WEBVTT - Ask Uncut - Ask Ben 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.400 Life on Cut acknowledges the traditional custodians of country whose 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:06.160 lands were never seated. We pay our respects to their 0:00:06.200 --> 0:00:07.600 elders past and present. 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:11.399 Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land. This episode was 0:00:11.440 --> 0:00:24.160 recorded on d Rug Wallamuta Land. Hi guys, and welcome 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:26.520 back to another episode of Life on Cut. I'm Laura, 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:30.080 I'm Brittany, and we have a very special guest joining 0:00:30.120 --> 0:00:33.000 us once again. He's become a permanent fixture on the wall, 0:00:33.200 --> 0:00:34.960 on Britney's wall, on the shrine. 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:42.400 On the shrine. Welcome to Life on Car. Did we 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:43.720 not scare you off the first time? 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:45.560 No, I had fun. I had fun. 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:48.080 I mean, don't get too excited about it. 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:50.639 Give us some in No, it's going to be good. 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:52.400 It's going to be good. It's a new experience for me. 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:53.720 I like new experiences. 0:00:53.800 --> 0:00:57.120 Everybody enjoyed having you on and listening to the ins 0:00:57.160 --> 0:01:00.200 and outs of the relationship side of you guys. But 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:01.400 we did say that we were going to get you 0:01:01.440 --> 0:01:04.040 back on to answer some ask uncut questions from a 0:01:04.160 --> 0:01:06.759 male's perspective, and that's what you are. 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:07.640 And that's what you do. 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:13.319 But before before we answer some questions which for everyone 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:14.680 who wrote the man like, thank you so much for 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:18.000 all your questions, but some colorful questions for Ben there were, 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:20.360 and there was something he's refused to answer, which I 0:01:20.400 --> 0:01:21.959 had to do with some men's genitalia. 0:01:22.040 --> 0:01:23.160 So I understand why. 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:26.160 He asked, Yeah, no, there's a question about like a ballsack, 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:28.000 and he was like, maybe we can. 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:29.000 Pass that one. 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:31.399 Yeah, I mean, nothing is off limits for us, but 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:32.639 apparently you have limits. 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:35.839 It is apparently Ben has self respect. That's what I'm. 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:38.240 Getting discussing another men's ballsack wasn't high on your list 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:38.679 for today? 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:40.800 No, it wasn't what I imagine when I woke. 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:42.800 Up to Well, I think the number one question to 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:45.480 start with and it's a question on everyone's lips is 0:01:45.520 --> 0:01:46.360 how's your ballsack? 0:01:46.520 --> 0:01:50.880 Yeah, it's great. Can confirm is the shrine the shrine? 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:53.360 You saw it finally in real life? 0:01:54.440 --> 0:01:58.080 Is it as bad as everyone Laura producer Keisha, don't 0:01:58.080 --> 0:01:58.760 founder me in there. 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:01.000 I had not seen the shrine. I was only being 0:02:01.040 --> 0:02:04.280 told secondhand about the shrine. I also saw it for 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:05.680 the first time when Ben saw it. 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:08.560 To be fair, it is a little bit weird because 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:11.400 a shrine is meant to be for dead people. 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:14.280 And I know it's not a shrine. They've told me 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:16.200 it's a shrine. I don't think it's a shrine. 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:17.160 Okay, guys, don't fight. 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:19.360 I don't like it's meant to be meant to be 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:22.519 a display of our love, which is fine, which is great, 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:26.000 it's cute, but it's kind of like arranged, like I've 0:02:26.080 --> 0:02:26.960 deceased or something. 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:29.960 It's like candles around on the floor. There's a few. 0:02:30.480 --> 0:02:33.440 It's like roses, white roses and all that kind of stuff. 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:38.360 All about it is three photos. That's it in my 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:38.960 whole house. 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:40.680 I think we need to add some more photos to 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:43.040 kind of take the shininess out of it. 0:02:43.240 --> 0:02:46.240 As in photos not of you, photos of other things 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:48.160 like Delilah with me being on. 0:02:48.120 --> 0:02:49.880 The wall, but that makes it more shriny. 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:53.160 No, I think it's just it's just a Paris photo shoot. 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:56.359 I think we have some lovely pictures together. I think 0:02:56.360 --> 0:02:58.840 we need to add some more so it's a little 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:00.320 bit of diversity. 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:02.840 Okay, right now, it's more like a homage to Paris. 