is only one. And it doesn't
09:29care if you are American, Brazilian or, you know, English. I think it's only one language. Our football
09:35is compete in the way that you need to compete if you want to win. And I think, I think we are
09:41exciting to build a good team that's been very competitive with our fans, you know, in our
09:48country to try to get good results.
09:52I think it's the most competitive league. And of course, why not one day to come back to the
10:03Premier League? Yeah, the Premier League for me is the best league in the world. Of course,
10:07I am missing. I am so happy in America and USA, but also, but thinking always in one day to come
10:16back to the Premier League. I think it's the most competitive league. And of course, why not one day
10:21to come back again? Hope. Tell me something, Rizia, about yourself that would surprise me.
10:26I am a very good chef. I do a very great... What's your signature dish?
10:30Barbecues. Good barbecues. Why do you live in England then? Not barbecues.
10:34Yeah, but it's possible to do. Sometimes with sun umbrellas, if it's rain, sun umbrellas and...
10:39It's all about the preparation, isn't it? Yeah, no, no. What would you put on your barbecue?
10:42Barbecue steak, everything. Beaches, fish, chicken. I am very good.
10:49I like how confident he was in that. No, no, yes. I am very confident because
10:53I did for when I was a player with my teams, yes, and also being coach.
10:59So you have done barbecues for your teams? Yeah, yeah. In Tottenham we deal with Daniel,
11:05Levi, every ten days, two weeks. Always we prepare a barbecue there and sometimes I help.
11:12I wasn't, you know, with the chefs in Tottenham we prepare very nice barbecues.
11:16You mentioned Daniel there. He has, of course, left Tottenham now. You had a relationship with
11:20him when you were at the club. What did you make of that news of him leaving and the legacy he's left?
11:25I was very surprised, no? We still keep in touch. Like when I was, we keep a very good relationship.
11:32My relationship always was good with him. During my period in Tottenham, his legacy is there,
11:38it's amazing what he did for the club. And now we are in contact and send messages and see if I can
11:46maybe one day to see him and share a coffee with him. But for me it was a really important person
11:51because he gave me the possibility to manage a club like Tottenham that is, for me, one of the best
11:58clubs in the world with amazing fan bases and everything. And always grateful with him and
12:04very proud to be part of the family of Tottenham. If you could only achieve one more thing in your
12:09career, what would it be? In my career, for me, it's talking about the Premier League that you asked
12:15me and we are in England, in London. To win the Premier League and to win the Champions League,
12:20we were so close in Tottenham and we nearly touched there. That is a thing that we want to achieve,
12:26no? Like a coach. I think I'm still young, very young. Now my hair is growing.
12:34I was going to say, it's a new hair, doesn't it? Yeah, yeah, no, yes, I know it.
12:38I like it. Thank you. No, I think I have the energy, the experience, the motivation and still young,
12:47like a coach to, yes, to try in the future. That is a thing that I want you to, I want to achieve.
12:55Outside, I think to make, feel proud of my family, my sons, my wife, my dog, my horses, my dad,
13:07my mum, you know, and my granddaughter. I think it's... My granddaughter as well.
13:12Yeah, my granddaughter, eight months now. Oh, congratulations.
13:15Yeah, thank you. And I think it's, yeah, to make happy my, my people, that is the most important
13:20thing is to, that the people that is around you want to be with you. That is the most important
13:27thing that you can achieve. Ritio, it's been lovely to talk to you and I guess potentially we might see
13:32you again one day. For sure, for sure. Thank you so much.
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