The Upshot

When Wayne Rooney burst onto the scene in 2002, there was only one nagging doubt.Would he have the sordid private life to match his undeniable footballing genius?It didn’t take long for him to deliver.From PVC grannies to spiking his teammates with Viagra, welcome to the wild world of Wazza…For more tales about sport’s most colourful characters, join 100,000+ subscribers who get our free weekly email: https://www.upshot.email/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=poddescription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you like to think rugby is a civilised sport played by gentlemen, stop reading now. From dealing drugs to defecating on dancefloors, the sport is filled with absolute wrong uns.As the World Cup kicks off, meet rugby's rowdiest reprobates…For more tales of sporting scandal, join 100,000+ subscribers who get our free weekly email: https://www.upshot.email/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=poddescription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From human trafficking charges to arson, Mauro Icardi's love life has thrown up some ludicrous drama. The former PSG striker and his wife Wanda are the stars of football’s most chaotic marriage. This is their story…For more tales from sport’s most colourful characters, join 100,000+ subscribers who get our free weekly email: https://www.upshot.email/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=poddescription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a bloke who won the Ballon d'Or and lit up the World Cup, Michael Owen's life is comically dull. The England legend has never tasted tea or coffee, and his mum managed his bank account until he was 38. This is the story of England's weirdo wonderkid…For more tales from sport’s most colourful characters, join 100,000+ subscribers who get our free weekly email: https://www.upshot.email/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=poddescription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the mid 2000s Ronaldinho was the king of football... and an absolute shagger. But the madcap world of the buck-toothed genius was about to come crashing down. From four-way relationships to stints in the slammer, buckle in for the scintillating saga of Brazil’s sesh-head superstar…For more tales from sport’s most colourful characters, join 100,000+ subscribers who get our free weekly email: https://www.upshot.email/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=poddescription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Premier League doesn’t just specialise in high quality football and obscene sums of cash - it does a lovely side business in scandals too.Ahead of the new season, we’ve picked out the biggest rogues, shaggers and miscellaneous comedy characters..From cat kickers to willy wavers, this is the 2023/24 wrong’uns XI…For more tales from sport’s most colourful characters, join 100,000+ subscribers who get our free weekly email: https://www.upshot.email/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=poddescription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shane Warne wasn't like other sportsmen. A sex-mad cricketing genius, he once summed up his life: "I smoked, I drank, and I bowled a bit of leg spin. I don't have any regrets." From sexting scandals to lasagne sandwiches, welcome to Warnie's World…For more tales from sport’s most colourful characters, join 100,000+ subscribers who get our free weekly email: https://www.upshot.email/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=poddescription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might remember Nicklas Bendtner as a misfiring Arsenal striker with godawful tattoos. But what he lacked in goals, he made up for in scintillating off-field scandal. From bedding baronesses to boob job blackmail, welcome to the ludicrous life of Lord Bendtner…For more tales of footballing drama, try our free weekly email, spilling the funniest stories in sport to 100,000 subscribers: https://www.upshot.email/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=poddescription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Roman Abramovich sold Chelsea, the fans feared the worst. And it turns out they were right! Todd Boehly's first season in charge has been an absolute shitshow. From macho death grips to mysterious off-field scandals, this is the story of Chelsea's season from hell…For more tales of footballing scandal, try our free weekly email, spilling the funniest stories in sport to 100,000 subscribers: https://www.upshot.email/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=poddescription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ankle tags. Threesomes with Ashley Cole. Cat murder cover-ups. No one embodied noughties football excess like Jermaine Pennant.Jack and Zach from The Upshot are joined by Mickey Down (co-creator of HBO/BBC sensation Industry) to delve into the wild life of a Premier League bad-boy.Starting with his hungover hat-trick on debut for Arsenal, we explore some of Jermaine's most colourful antics and biggest scandals, including some utterly ridiculous tales of boozing, law-breaking and tabloid stitch-ups.And there will be the odd mention of actual football too.For more tales of footballing scandal, try our free weekly email, bringing 100,000 subscribers the funniest stories in sport: https://www.upshot.email/subscribe?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=poddescriptionYou can buy Jermaine's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mental-Behaviour-Ugly-Truths-Beautiful-ebook/dp/B07FV3NDTH/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.