"THEY SAID I WAS TOO BIG TO PLAY FOOTBALL!" | Akinfenwa On Beast Mode, Liverpool & Staying Grounded
Akinfenwa on Beast Mode, London green spaces and modern players
Akinfenwa works out with the host in a park in South London and talks about growing up, life beyond football, the Beast Mode mindset, being told he was too big for football, modern players and local green spaces. His conclusion is to defy limits, be unapologetically yourself and appreciate the green space on your doorstep.
- People are shaped by their environment and experiences; outdoor play as a kid and getting up after scrapes built resilience and shaped him — He says you are a product of your environment and experiences, and those small childhood moments carry into life.
- The Beast Mode ethos is about defying limits others put on you; do things to prove yourself right, not to prove others wrong, and be unapologetically yourself — He was told for years he was too big to play football, yet 21 years later he had over 200 goals; listening to those people would have stopped him.
- Londoners often fail to appreciate the green spaces on their doorstep and should use and enjoy them — People will walk in parks in New York, but London has the same on its doorstep; often it is just about knowing they are accessible.
- Modern players face trials the older generation did not, so older players should not judge them simply by their own era; football evolves and you must adapt — The modern generation deals with things his generation did not, even if there are still good characters in the game.
- Modern players like Haaland and Jude Bellingham are unapologetically themselves and that is worth liking; it is cool to be yourself — They speak with conviction and are just being themselves.
talkSPORT’s Kweku Afari links up with the 'Beast' himself, Bayo Akinfenwa, at Morden Hall Park in South London for the ultimate walk, talk, and outdoor workout. From getting put through a grueling park fitness session to reflecting on his legendary 21-year career, Bayo doesn't hold back on being told he was "too big to play football," how he turned 'Beast Mode' into a global movement and how the modern game compares to his generation. Plus, Kweku and Bayo take a deep dive into why nature isn't just distant country mansions - it’s thriving right here on our doorsteps. Nature. It’s closer than you think. Together with Nature. Subscribe: https://youtube.com/c/talkSPORT?subconfirmation=1 Enjoyed this YouTube video? 😍 🖥️ talkSPORT's Website: https://talksport.com/ 📲 talkSPORT's X/Twitter: https://x.com/talkSPORT 📷 talkSPORT's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talksport/?hl=en 👤 talkSPORT's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkSPORT/ 📱 talkSPORT's Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talksport ? 🔴 Download the talkSPORT app HERE! - https://talksport.com/apps/ 🔎 Want to see if you feature on our YouTube channel? Check out our Best talkSPORT callers playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFVMnSsi04LGLa9pS9xDvme-Gjmlu2 talkSPORT PremierLeague
Transcript
So, what we're going to do, we're going to do biceps. Then, we're going to go some shoulders out wide. And then we're going to go upwards. [music] >> I've got small arms. >> No, no, no. Yeah, you do. I just [laughter] I was going TO TRY GASH YOU. There we go. We get the heart rate. You moving like the leaves behind you out here. Come on. I'm Quari [music] and I'm currently surviving a park workout with the beast themselves, Beo Aken Fenwa [music] in Mortyn Hall Park in South London. All thanks to Talk Sport and National Trust. It's a proper green pocket right in the middle of the city buzz. And today we're talking all things football, life after the beautiful game, and why your local green space is the perfect place to stay [music] grounded. >> Wow. >> Yeah. Yeah. Come on. Let me dab myself. Let me dab myself. [music] >> Brother, you put me through my paces this morning. I'm sweating right now. Finally caught my breath though, >> brother. You got it, man. You know what I'm saying? You got it. I'm impressed. I'm impressed. See, but then we'll have to do like a a beast mode times two later. Do you know what I'm saying? I'll leave that to you. >> I say like we'll do that. But no, I'm impressed, my brother. >> We're in a green space right now. You're a proper London boy. When people think about London, they talk about the concrete jungle, but there are spaces like this. Talk to me about growing up in London and where you found [music] your kind of green fix and your nature hit. >> When I was younger, it was literally that. It was guy out, you know, playing run outs, kiss chase, you know, just, you know, stuff like that where being