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:06.000 Although then I do want to kind of very romantic 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:08.040 from me. By the way, Yeah, you did a really 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:09.880 great job. You guys both are black models. But I 0:03:09.919 --> 0:03:12.000 do think that if it was to add more photos 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:15.640 to the wall from different parts of yours, it's that 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:17.919 makes it real shrining. Right now, it's just like a 0:03:18.000 --> 0:03:21.680 nice tribute, but we're heading real, We're heading really deep 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:22.680 into shrine territory. 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:24.079 I just want to make a. 0:03:24.040 --> 0:03:24.919 Tribute to my love. 0:03:25.840 --> 0:03:26.880 This is a tribute. 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:29.960 Don't have to Ben, to be fair. We we have 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:32.359 this thing where we take polaroid pictures and we have 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:33.639 you're going. 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:35.000 To make everyone's going to know how crazy. 0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:35.240 I know. 0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:37.600 We have a whole book of poloids and it was 0:03:37.600 --> 0:03:39.560 Ben's idea. Ben bought a polaroid. 0:03:39.720 --> 0:03:41.440 No, it was my sister's Christmas gift. 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:43.440 Yeah, but then you were like, let's take polaroids all 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:44.880 around the world and make a polaroid book. 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:47.000 So that's what we do. So we have a polaroid shrine. 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:49.400 That's cute. No, I like that, but like it's it's 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:51.040 nice that it's in a book where you don't have to. 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:52.800 Look at it. Everyone. 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:54.880 Okay, So what's the verdict. Take the shrine down you 0:03:54.920 --> 0:03:58.080 want to take because I'm gonna I'm going to I'm 0:03:58.080 --> 0:03:59.440 just going to take them all down. Stuff you all, 0:03:59.440 --> 0:04:02.480 I'm gonna take all pictures down. You don't get you 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:03.680 don't get a spot on my wall. 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:06.360 Okay, can we stop fighting about the shrine. It looks 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:08.600 very polished. It's hung a little bit too high for 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:10.640 we're going to get critical, but it's great and I 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:13.520 think the shrine is fine, and you know what, maybe 0:04:13.600 --> 0:04:15.880 produce a Keisha went hard on the shrine situation to 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:18.440 start with, but our listeners came in hard for you. 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:20.720 They taught you and they don't think it's shiny. 0:04:20.760 --> 0:04:22.919 And I appreciate that from every single listener because I 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:24.039 felt really Victimi. 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:27.080 It's not an interior designer. And one thing I'd. 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:28.760 Like to add that I don't think people are aware 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:32.680 of the criticism that did come through about the shrine 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:35.720 was that they were too small and they were too 0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:37.559 high on the wall. 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:41.880 That they are definitely too high. They literally bought. 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:45.440 What I would like to say is I moved into 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:49.040 Laura Burn's house and those holes were already there. I 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:52.200 took the holes that you put on the wall have up. 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:54.360 I had just had a massive picture of a palm tree. 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:57.159 Mine was a shrine to summer. Anyway, let's move on 0:04:57.200 --> 0:04:59.080 from the shrine. Then, one thing that we did get 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:01.039 off the back of last week episode was that we 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:03.400 spoke a lot about the two of you, your relationship, 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:05.920 how you guys met, but not really much about who 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:08.480 you are as a person when you're not with Britney. 0:05:08.800 --> 0:05:10.440 So I guess like understanding a little bit of a 0:05:10.480 --> 0:05:13.560 background as to who you are, like where you grew up, 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:15.080 I think would be a great way to kick off 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:18.479 this before we get into answering questions. Now you don't 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:20.960 get off scott free. We ask everyone who sits behind 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:25.760 these microphones, what is your accidentally unfiltered story? Which is basically, 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:27.839 if you are a true fan of the podcast, you 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:29.520 know your most embarrassing story. 0:05:29.800 --> 0:05:32.279 In football, right, there's this thing where when you signed 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:34.679 for a new team, you have to go up and sing. 