Summary
Overview
Former England and Leeds United left-back Tony Dorigo joins the podcast to discuss his remarkable journey from Australia to English football, including winning the last ever Division 1 Championship with Leeds, his experiences with characters like David Batty and Eric Cantona, and his England career spanning three international tournaments despite earning only 15 caps from approximately 60 squad call-ups.
From Australia to English Football
Tony Dorigo shares the extraordinary story of how he made it from Australia to the top of English football. Growing up in Adelaide where football wasn't a major sport, his Italian father's love of Leeds United sparked his interest. At just 15, after training with Adelaide City and meeting Justin Fashanu, he wrote handwritten letters to 12 top English clubs. Only Aston Villa replied, offering him a four-day trial that would change his life forever.
- Dorigo scored 14 goals in a 17-0 school match in Australia, the only player who could chip the three-foot-two goalkeeper
- Wrote handwritten letters to England's top 12 clubs at age 15 - only Aston Villa responded
- Had to pay his own way from Australia with his father for the trial at Aston Villa
- Found the standard in England so high initially that he 'couldn't touch the ball' in training
- Was Player of the Year at Aston Villa at age 19 or 20
" At school they would ask you the three things you'd like to be when you grow up. I put one, professional soccer player. Two, professional soccer player. And they'd go, you silly boy, what is wrong with you? Go, you know, architect or something or other. But that's all I could see at the time. "
" The standard was that good. And you imagine, I suppose, when you've been the best by a long way where you've come from, and now suddenly you come to and you can't touch the ball. It was a bit of an eye-opener, I have to say. "
The Ken Bates and Doug Ellis Experience
Dorigo's career took an unexpected turn when he was used as a bargaining chip between two of football's most notorious chairmen. Doug Ellis drove him to a bizarre hostage-style exchange at Heathrow where he passed David Speedy going the opposite direction to Aston Villa. Later, when Dorigo submitted a transfer request at Chelsea, Ken Bates's response was brutally simple - he showed him his contract with two years remaining and pointed at the door.
- Doug Ellis arranged a player exchange with Ken Bates at a Heathrow hotel - Dorigo to Chelsea for David Speedy to Villa
- The exchange was like 'a hostage situation' with both players passing each other to go to different chairmen
- When Dorigo later wrote a transfer request, Ken Bates showed him the back of his contract with two years remaining and said 'There's the effing door'
- Dorigo got relegated at both Aston Villa and Chelsea
- Chelsea's relegation came via a playoff - the only time that system was used in English football
" Like the exchange of hostages. Exactly. It was crazy. They started laughing at each other nervously. "
" He said, Tony, it does seem like you've got two years left. There's the effing door. I thought he handled it particularly well. "
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