Peter Crouch names the only player who ever made him scared

Peter Crouch: Limited chances this season

Much-travelled former Liverpool, Tottenham, Portsmouth and Aston Villa striker Peter Crouch has named the only footballer who ever made him scared – and it’s one hardman who scared more than a few in his day.

Rangy former England man Crouch called time on his career back last year after a short spell at Burnley and also counts QPR, Southampton, Norwich and Stoke among his other former teams during a nomadic 19-year career.

But in recalling which player he considered his famous fearsome opponent, Crouch had no hesitation in naming former Wolves, Crystal Palace, Rangers and Millwall defender Kevin Muscat as his toughest opponent.

The Australia international was no stranger to a tackle during his nine-year career in the UK before he returned to Australia with Melbourne Victory in 2011.

Crouch will have no doubt come up against some unsavoury characters during his long playing days but nobody frightened him like Muscat.

 

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When asked if any player ever scared him, Crouch told That Peter Crouch Podcast: “Kevin Muscat scared me.

“You know people would say ‘I’m going to break your legs’ – when he would say it, you genuinely believed him.”

 

Crouch makes Gareth Bale revelation

Crouch also recently revealed that that both Liverpool and Nottingham Forest wanted to sign Gareth Bale before he burst on to the scene with Tottenham.

He told the Daily Mail: “When I was at Southampton there was a buzz about two kids at the Academy — Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale. We heard all sorts of positive reports and I knew there was interest from Liverpool about signing Gareth in the summer of 2007.

“Our paths did not cross for another couple of years, until we were together at Tottenham. The young lad I saw initially had some confidence issues and had not enjoyed playing at left back. The talk was that he was going to go to Nottingham Forest for £2million.

“Then, though, he started to find his feet. He got faster, stronger. His confidence began to grow and gradually all those special things we had been told about when he was a kid started to come true.”

Bale, meanwhile, has been in the news again after a report in Spain detailed his crumbling relationship with Zinedine Zidane and named the two most likely destinations for the former Spurs man.