outside, being in the elements was just a beautiful thing. >> And do you reckon that's what formed you not just as a footballer, but as a person? >> Yeah, man. Listen, you're a product of your environment and your experiences and it and it really did. Those elements you take into life, you know, the as as little as falling down and scraping your knee, but you just get up and it it adds that resilience, but of course at the time you're just being a kid. just being outside it definitely did shape me. >> Well, we briefly touched on your career. You had a storied career at multiple clubs in different countries as well and become sort of a legend at most of the clubs you've been at, right? You're a memorable player when you really came to prominence for a lot of people was through the beast mode character and that persona. Where did that come about? How did that come about? >> KSI was doing this segment about beast players in in FIFA. I remember somebody sent me the video of of KSI and he was talking about the beast player and the strongest person in the game. So that's how beast mode was was birthed and of course then realizing that I was the strongest player. I mean I always knew it. It was they just kind of clocked. You get what I'm saying? Like >> you smash out the park with it. Everybody knows who you are. Everyone knows the beast mode ethos. Do you use that ethos to kind of guide you in your life in terms of that kind of beast mode mentality? Not um not adhering to the norms and kind of breaking down barriers. Is that kind of guiding you in your life? >> Yeah. Do you know the madest thing is I think it guides everybody. I think everybody has been told they can't do something for one reason or another. And that was when Beast Mold was born off the back of listen, I know everybody talked about my size. Everybody keeps talking about my size. >> But Beast Mold's ethos was what for me was what I was trying to get across. And that was defining limitations people put on you. I was told for years that I was too big to play football. And then I I say this and not as a flex but just as a fact that 21 years later over 200 goals if I listened to those people I wouldn't have been able to achieve >> 100%. >> So that's the ethos that we're trying to give back to people is that don't do things to prove other people wrong. Do things to prove yourself right. And if you live by that mantra people connect with the authenticity. You know what I'm saying? Be unapologetic yourself. Everybody has got that defy that limitation mindset. And that's what I've tried to do in my life. And don't allow people to put you in the box. This is the first time I've been to this park. I've gone parks locally to me, but this is not too far from me. So sometimes it's just knowing that it's accessible and it's there. And then when you get here, I keep saying you you never really acknowledge what you got. You know what I'm saying? We'll go somewhere to New York and walk in their parks, but we've got it all on our doorstep in London. So sometimes it's just the the knowledge and knowing that you can get access to it and going there and enjoying it. Do you notice the difference between footballers who are playing today and your generation of players? >> Um, well, yes and no. Listen, I think football always evolves and I think it is and I think you have to adapt to your timing. So, you know, the players that I talk to are playing of, as they like to say, the modern generation. There's certain trials and tribulations that they're dealing with that we didn't deal with in our time. So, we can talk a certain way, but we didn't have to deal with it, you know. So listen, um there's still some good characters in the game. >> Give me some of your favorite characters in in modern football. Some modern players that you really like the way they carry themselves. >> I like Harland. I think Harland's unapologetically himself. I like Ola Ana. I like a Wii. Listen, I like Jude Bellingham. I like I like Jude. Um so those characters now when you look at them, you're like, "All right, cool. It's cool to be yourself, you know, like come out that box. Be unapologetically yourself." So there's a few, you know, there'll be a couple people that will see this and be like, "Oh, what? You didn't say my name and that. Excuse me. I I check for y'all as well, but they're the ones that when they talk, they talk with their convictions and they're just being themselves." >> Thank you very much. >> Thanks to Talk Sport National Trust. There's so many parks like this across the country. Make sure you check them out and we'll catch you in a little bit. [music] >> So, are we done? Yeah. >> Come on. Clap then everybody. Everybody. Come on. >> [music]