- [Narrator:] We’re back with B/R Football’s breakdown of every single Easter egg and reference in “The Champions” Season 6,
and now we’re on to the season finale, Episode 3.
- What happens when 800 of the world's most elite football players are not football players
because they live in an alternate universe where football doesn't exist?
Not much.
This is The Randos.
- [Narrator:] So we gotta pause it here already and break down everything in this new title sequence, set in a world where football doesn’t exist.
We start with the Rashford Library, a reference to Marcus Rashford’s continued efforts to increase child literacy
by setting up book clubs and even releasing his own line of children’s books.
We then cut to a skatepark that looks eerily similar to the pool at the Champions Mansion,
but this time the NO DIVING sign is replaced with NO KICKFLIPS, because you can’t kick anything in this universe, of course.
Here we see Jack Grealish on the ground after a failed trick, a reference to the fact he’s one of the most fouled players in the world
and so spends quite a lot of time picking himself up after a fall.
Next, where we’d usually cut to a chandelier in the mansion, we cut to Trent Alexander-Arnold delivering a chandelier with typical precision,
and the TAA logo on his van is a parody of DHL.
Then we see Heung-Min Son wearing his No. 7 shirt, but in a different kind of way, as he’s pushing his kids along in a pram.
This is a reference to the fact that Son has said he doesn’t want to start a family until he’s done with football, so in this universe, he’d have no reason to wait.
He walks by Diego Simeone and Antonio Conte, two of football’s most aggressive and charismatic managers, playing a game of chess in the park, looking bored.
And if you look really closely, you can see that Simeone’s pieces are set up in two banks of five, a reference to his defensive style,
and Conte has pushed his castles up really high and wide, as if they’re wingbacks, which is his preferred formation.
Shoutout to YouTube user R J, who actually noticed this one. That's impressive.
Finally, security guard Virgil van Dijk, obviously known for his defending, lets us into a bar called Kenny’s,
a reference to Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish—where You’ll Never Drink Alone,
a clear reference to Liverpool’s anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” is being played.
Inside, we see Gerard Pique reading a magazine with Shakira on the cover—
in this universe, he isn’t a footballer, so he would never have met Shakira during the shoot for the 2010 World Cup song “Waka Waka”
and they never would have got together.
Jamie Vardy is a bartender, mixing together two Red Bulls, because it’s not a Jamie Vardy party without Red Bull.
Alphonso Davies is in full Canadian lumberjack gear eating poutine, and Timo Werner is at the jukebox—
if you look closely, he tries to put a coin in the machine but misses. Damn. And Eden Hazard…again, sorry, Eden.
- I have destroyed fine dining! Me. I did it.
I made a tasting menu without an entree. I call it The False Main.
OK, it's tapas. I reinvented tapas.
- [Narrator:] OK, so Pep’s tagline needs its own breakdown.
Firstly, true to his personality, Pep in this universe is a chef who is obsessed with experimenting, just like he is with his football tactics.
He calls his new creation The False Main, a reference to the false nine formation he brought to the game when he moved Leo Messi there in 2011 with Barcelona.
And then, if you pause and look through his menu, it’s full of Easter eggs you might have missed.
First up, we have “bitter Catalan stew,” a reference to the traditional beef Catalan stew,
but bitter because Pep does have a salty streak in him when things aren’t going his way.
Next up we have “shrimp fried twice. Twice,” a reference to his outburst at the referees when Liverpool beat City at Anfield in 2019 on their way to the Premier League title.
“Shaved man-chego” is a reference to Pep being bald because, well, he’s bald.
“Pescado de Santpedor” is a reference to the place where Guardiola was born, a small town in Catalonia, where he very much became a big fish from a small pond.
The “Haalandaise sauce” on the eggs benedict is a clear reference to the fact City have bought Erling Haaland
for £51.1 million, which is a reference in the price of the dish.
Then we have a Pep salad “with fancy dressing from Manresa.”
This is a reference to the clothing store owned by his wife’s family in Manresa, called Serra Claret.
Pep’s wife Cristina Serra doesn’t get involved in Pep’s job too much, but one influence she has admitted she has is in his fashion choices,
as Pep sometimes appears on the touchline in some fashionable looks.
So that’s why it’s called fancy dressing from Manresa, because Pep…dresses…fancy. Get it?
Next we have some plain old “Pep-peroni,” and then finally, “So So Soda.”
This is a reference to Pep often saying he is “so, so, so happy”—
- I'm so happy. Believe me. I'm so happy. Happy New Year.
- [Narrator:] But check this—it was bottled in Madrid, just like City bottled their Champions League semifinal at the Bernabeu,
where they conceded two goals in extra time, and the price being 6.5 is a reference to the aggregate score in that game, 6-5.
Did you catch all that?
- Hi, I'm Phil. I'm 21, and I'm from Stockport. Get me in that villa, man!
