Playback: Micronesia's Got Talent ⚽

Paul Watson realised he would never play football for England - so attempted, instead, to be recruited by the worst international team in the world. His quest lead him to Pohnpei, Micronesia; and, although he never realised his dream of becoming an international soccer star, he ended up coaching them instead...  What's it like training a team 9000 miles away from home, in a country with no football culture? What is the beautiful game's secret at bringing communities together? And how can one recover after a defeat against the Guam Crushers? This interview first aired in 2017 - hear the full episode here - now remastered with new sound design, we've paired with our latest episode, I ₿ought A Football Club. Paul wrote a brilliant book about his adventures, Up Pohnpei, which you can buy here. Thanks to Mannfan Tom Cotton for suggesting Paul as a guest - if you have an idea for a future edition of the show, just get in touch using our Feedback form. Paul's two podcasts are: The Sweeper: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sweeper-a-world-football-podcast/id1557926870 False Economy: https://shows.acast.com/false-economy PLUS get your free case of wine NOW: https://wine52.com/mann Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices