From The Sunday Times

January 18, 2009

Steve McManaman: Gazza, Zidane and me

Questions of Sport: Steve McManaman on Liverpool’s title hunt, his time in Spain and Steven Gerrard’s music taste

Who was the best footballer you played with? Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid. There was nothing he couldn’t do with the ball. His vision was what you appreciated most. I played against Rivaldo when he was at Barcelona and he wasn’t far behind.

What was the most intimidating atmosphere you played in? I grew up as an Everton fan and played for Liverpool, so Merseyside derbies were special, but nothing compares with Barcelona v Real Madrid. It’s not two rival cities, it’s two rival countries, with political undertones. When we played in Barcelona, the coach to the Nou Camp went at 2mph because there were so many fans in the streets. There was an armed guard escorting us.

How did you find the language barrier in Spain? I made a point of throwing myself into the culture and trying to pick up Spanish. There were no other English players there at the time, which may have helped. It wasn’t all one-way stuff. I taught them a bit of Scouse and by the time I left most of the squad were into horseracing.

What advice would you give to anyone joining Real Madrid? Get to know the local players. You’ll help your cause immeasurably if you get them onside. If it looks like you don’t want to get on with them, you could find yourself ostracised.

Can Liverpool cope with the pressure of being viewed as genuine title contenders? As the end of the season nears, we might hear rival managers try some of the psychological warfare about whether they’ve got enough experience, but I don’t accept that. Yes, when I played for Liverpool we were short on guys who had won titles or played in big matches, but now you are talking about players who have reached two Champions League finals. I played with Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard so I would love it if they could end the 19-year drought.

Do you have the same musical tastes as Gerrard? Phil Collins, you mean? No. I had to laugh when I read that. Is it one of those things where if you’re old enough you’ll be back in fashion eventually? I hope not.

Did you resent the Spice Boys tag at Liverpool? It was water off a duck’s back but I’m not sure why some of us got labelled with it. David James was modelling for Armani and Jamie Redknapp was dating [the pop star] Louise and I got bracketed with them. But none of us were really into the London nightlife scene. We appeared in a few magazines, yet nobody bats an eye when players do the same now.

Have you seen Gazza lately? Not for a while. I try to get hold of him when I go up to Newcastle but he keeps changing his mobile number. I didn’t see the documentary on him and don’t know what has gone on in his personal life but for as long as I’ve known him, if you asked him to do something for you, he would do it at the drop of a hat. Let’s hope he makes a recovery; it would be great if he was involved in football again.

What’s been your best moment as a racing punter? I have had my big wins and losses like anyone who bets but actually owning a racehorse is something else. Robbie Fowler and I owned Seebald, which won the 2003 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Celebration Chase. The problem was, we never got to see him because we were usually playing or training.

Steve McManaman is a pundit with Setanta Sports for tomorrow’s Merseyside derby