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:37.640 So basically, you've never met those guys. You signed for 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:39.359 a team. You say hello to everyone, Hey, nice to 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:41.159 meet you, blah blah blah, I'm going to be here, 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:44.719 whether it's on loan or new team, and you have 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:48.000 to stand up at dinner. Everybody spang in their glasses 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:51.719 and you are nervous, like nervous as hell like because 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:53.360 you know after dinner you're going to have to sing 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:55.080 in front of strangers and all that kind of stuff. 0:05:55.120 --> 0:05:57.280 So wait, what do you mean sing? Why would you sing. 0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:01.760 That initiation type of deal. I've been at teams where 0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:03.520 you have to pay money, or you have to pay 0:06:03.520 --> 0:06:05.520 for dinner for everyone's dinner, all that kind of stuff. 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:08.480 But normally you're in training camp somewhere for the team 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:11.320 bonding and pre seasons on the way, and you know, 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:13.479 I've been on loan or I've been away from my 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:15.680 parent club three times in the years. I had to 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:18.360 sing three times in a year, and I hate it. 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:23.920 It's really it's nerve racking. I'm like shaking. It was well, 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:26.680 it was meant to be eight No mountain high enough. 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:29.440 First of all, it's singing in English, which is obviously 0:06:29.480 --> 0:06:32.240 not my mother tongue. You're singing in front of strangers 0:06:32.279 --> 0:06:36.320 who are booing you, they're throwing food at you, fucking horrible, 0:06:36.800 --> 0:06:38.760 and you literally stand there with a little banana and 0:06:38.760 --> 0:06:42.400 your hand or soult shaker or whatever, and the room's quiet. 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:45.919 You don't have a microphone, obviously very professional, and you 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:47.960 just have to go for thirty seconds and if they 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:50.360 don't like it, they just go right do another song. 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:52.839 And all that kind of stuff and it really ruins 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:55.680 your day. It's really embarrassing. I can't sing. I'm happy 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:57.600 to play football in front of people, in front of 0:06:57.640 --> 0:06:59.640 a stadium, in front of a crowd. If I have 0:06:59.720 --> 0:07:02.240 to go up on stage on a chair and talk 0:07:02.320 --> 0:07:05.680 to people, install sphearing me. So we're literally standing there 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:11.480 with my shake and going, we're not just. 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:14.320 A tiny little bit. We won't make you do thirty seconds, just. 0:07:14.320 --> 0:07:19.880 Ten listen, baby, ain no mountain, Hi, ain't no valleylone? 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:21.120 And then you. 0:07:23.720 --> 0:07:24.440 Ain't no realver? 0:07:24.880 --> 0:07:29.240 Why enough, baby? If you need me, call me, no 0:07:29.240 --> 0:07:32.080 matter where do you are, no matter how far. 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:39.080 No worry, babe. I think it's woldy endearing. I think 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:41.480 that's embarrassing at all. I didn't throw. 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:43.680 Banana at you anything. Yeah it was that good, Okay, 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:45.920 it was impressive. I really wanted to get to the 0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:47.960 encore though, I mean to the chorus. I wanted to 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:48.880 get to the middle of it. 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:51.480 Well, normally you pick a song where people can clap along, 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:54.360 so everybody gets involved. But because you don't know the crowd, 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:56.320 you don't know the people, you just pick which song 0:07:56.360 --> 0:07:57.720 you feel you can do the best. 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:01.400 You're not picking like Celindi on ballace. No, no, you 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:02.960 are the wind beneath my wings. 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:06.760 Yeah, all right, well let's get into some of the 0:08:06.800 --> 0:08:08.360 questions and never hear you sing again. 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:12.160 So the first one, first one that came in, how 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:12.640 tall are you? 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:14.600 Six? With six? 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:17.800 It's so tall even I feel a little standing next 0:08:17.800 --> 0:08:19.640 to you. And that's a rarity, Like I don't really 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:20.840 feel little next to anyone. 0:08:20.960 --> 0:08:23.320 No, neither do I. It's a nice comfort. 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:25.720 Where you're Can we just unpack that for a second. 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:26.600 It's a nice comfort. 0:08:27.440 --> 0:08:30.960 Why why do you need to feel little because I'm 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:32.040 broad and I'm tall. 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:34.360 She keeps complaining about her neck because she has to 0:08:34.440 --> 0:08:36.480 like look up to give me a kiss. 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:38.600 Think about all the short girls I go to a 0:08:38.679 --> 0:08:42.000 chiropractice now since I'm that's not an exaggeration, since I 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:45.160 started dating Ben's. 