“I got on really well with Pelé. You'd think there would be some edge to him after reaching the level he did, but there was no edge to him at all. Beckenbauer was quite funny and a decent guy.”
Not many Watford players can say they have played with two of the greats of the game, but title-winning captain Keith Eddy can – and he's the guest for episode three of Golden Tales, our monthly podcast series.
Every month we speak to a former Hornet and hear in great depth about their career at Watford and all the unheard stories of life then at Vicarage Road.
In the first episode we heard from former striker Kevin Phillips on how three years at Vicarage Road set him on the path to become one of the most prolific strikers in the Premier League. Then England international and Premier League winner Ashley Young spoke passionately about his desire to finish his career where it started: in WD18.
Now we go back to the late 60s and early 70s and hear from Eddy, who many seasoned observers feel not only was the club's greatest ever captain, but also their best ever buy, costing £1,250 from Barrow. From his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the 76-year-old tells us...
- How he would have given up the game had Watford not signed him in the golden summer of 1966.
- What it was like working under the great Ken Furphy three times in his career, plus the argument he had with the manager the season before they won the league.
- The experience of captaining the club to their first ever Football League title.
- The Golden Boy he always knew would go on to play for England.
- The tale of when he reluctantly left the club in the summer of 1972 for a club-record fee.
- How missing one of 19 penalties with the club still rankles with him.
- And what it was like taking over penalty duties from Pelé when he moved to New York Cosmos in the twilight of his career.
It really is a fascinating listen for Watford fans of that era and an education for younger supporters.
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