Peter Crouch Opens Up About His Dark Times & Crying Himself To Sleep | E196

Peter Crouch opens up to Steven Bartlett about growing up unusually tall, the relentless heightism abuse he faced from crowds and how it pushed him to use self-deprecating humour as a defence mechanism. He recounts his toughest period, an 18-game scoring drought at Liverpool where fans booed him while playing for England, and how he turned to drink after games to cope. Crouch reflects on his demanding father, the intensity of elite teammates like Gerrard and Carragher, and what makes great managers (Harry Redknapp, Ferguson, Rafa Benitez). He describes retiring at 38 without regret and building a second career through his podcast and books, and closes on family being what matters most.

• As a 14-15-year-old Crouch cried himself to sleep and questioned whether a football career was worth the abuse.
  00:08:14
• At Gillingham fans shouted 'freak' and 'does the circus know you're here'; his dad ended up in a fight in the stands and his mum was crying.
  00:10:48
• His father deliberately abandoned him at the Tottenham bull court, forcing the young teen to find his own way home on the tube as a lesson for jumping out of a tackle.
  00:15:30
• Crouch was booed by 70,000 of his own fans while playing for England at Old Trafford, calling it the proudest moment of his life being taken away.
  00:25:21
• During his Liverpool scoring drought he admits he was drinking more than he should have, his dad dragging him out for beers to cope.
  00:32:06
• He shares the Ferguson/Cantona tie story and argues star players get treated differently only as long as they keep performing.
  01:01:13
• At Stoke he watched the dressing room culture collapse, with a player admitting he stopped trying mid-game because they were three goals down, leading to relegation.
  01:08:28
• At the Royal Team Talk he opened up publicly about his struggles for the first time, sitting alongside Prince William who spoke about losing his mother.
  01:30:09

• Crouch carried cards in his inside pocket with pre-written answers to the five questions he was always asked about his height.
  00:06:11
• He says he wasn't ready for the Premier League until age 22-23 and could have ended up a non-league player.
  00:13:23
• During his Liverpool slump he went 'radio silent', stopping newspapers and TV, and notes modern players can't escape abuse because of their phones.
  00:29:01
• He played for six clubs before the age of 25.
  00:33:08
• Daniel Levy sold him from Spurs at 30 for around 10 million pounds plus Wilson Palacios, with Crouch defending Levy as a ruthless but effective businessman.
  00:37:17
• Harry Redknapp turned his career around at Southampton, telling him he'd lead the line; Crouch scored 16 goals and earned an England call-up.
  00:55:03
• Prince William personally brought in an Indian takeaway delivery during the Kensington Palace podcast recording.
  01:26:31
• Crouch left school at 16 and retired at 38, playing professionally for 22 years.
  01:14:11
• He admits he couldn't sleep after night matches, finding the post-game buzz physically impossible to switch off from.
  01:33:46

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