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:47.719 I'm kissing guys. Yeah, use your imagination. 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:51.720 I genuinely have to My neck goes at an unnatural 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:53.480 bend to look up at him all the time. 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:56.679 What Keisha, who's like four foot nothing is standing next 0:08:56.760 --> 0:08:58.840 to us, Like, what the fuck are you talking about? 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:04.040 Five foot one? She's five? Right, it's good for you 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:06.200 to do that, he just said. 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.080 It's actually good it's good for you to look up 0:09:08.080 --> 0:09:09.920 because we're all on our phone so much looking down. 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:11.520 Yeah, what can confirm it's not? 0:09:11.720 --> 0:09:11.840 Well? 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:13.640 Tell us a little bit about where you grew up, 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:15.080 because you live in Scotland. 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:16.360 Now that's not where you grew up. 0:09:16.480 --> 0:09:19.280 No. I grew up in Switzerland in a small town. 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:22.080 Started playing football when I was six, and then kind 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:25.040 of got scouted the first time by FC Bars which 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:27.800 was like the big team, when I was ten, and 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:29.599 that was like the first big step. You're going to 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:32.080 professional academy and all that kind of stuff. 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:34.640 Is that very young for being sort of scattered or 0:09:34.679 --> 0:09:38.439 is that kind of a standard age. 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:39.720 Kind of standard I think I really find it hard 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:41.840 if somebody says, hey, he's six years old, he's ten 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:43.880 years old, he's got a chance, he's got no chance. 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:47.199 I think it's very hard on young boys. Girls dreams 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:49.440 to somebody say a ten years old, hey, you've got 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:50.880 a chance, so I think you can make it. I 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:53.840 think there are many ways to become a professional athlete, 0:09:53.840 --> 0:09:57.560 whether it's people blossom early, people blossom late. But in 0:09:57.600 --> 0:09:59.760 the norm it's like the sooner you can get into 0:09:59.800 --> 0:10:00.760 an academy, the better. 0:10:00.920 --> 0:10:03.520 But ten years old seems pretty young for someone to 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:04.079 say you're not. 0:10:04.040 --> 0:10:04.880 Going to be good enough. 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:07.000 I think it also depends on the place in which 0:10:07.040 --> 0:10:08.760 you grow up, because I think it also depends on 0:10:08.800 --> 0:10:11.880 how prolific soccer is the town that you were living in. 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:13.880 You know, can we refer to it as football? 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:17.000 Sorry? Sorry? Sorry? Football blah blah blah. Do you not 0:10:17.080 --> 0:10:17.719 mean to offend you? 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:20.000 But I do think, like, you know, for some people, 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:21.600 they might get into the sport a little bit later, 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:24.199 but where you grew up, it was colored massive. Yeah, 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:26.000 and it was common for kids to start very young. 0:10:26.160 --> 0:10:28.719 Yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean Switzerland is lucky. We've 0:10:28.720 --> 0:10:31.440 got the Mountain, so there's a lot of winter sports, skiing, 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:34.640 ice hockey's very popular, gymnastics and all that kind of stuff. 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:37.080 So we're a small nation with a lot of options, 0:10:37.080 --> 0:10:38.959 for sure, but football is definitely number one. 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:40.959 So when you actually got into and you were kind 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:43.560 of I guess scattered at such a young age, what's 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:45.520 the transition then, like, like do they kind of just 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:46.880 keep an eye on you, do they have you in 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:49.920 a specific team, do they really sort of push intensive 0:10:49.960 --> 0:10:51.040 training onto you at that age? 0:10:51.080 --> 0:10:52.480 Like how do you then move through the ranks? 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:55.240 So yeah, you're training really intensifies. So from your local 0:10:55.280 --> 0:10:57.360 team you where you maybe train once or twice a week, 0:10:57.440 --> 0:10:59.680 it's straight away to maybe four times when you're ten 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:02.280 years o. And as you go through the ranks would 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:04.360 be every day, you know, maybe six times a week 0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:07.240 obviously games on the weekend and all that kind of stuff. 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:09.880 So you really progress with your age group. And it's 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:12.560 literally like a pyramid system where at the end of 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:15.480 every year, the weakest one kind of falls away, and 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:18.000 maybe new additions come in and all that kind of stuff. 