Rio Ferdinand Presents

This is Ollie Watkins reflecting on a journey that very few footballers ever experience - opening up on going from League Two and non-league football to scoring one of England’s biggest goals in recent history. Chilling with Rio in his Airbnb, Watkins reveals why he still thinks about those early days every time he walks out for Aston Villa in the Champions League.

Despite becoming one of the Premier League’s most consistent forwards, Watkins remains hugely grounded throughout this conversation - discussing the impatience that drove him early in his career, the responsibility he felt during Steven Gerrard’s time at Aston Villa and why Unai Emery completely changed the standards and mentality within the squad.

There’s fascinating insight into the mentality of elite strikers too, including why Erling Haaland’s role is “so difficult”, how studying Ruud van Nistelrooy helped develop his instincts inside the box and why Harry Kane’s leadership is more about standards than shouting.

Watkins also explains the challenge of being used as an impact substitute for England and reveals the voice note he sent to friends before his huge semi-final goal after growing frustrated on the bench.

The pair also discuss Thomas Tuchel’s arrival as England manager, why the squad are already buying into his demand for more arrogance and confidence, and how nobody in the camp can beat him at table tennis. Plus brilliant stories and insight on Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden and why Watkins believes criticism of Gareth Southgate was completely unfair.

There’s also a brilliant look into dressing room culture and player personalities - from fashion disasters in the France squad and ping-pong battles at England camp to why Michael Owen’s advice means more than anybody else’s and the underrated qualities that make Ezri Konsa such a difficult defender to play against.

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João Pedro opens up on the pressure and sacrifices behind his journey from Brazil to the Premier League - revealing how his mum quitting her job to support his football dream made him realise at just 15 years old that he had no choice but to succeed.

Whilst relaxing in Rio's Airbnb, Joao reveals how he was inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James, João explains why he became obsessed with doing extra work after moving to England and how switching from winger to striker completely changed his career - despite initially hating the move.

He also tells Rio how Watford convinced him to move ahead of waiting for clubs like Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester City and how Richarlison showed him that Premier League success was possible.

João gives hilarious insight into training ground battles with Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo and Reece James - while also backing James to become the best right-back in world football because of his mentality and leadership.

There’s fascinating tactical discussion too as João explains why movement is the strongest part of his game, how Cole Palmer’s creativity has helped him become more dangerous in the box and why he now sees himself as a number nine in the mould of Harry Kane and Sergio Agüero. He also admits he completely underestimated Palmer when he first arrived - before eventually deciding the Chelsea star would comfortably start for the current Brazil team under Carlo Ancelotti.

The conversation also gives brilliant insight into the pressure surrounding the Brazilian national team, Ancelotti’s influence on the squad and why Neymar is still discussed “every single day” in Brazil ahead of what could be his final World Cup.

Plus there are brilliant stories around Vinicius Jr’s mentality, Casemiro’s leadership and what it felt like walking into his first Brazil training camp alongside players he’d previously only seen on FIFA
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Rio is joined by Ste Howson and Joel Beya to react to the end of the Premier League season - including why Bruno Fernandes deserves to be Player of the Year and why Rio believes his numbers alongside better attacking players next season could be “a madness”.
The trio also discuss Michael Carrick’s future at Manchester United, the scale of the rebuild still needed at Old Trafford and whether signing Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer would actually make sense for the club.
Arsenal’s title-winning season is another obvious talking point, with Rio insisting Mikel Arteta deserves enormous credit for surviving years of criticism and finally ending Manchester City’s dominance.
There’s also a brilliant debate around Pep Guardiola’s legacy and why Rio still believes Sir Alex Ferguson remains the greatest manager of all time.
Plus the lads hand out their end-of-season awards, react to Aston Villa’s guard of honour - Rio says why Mohamed Salah showed exactly how those moments should be handled and there’s some hints about some huge plans for the summer and the World Cup.
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As everyone awaits confirmation of Michael Carrick being named as Manchester United manager, Rio is joined by Ste Howson and Joel Beya to discuss the reasons INEOS have finally backed him, whether the fanbase is truly united behind the decision and why Rio believes the club now has no choice but to fully commit to the ‘Carrick project’.

The trio debate criticism around Carrick’s appointment, the idea he’s somehow landed the role “by default” and what his football identity actually is. Rio also insists Carrick “won’t give a s**t” about criticism from pundits like Roy Keane and Gary Neville, while Ste argues United barely have any genuinely pro-United voices left in mainstream punditry.

There’s also huge praise for Casemiro following “Rio Meets Casemiro” and the standing ovation he received at Old Trafford, which leads Rio into a reflection on the Brazilian’s overall cost to Manchester United and whether his impact has justified the huge transfer fee and wages.

Bruno Fernandes becomes another major talking point as the lads debate where he ranks amongst the Premier League’s modern greats. Rio argues Bruno deserves more respect because of the level of Manchester United teams he’s been carrying, while Ste explains why the club’s barren spell actually makes him even more valuable to supporters.

The conversation also turns to Xabi Alonso’s shock move to Chelsea, with Ste calling him the most exciting coach in world football and Rio questioning why he didn’t wait for an opportunity to take over Arne Slot at Liverpool.

Plus there’s insight into what Casemiro really thinks about Bruno behind the scenes and why Rio believes Fernandes would have taken Manchester United’s 2008 Champions League-winning side to another level.
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After the journey from the training ground where Casemiro discussed his career before joining Manchester United, on their arrival at Old Trafford, him and Rio discuss everything about his time in Manchester whilst sitting in the Stretford End and paying tribute to the supporters.

From dealing with “disrespectful” comments from pundits to helping younger players like Kobbie Mainoo through difficult times, nothing is off limits here as Casemiro opens up and surprises Rio even more.

The pair discuss the big moments like winning the Carabao Cup but also the difficult times Casemiro faced when he was out of the team - along with what’s actually required from players to be able to cope in those scenarios.

There is a huge amount of praise for Michael Carrick - how Casemiro describes the way he operates reminds the Brazilian of Ancelotti and Rio of Sir Alex Ferguson!

This is an interview like no other - enjoy seeing a different side to the player that is worshipped from the seats they’re sitting in.
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