For a long time, the world of football pundits often took a rather serious tone.
Sky Sports would have Gary Neville telling us that “this is Manchester United” as they endured another forgettable moment, we’d have Roy Keane telling us that a goalkeeper’s job is to pull off outrageous saves, while Jamie Carragher would often stop things” tu ” on replay.
And in many ways, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that setup, but CBS Sports has found success by going the other way on its Champions League broadcast.
Combining the unlikely trio of Thierry Henry, Carragher and Micah Richards, the American sports channel is responsible for broadcasting some of the most entertaining moments in the world of football in recent years.
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Whether discussing Stade Brest or even confusing Serie A’s top clubs with a Scouse accent, the aforementioned trio, alongside host Kate Scott, stole the show on football’s biggest stage for CBS’ Golazo.
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Kane turns down Carragher’s invitation
Most pundits have probably been there, telling a little white lie, or as is often the case, exaggerating an age-old story that has evolved from one point to another over the years. But few remain as caught as Carragher Harry Kane and CBS last March.
Often, when that white lie is told, these same experts are not confronted with the subject of that lie until hours later. But the former Liverpool defender faced just that. When Scott asked Kane if Carragher had indeed invited him in preparation for his Champions League clash between Bayern Munich and Lazio, the striker revealed that this did not happen.
Leaving Carragher with egg on his face, the pundit was in disbelief as Richards, Henry and Scott burst out laughing.
5
Burn, Carragher and Richards dance goes viral
After he got his place in Newcastle United folklore alongside the rest of his teammates in the Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain last season, the first thing Dan Burn had to do wasn’t warm up and celebrate, it was to help Richards and Carragher go viral through the medium of dance.
Still, the use of the word “dance” is almost an insult to the pros, as Carragher and Richards try to do so-called orange justice alongside the tall defender, only to act akin to fathers at a wedding. Carragher was right after all – the dance “broke the internet”, garnering two million views on Twitter alone.
4
Rafael Leao struggles with Carragher’s accent
In what may seem like a rarity, the CBS studio was on hand for a serious post-match interview with Milan star Rafael Lea as his side found themselves in the Champions League quarter-finals against Serie A rivals Napoli in a clash that eventually saw the winner square off against Inter.
Even Carragher seemed to be on his best behavior when trying to ask the question of how big that semi-final could be, only for his accent to quickly turn the interview into chaos.
Asking the Scouser to repeat the question, Carragher tried to use Internazionale in his second attempt, which only further confused the Milan winger, leaving Richards in tears of laughter at his colleague’s expense.
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3
Carragher joins the Yellow Wall
If Carragher was difficult to understand after Milan’s Champions League game, he would be almost impossible to decipher after spending time in Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall indulging in real football culture.
Joining Peter Schmeichel in his interview with Jadon Sancho for CBS Sports, the legendary Liverpool the defender – worse for wear than his classmate at this stage – has even invited the Dortmund winger out for a drink if his side reach the Champions League final.
Sancho was quick to reveal that he doesn’t drink, but it remains unknown if the pair met again in a different form to celebrate Dortmund’s excellent run at Wembley last season. We’re sure Carragher made a lot of friends inside the famous Yellow Wall regardless of CBS letting him into the Westfalenstadion.
2
Jack Grealish asks the ultimate question
Fresh from winning their first Champions League trophy, Manchester City’s confidence was rightly high. In their minds, they were unbeatable no matter the occasion, and in Jack Grealish’s mind, team-mate Kyle Walker was more unbeatable than ever – so much so that he posed the ultimate question to the legendary Thierry Henry.
Instantly switching roles, Grealish became the interviewer as the Frenchman answered his question about whether he would be capable of taking on Walker at his peak.
Of course, in the current climate, the mere suggestion that Walker is keeping quiet about one of the game’s greatest players is as laughable as it gets, but the Manchester City captain deserves credit for just how unbeatable he was at the height of his powers before his more recent struggles.
However, we would have to agree with Henry that the England international would have a terrible day at the office.
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The panel discusses all things (Stade) Brest
When Stade Brest shocked French football by qualifying for the Champions League last season, it was almost destined that the CBS team would have to discuss their upcoming games and pass judgment on their chances of causing an upset or two.
But if viewers believed that a deep analysis followed without some moments of chatter, they are not very familiar with the technique of Henry, Carragher and Richards.
Because Richards had sailed close to the wind on the previous occasion, he was dropped from the later discussion to keep things serious. Henry, Carragher and Scott couldn’t help but make their own comments, referring to whether Brest’s back line will be exposed in the Champions League or whether they are fans of Eric Roy’s Brest line-up, in a statement that is completely open to interpretation. This was a record at their best.
