What if footballers were Olympic athletes? Plus, the secrets of The Athletic Brain

Aug 03, 2016, 08:05 PM

Find out why Thomas Muller would be a perfect Olympic cyclist, Olivier Giroud has a secret talent for dressage and why greatness might be all in the mind for top footballers.

Host Greg Johnson is joined by Squawka Talker regular James McManus, long-time listener first-time appearance maker Rory Briggs and Amit Katwala, senior writer for Sport magazine and author of the new book on sport and neuroscience, The Athletic Brain.

The pod discuss Olympic football, its history and place in the world, on the eve of the start of the men's tournament at Rio 2016, the players to look out for and which footballers would thrive as Olympians in other events besides the beautiful game.

Amit also answers questions about his book and the role of neuroscience in elite football and the podcast ends on some quick thoughts on West Ham's future in their new Olympic home.