Archie Thompson's debut in Spain goes viral, doesn't understand coach's instructions

Former Socceroos striker Archie Thompson has made his debut in Spain's fifth division for Racing Murcia, and a Spanish television show was on hand to capture all the lost in translation moments.

Thompson Spain

Source: Movistar+

Thompson came on in the 65th minute with the score locked at 0-0 between Murcia and Abaran CF. 

The former Melbourne Victory striker was played wide on the left by his eccentric coach David Vidal. 

Vidal has somewhat of a cult status in Spain. The 69-year-old has been a coach for over 30 years and is known for his expressive antics and unique answers to journalists' questions. 

'El Dia Despues' is a popular Spanish football show, and the program decided to dedicate a feature to Vidal's return to the dugout which coincided with Thompson's debut. 

One of Vidal's biggest challenges appeared to be his inability to communicate with the third-highest goalscorer in A-League history. 

The match finished 0-0, but Vidal's attempts to communicate with Thompson went viral in Spain after the program aired. 

The 40-year-old saw the funny side after The World Game posted the translated version on Twitter.
Thompson also explained that the reason he was over in Spain was "to be part of a long term project and create opportunities back home in Australia for kids to have a pathway...The football part was just for some exposure."
When you combine the views on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, the original video has been viewed over 375,000 times.

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2 min read
Published 5 September 2019 7:27pm
Source: SBS The World Game


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