In the latest episode of The Stan Collymore Show exclusive to RT, Stan talks to former England striker Gary Lineker, goes backstage at the World Cup Final Draw, and investigates what can be done to tackle racism in football.
Gary Lineker is widely regarded as one of the best English strikers ever, having scored almost 300 goals for clubs and country during a career that saw him play for Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona and appear at two World Cups.
In this episode of The Stan Collymore Show, Lineker recounts to Stan his memories of the 1986 Mexico World Cup - in which he won the Golden Boot as the tournament’s leading scorer – the only Englishman ever to do so.
At that tournament, Lineker also played in a famous game versus Argentina, in which opposition captain Diego Maradona displayed his devious streak and deft skill in equal measure: punching the ball into the net to score the ‘Hand of God,’ before going on to score one of the greatest individual goals ever seen.
Lineker talks to Stan about playing in the Estadio Azteca, and how the first of three goals against Poland changed his life forever. Now a successful television presenter, Lineker came to Russia on December 1 to present the World Cup Final Draw from the State Kremlin Palace alongside Russian journalist Maria Kommandnaya.
At the event, where Lineker and draw assistant Maradona were reunited on stage, Stan gives us an exclusive tour behind the scenes and chats with footballing heavyweights Davor Suker and Hristo Stoichkov - former stars for Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
He speaks to Iceland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson, who will lead one of the most popular teams at Russia 2018 – the team that won hearts and minds with their Viking ‘Thunder Clap’ celebration, as well as a surprise semi-final finish at Euro 2016.
Stan also meets with Troy Townsend, education manager of “Kick it Out,” the equality and inclusion organization based in England. Townsend, the father of Crystal Palace and England player Andros Townsend, gives his view on what can be done to tackle racism in England, Russia and around the world. Townsend originally gave an interview in which he said he wouldn’t travel to Russia for the World Cup because of fears of racism, but tells Stan he would now treat traveling to the country the same as visiting anywhere else, particularly if his son is picked to play at the tournament.