- [Offscreen:] I'm sorry, do you think this is “Love Island”? - Uhhh, is it not?
- [Offscreen:] No, it's not even an island. - Oh, crumbs!
- Working at Hershey Park's not so bad! Maybe if the Peanut Butter Cup gets hurt, they'll make me starting mascot.
- Yo, thanks for checking out my dating profile. Some facts about me:
I'm into Batman cosplay, and I work at a dive bar.
- They're a bunch of random guys!
- [Narrator:] So with the other taglines, we have Phil Foden auditioning for the popular dating show “Love Island.”
Christian Pulisic never left his hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania, in this world, but sadly for him, he’s still not first choice in anything he does.
Neymar explains that he’s into Batman cosplay, a reference to this Joker portrait he has of himself in his house,
while he also works at a dive bar because, well, the cliche is that he dives a lot.
Finally, we see Ronaldo alongside this bunch of random guys in the new title card,
but not Messi, as he disappeared in the last episode.
- Come along, Diego.
Around here, I'm known as the Goatherd.
It's a simple job, watching my goats and tending to my crops, but I can't imagine doing anything else.
Sometimes, I think in another life, I was a goat.
- [Narrator:] So we jump to somewhere in rural Argentina, where we come across Messi the Goatherd.
The first building we see is modeled after Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy.
We also see one of his goats, No. 10, is called Diego, with Diego Maradona’s famous curly haircut.
In his barn, we see vats labeled HGH, a reference to the growth hormone Messi was prescribed as a teenager after he was diagnosed with a growth disorder as a child.
He says in another life he might have been a GOAT, which is a reference to his status in the football world.
- These are all my county fair trophies. I have seven Ballon d'Oranges.
But honestly, I didn't deserve the last one, so...
[knocking]
Ehh, you'll have to excuse me. I don't usually get visitors here.
- [Narrator:] In this universe, Messi’s county fair trophies are a clear reference to everything he’s won in the football world.
We can see a Plower of the Year as a reference to Player of the Year, a Golden Cart instead of a Golden Boot, and a Best Goat in a sly dig at Ronaldo.
But none of the references are more clear than his seven Ballon d’Oranges, a nod to his seven Ballon d’Ors.
He even says he didn’t deserve the last one, in a reference to the arguments people make that Van Dijk in 2019 and especially Robert Lewandowski in 2021
were more deserving of the Ballon d’Or.
Just before Messi answers the door, we see a pot in Barcelona colors.
- Leo, oh, thank God. The things I had to do to find you. I had to fly commercial. I had to eat an airport sandwich. Ugh.
Anyways, not important. Listen, I'm from another universe where you and I are rivals in a thing called football.
And we're very rich and very famous, but I'm more famous, and to be fair I do work at it harder than you...
But the point is I need your help because the only way I can get back to my universe is for you and me to kick footballs at each other as hard as we can.
So, Lionel Messi, will you kick balls with me?
- OK.
- [Narrator:] During Ronaldo’s speech to Messi, there are references to how out of touch he is with normal life.
Flying commercial is something he’d never do in the normal world,
but in this universe he isn’t famous.
He also makes a classic dig at Messi saying he’s more famous—because in real life, he does have more Instagram followers—
and how he works harder at it—another classic Ronaldo trope.
- On my signal. 3...2...
Signal!
- Aaaaaah!
- Did it work?
- No, obviously it didn't work, farmer!
Uuuh, you stupid [indistinct angry sounds].
[heavy breathing]
- [Narrator:] So after their attempt to send Ronaldo home didn’t work, Cristiano calls Messi a farmer, a reference to the fact he moved to PSG to play in a so-called “farmers league.”
His tantrum is a reference to two events in his career.
First, we see a reference to when he reportedly knocked a phone out of an Everton fan’s hand
after Everton beat Manchester United towards the end of the 2021-22 season,
and then his tantrum on the floor is a reference to his reaction to being sent off for Juventus
in his very first Champions League game with them, against Valencia, in 2018.
- I think I know what happened. In this universe, football has no power because it doesn't exist.
We're gonna need to rebuild the sport from scratch.
- What, just, like, the two of us, or...,
- Excuse me!
Sorry to bother you. Our bus broke down.
- We're an international dance troupe on our way to the Ballet World Cup.
- OK, hold on.
So you're telling me that Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Robert Lewandowski and the rest of you ballerinos—
from all over the world, by the way—
came together and got on this guy's bus, which just so happened to break down right here?
- That's not weird. My bus breaks down all the time!
Between you and me, I'm not even supposed to be driving. I was sacked.
- [Narrator:] So right on cue, this ballet troupe arrives.
The fact they’re ballerinas is a reference to Edinson Cavani, who actually trained in ballet at the National Ballet School in his native Uruguay to stay fit
after his contract expired with PSG.
Naturally, they’re all on Ole’s bus, which broke down—a reference to Manchester United’s “Ole’s At The Wheel” chant,
which backfired on them when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked after some historically bad results at Old Trafford.