0:11:18.040 --> 0:11:21.600 So it's really it's really a competitive environment from a 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:22.240 very young age. 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:25.480 And are they instilling this disciplining you as a child, 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:27.480 like I know as an adult athlete you obviously have 0:11:27.520 --> 0:11:28.960 to watch what you eat and you don't drink, and 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:31.080 you train so hard and you have vitamins and you 0:11:31.080 --> 0:11:34.400 do all this stuff. Do they start doing that at 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:36.680 ten twelve years old in the academy or do they 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:38.400 give you still a little bit of leeway like you're 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:39.960 still a kid, you're still maturing. 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:42.439 No, they still let you be kids. I do remember 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:45.240 we got this list in preseason and they says, okay, 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:47.480 you can have this and this, like your parents supposed 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:49.400 to pack you this lunch and supposed to have one 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:51.880 slice of bread and ten grams of butter and one 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:54.520 slice of ham. And my parents are like, let the 0:11:54.559 --> 0:11:56.200 kids be kids, let them meet what they want. But 0:11:56.559 --> 0:11:59.320 I think at ten years old they did a great 0:11:59.400 --> 0:12:02.520 job of giving you other stuff, like, you know, manners 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:03.840 and all that kind of stuff. So to this day, 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:05.640 if I meet somebody up, I take my hat off, 0:12:05.679 --> 0:12:08.360 because at ten years old, when the coach came, he said, 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:10.000 well take your hat off when you say hello, and 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:11.920 a firm handshake and all that kind of stuff. So 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:14.559 they give you also stuff you need in daintly life, 0:12:14.600 --> 0:12:16.600 not just you have to take vitamins and all that 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:18.360 kind of stuff. I think that comes maybe a little 0:12:18.360 --> 0:12:21.000 bit later, when you're more in your teenage years. 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:22.640 And when you enter this kind of program at such 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:26.679 a young age, do they still prioritize like schooling education 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:29.439 alongside sport or does sport take a precedence. 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:32.520 Sport is really at night, evening nighttime. I was still 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:35.320 in normal school, which meant probably got home from training 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:37.680 at I don't know, eight o'clock, and then it's quickly 0:12:37.720 --> 0:12:39.720 food and then it's another two hours of homework, so 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:42.960 it's it is tough. Later on, I went into a 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:45.760 sports school, if you will, where I was there with 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:49.120 twenty twenty five other athletes playing different kinds of sports, 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:52.439 where we would get Tuesday and Thursdays in the morning, 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:54.440 we'll get off school, we would go to training, we'd 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:57.600 have extra training. It's kind of a center of excellence 0:12:57.640 --> 0:13:01.440 type vibes. And Friday's afternoon we would have off as well, 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:05.400 so your weekly lessons would reduce from thirty eight hours 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:08.720 to about twenty five so you can balance your school. 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:10.800 Make sure you know, on a Friday afternoon, if you 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:12.560 needed to go to away games, you have time to 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:14.880 do that. I was really lucky to have a supportive family, 0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:17.440 who you know, my grandparents would pick me up from 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:19.720 school just to make it on time to training and 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:23.000 pack my bags. And I've ruined about five washing machines 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:25.000 just because of diving in the martin and sand and 0:13:25.040 --> 0:13:27.160 all that kind of stuff. So I always had my 0:13:27.200 --> 0:13:29.400 support system at home, so for me, it was always 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:33.680 only football. Obviously, my parents made sure my mom in particular, 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:35.080 that you know, you're going to have to get your 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:37.000 grades and all that kind of stuff, which is very 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:41.000 important of course, and the sports class kind of enabled 0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:42.800 me to do both because he can get a little 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:44.880 bit too much. But I think it starts off as 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:47.920 a dream, and I think football is still fun up 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:50.760 to a certain age. And then when it comes to 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:53.360 the point where you turn professional and start earning a 0:13:53.400 --> 0:13:56.400 little bit of money, I think that's when football starts 0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:58.760 to become a job. And I mean a job. It's 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:01.200 a passion, it's something I love. It's something you should love, 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:04.439 like I love football. But I think the fun goes 0:14:04.520 --> 0:14:07.200 out as a child and goes into a professional environment 0:14:07.280 --> 0:14:09.760 where it's really if I don't do well this year, 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:12.280 I might not be here next year. And I think 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:14.400 as a young kid, that's like it can be a 0:14:14.440 --> 0:14:16.720 little bit scary, and I think in a moment, you 0:14:16.720 --> 0:14:19.200 don't realize that this is actually the case. You just 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:21.000 want to have fun and play football with your mates. 