On this week’s episode of the Peter Crouch Podcast, Pete, Sids and Chris are joined by a veteran goalkeeper who has represented Bosnia and Herzegovina, playing for clubs such as Stoke City, Chelsea, and Everton… it’s Asmir Begović, and he’s here for a proper trip down memory lane.
(Also - we’d like to apologise for the scaffolding racket outside during the filming of this episode… this should be the last week of building works)
Asmir opens up about his incredible journey from being born in Bosnia during the conflict, fleeing the country with his family and eventually settling in Canada, to making it over to England as a teenager and beginning his professional football career at Portsmouth.
Asmir looks back on his time at Pompey, including some brilliant stories from competing with David James, eventually breaking into the first team. He also reveals what it was like working under Tony Pulis at Stoke, the strict rules in that dressing room, the incredible team spirit they developed and how Crouchy’s arrival helped change the club.
The lads also revisit Asmir’s famous long-range Premier League goal, which remains one of the most memorable goals ever scored by a goalkeeper, before getting into his move to Chelsea, his relationship with José Mourinho and what it was like competing with Thibaut Courtois.
There’s plenty more along the way, from Asmir’s experiences of football in Canada and his journey through the English leagues to stories from some of the biggest dressing rooms and managers he encountered throughout his career.
Chumbawamba
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00:00 - Intro, meeting Lamine Yamal, and the lads' weekend
05:03 - Man City charges, potential punishment and the impact on football
10:29 - Could Man City face a points deduction?
15:30 - Asmir Begovic joins and looks back on playing with Crouchy
20:02 - Asmir's childhood, moving to Canada and starting again
25:39 - How Asmir's route to England began
30:09 - Macclesfield, Bournemouth and breaking through at Yeovil
35:13 - David James, the goalkeeper battle and Asmir's breakthrough
40:08 - Tony Pulis' rules at Stoke and taking passports
45:20 - Stoke's low block, stadium wind and the secret to their style
50:19 - Asmir's record-breaking Premier League goal
55:20 - Chelsea, Mourinho and the pressure inside the dressing room
01:00:37 - Mourinho's intense methods and Asmir's move to AC Milan
01:05:20 - Everton, Frank Lampard and surviving relegation battles
01:10:13 - Asmir's future, coaching ambitions and life after playing
01:12:40 - Asmir says goodbye and leaves the podcast
01:17:35 - Predictions: Croatia vs England and the international fixtures
01:19:39 - France vs Italy — the lads make their predictions
01:21:04 - Crouchy reads from A Court of Thorns and Roses
01:22:15 - The VERY unexpected fairy book reading
01:25:40 - The lads react to the reading and wrap up
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