Carlos Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer that Never Played Football episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 1, 2025 · 55 MIN

Carlos Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer that Never Played Football

from That's Old News · host That's Old News

When you think of some of the greatest footballers to ever play the game, who comes to mind? Do you think of recent players at the pinnacle of their game like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Do you perhaps turn the clock back and look to the legends of the game like Pelé or Diego Maradona? Or do you instead look to those players who perform crucial roles but often go overlooked like Michael Carrick or Thomas Müller? Or do you look to those who defined over a decade of football, whose name was on the lips of every top manager and player as they all tried desperately to recruit him for their team... despite never playing a single professional game in his life?Join Conor this week as he recounts the tale of Carlos Kaiser, the Brazilian born con artist who was so good at the game that he simply never stepped foot on a pitch for a regular match and yet convinced over a dozen clubs to sign him. You'll hear about his poor roots growing up in poverty in Brazil, how a lie spiralled into him becoming one of the most recognisable names in football during his "career", and how he would shirk the phone calls of every manager and player in the profession on account of his mobile phone being nothing more than a children's toy phone that he carried with him everywhere and pretended to be constantly busy with calls from other clubs looking to buy him for ludicrous amounts of cash.You don't want to miss this.This episode was hosted by Conor Daly and joined by Arron Keegan and Hayley O'Connor. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Join our Discord server and follow us on social media by following the links below!Discord: https://discord.gg/ZScNqT8mP2 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsoldnewspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsoldnewspodcast/ Twitter/X: x.com/oldnewscast

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Carlos Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer that Never Played Football

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