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:23.600 But I think that's the switching point from it just 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:27.040 being a hobby and having fun to right, I'm gonna 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:28.920 have to make this work if I really want it. 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:31.640 When I was sixteen, I left to go to England. 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:34.560 I was scouted by a team called aston Villa, which 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:37.880 is in Birmingham, and I was still in school and 0:14:38.400 --> 0:14:41.040 you know, eventually I left for England, spent seven years 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:44.320 in England, really grew up as a young man as 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:47.240 an adult, and to this days one of the best 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:50.280 times I've had. Also because I had some difficult times 0:14:50.320 --> 0:14:53.680 with injuries where you know, you don't just recover in 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:56.000 a week or two months on the sideline and during 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:58.840 a foreign country with you know, people you're not familiar with, 0:14:58.880 --> 0:15:02.200 in a different cold show how things are done differently, 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:05.080 communications differently, and I really enjoyed it. I still got 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:07.680 friends to this day from my old team. And then 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:10.360 I decided to go play in Switzerland, in my home 0:15:10.400 --> 0:15:13.680 country for two years, and I thought it would be great, 0:15:13.880 --> 0:15:16.240 and he wasn't great. I didn't enjoy living back home. 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:19.200 I'm probably the only Swiss person who doesn't want to 0:15:19.240 --> 0:15:20.480 be there. Yeah, I want to be there. 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:22.480 What was your reasoning for what? Not wanting to be there? 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:23.400 I'm not enjoying it. 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:26.480 It was difficult because I grew up British in a 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:29.720 way where this is how football is done in an 0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:32.720 academy in the UK, the biggest league in the world, 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:36.720 and I go to Switzerland and it was just a 0:15:36.760 --> 0:15:39.760 different mentality. It was a lot more me, me, me, 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:43.520 what can I get, Look what I have, Look what 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:46.920 I can afford type of mindset, whereas maybe the team 0:15:46.960 --> 0:15:50.280 spirit wasn't as good, which obviously showed we got relegated 0:15:50.280 --> 0:15:51.000 in the first year. 0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:53.000 Relegation means when a team is in the. 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:55.880 Top division that dropped down one because they had a 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:58.320 bad season. Right, So when those two years came to 0:15:58.320 --> 0:15:59.960 an end, I said, hey, I really want to go 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.920 back to the UK. End up in Scotland, signed for 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:05.440 Dundee United, played there for four years. It was a 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:09.000 team who was, yeah, a little bit in in disarray, 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:12.440 was in the Championship, which is the second division in Scotland. 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:14.760 We were close to getting promoted. The first season we 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:18.240 lost on penalties on the last day, which was heartbreaking. Yeah. 0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:21.560 The second year we got promotions, so we went up 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:23.920 to the top but it was the COVID year, so 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:26.880 it was no celebrations like you finally achieved what you 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:29.600 set out to achieve and you celebrate it on the 0:16:29.640 --> 0:16:31.960 balcony because you're only allowed to leave the house for 0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:35.160 one hour. And then the following year was the first 0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:37.640 year in the Premiership, in the top league with all 0:16:37.640 --> 0:16:40.080 the big teams and there were no spectators there and 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:45.160 you just kind of playing training ground games where you're 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:47.360 playing match days, but there's nobody to cheer you on. 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:48.480 All the big experience. 0:16:48.560 --> 0:16:49.160 Energy is different. 0:16:49.280 --> 0:16:52.160 Yeah, the energy is completely different. And then finally my 0:16:52.240 --> 0:16:56.000