- What is this strange ball you have here?
- It's a football.
You kick it.
With your foot.
-Oh! I am so happy! I have never felt this joie de vivre!
-Teach us your ways.
- Kylian Mbappe’s immediate talent for football is a clear reference to the fact he’s one of the most naturally talented players in the world,
while Erling Haaland’s zen pose is a reference to one of his famous celebrations.
It’s also a bit of an Easter egg that it’s these two, Mbappe and Haaland, who are most interested in this new thing called football,
given that they’re the two players most fancied to take over from Messi and Ronaldo as the best players in the world.
-Good work, lads. Who wants lemonade?
-Ah, thanks, Harry. I'll take a cup.
-I don't have any cups!
[guzzling]
[lawnmower sounds]
-Huh? Eh, bellisimo!
- Now this montage is full of Easter Eggs. Harry Maguire uses his famous slabhead as a hammer,
Harry Kane doesn’t have any cups for his lemonade because in the football universe, he hasn’t won any cups with either Tottenham or England,
Luis Suarez puts his habit of biting to good use, Arturo Vidal’s hair dye comes in useful,
and Giorgio Chiellini invents Juventus’ famous black-and-white striped kit.
-Jeez, look at these tactics. Where's Johan Cruyff when you need him?
These guys have a lot to l-
Oh, never mind. They get it.
- Initially, the new players just kick the ball back and forth, and Ronaldo mentions Johan Cruyff,
one of the architects of modern football tactics,
but quickly we see how the players move into doing much more high-intensity rondos and quick passing.
Kylian Mbappe recreates Zinedine Zidane’s iconic volley in the 2002 Champions League final,
while Alisson recreates the famous scorpion kick from Colombia goalkeeper Rene Higuita.
[crowd cheering]
[whistle blowing]
- More buses full of young players arrive. If you listen closely, the bus horns play the tune of the Champions League theme—
and the scene is transformed into Footstock, a reference to the famous festival Woodstock, which in the 1960s
was seen as one of the world’s most influential cultural events.
-Now, you guys have the most important job in the whole sport.
You have to stand there, look busy, make faces, wave your arms, and you just generally, like, be an assh--e.
-You're blocking the lane! [indistinct yelling]
-Very good. Excellent technique.
-Wow, Cristiano Ronaldo, your movement has caught the hearts and minds of people all over the globe.
Perhaps I could offer my services as a Spanish translator.
I have an affinity for languages, you see. It just comes easy to me. Like making friends.
-Ha! I love this guy. Haha.
-What's your deal?
-I'm a monk.
-Hey, this looks fun. Can we play? -Oh, yes, please. Of course.
- OK, so this is how we really know we’re in a multiverse. Gareth Bale appears and shows off his talent at speaking Spanish,
which is the direct opposite of what’s happened during his time at Real Madrid, where he’s regularly avoided having to speak
and—according to some reports—even learn Spanish despite being there for nearly 10 years.
This character is also a reference to the fact he reportedly doesn’t have many friends in Madrid.
If you look at his business card, you’ll see it says “Translator. Consultant. Friend. In that order.”
which is a reference to his famous “Wales. Golf. Madrid.” flag that he displayed after Wales reached Euro 2020.
And then, Sergio Ramos is a monk.
As Ronaldo said in Episode 2, everything really is ass-backwards here.
Finally, we see Megan Rapinoe, Marta and Lucy Bronze joining the game.
-Well, I created a perfect football utopia.
These young players really are the future. And to think, they owe it all to me.
I guess my job here is done. -Oh, nice. That means you can finally go home.
-No. This...this is the way football was meant to be.
This is who I was meant to be.
Maybe I should...stay?
- As Ronaldo sits back and admires his handiwork, we see the future GOATs Mbappe and Haaland playing together.
We also see women’s and men’s players playing together, outlining that this really is a football utopia.
And obviously, Ronaldo has to take credit for it, saying they owe it all to him—
but it is also a genuine reference to the fact Ronaldo has had a huge impact on the sport of football throughout his career.
Both Haaland and Mbappe, the two players he’s watching over, have admitted that they grew up idolising Cristiano.
Can I stay?
-Huh? -Heads up!
Aaaaaaah!
-Hey, you made it back.
- Just as Ronaldo decides he wants to stay, he’s interrupted by another rip in the space-time continuum
The fact that Mbappe and Haaland were able to cause this rift, something that only Messi and Ronaldo have been able to do until now,
is another reference to the idea that they’ll take over from Messi and Ronaldo as football’s next great rivalry.
And then Ronaldo comes crashing down to Earth, and his current reality…
- Is this a bad time to tell you that you didn't qualify for next year's Champions League?
-F------k!
- So that was it for "The Champions" Season 6.
We really hope that you enjoyed the series, but don't worry, we'll be beack for the World Cup.
Make sure to keep your eyes peeled.