Former England and Liverpool striker, Peter Crouch, is not the most savvy when it comes to modern technology. However, since retiring not only has he managed to build himself an enormous following online, he's done it using tech he previously shied from.
That Peter Crouch Podcast is one of the most successful downloadable shows about sports in the UK. He also hosts The Therapy Crouch with wife Abbey Clancy, which looks into the trials and tribulations of life and relationships – not bad for a man who claims to have been the last to upgrade to a smartphone.
T3 caught up with Crouch to chat about his use of tech and devices, why he enjoys a popular running application, and his recent partnership with Klarna – the shopping / payment app – that regularly helps him navigate online sales.
Enjoy.
You’re now one of the most influential podcasters in the country, how did you get into podcasting?
Well, number one, I don’t class myself as an influential podcaster. What we do now is just what I do anyway. When I go to the pub, I talk about football, and That Peter Crouch Podcast has been such a success because i’ve been so open and honest.
I knew that formula worked so we did the exact same thing with me and Abbey, how we are at home. I think it is nice to give a bit of insight of what that is like.
Do you listen to any other podcasts? If so, which ones are essential listening for you?
That Peter Crouch Podcast mainly, because it’s absolutely epic.
I love Quickly Kevin, that was my original favourite – big fan of that!
How tech-minded are you? Do you always have to have the latest gadgets, or is tech something you just use in the background?
I’m not renowned for my tech skills. This is actually one of the reasons we wanted to partner with Klarna.
People know Klarna for their flexible payment options but they also have an amazing app filled with great features and are doing some pretty cool stuff with AI, which even I can use!
Which footballer did you play with in your career was the least tech savvy?
I don’t think there is anyone worse than me!
People were bringing stuff in towards the end of my career; phones, etc. I was probably one of the last to upgrade my phone to a touchscreen, I was still on Blackberry Messenger for a long time.
The only person worse than me is Abbey.
Since you retired from football, how do you keep yourself fit? Do you have any exercise tech or apps that help?
I use Strava, which is amazing!
It was only brought to my attention through That Peter Crouch Podcast. As people were writing things on our podcast and sending them to us, they would go for a run and write things on there like: “Mike Dean slaughters chickens”, “Parched”, “Piss off Karl”, which I found funny.
You perhaps became most famous outside of football when you originally performed your “robot” goal celebration – if you could have a real robot help you with something in your life, what would it be?
Make me dinner.
Ab gave up on me years ago with this! So, dinner and general tea making!
Gadgets, TVs, games consoles and fitness tech often get great discounts in the January sales, do you make use of sales periods like this?
I think a great starting point during the sales period is the Klarna app. You can use the search bar in the app to compare prices across thousands of retailers to find great deals on tech products.
Do you have any sales shopping tips for our readers – maybe on what to look for in fitness gear and where to go?
I think it’s important to buy items that you know you are going to use. Instead of going out and stocking up on lots of new gear, consider buying one or two things like under garments for golf that are going to have long term value and help with your fitness goals.
You can listen to Peter and guests regularly on That Peter Crouch Podcast, which is available across numerous mobile and online platforms. As is the Klarna app, which can be downloaded on iOS and Android from your phone's app store.
