Iron Cast – The Official West Ham United podcast – welcomes a modern Club cult hero as Ricardo Vaz Tê joins the show!
The Portuguese forward netted 19 goals in 61 appearances over a three-year spell in West Ham colours, and it was a fine finish at Wembley Stadium in May 2012 that forever endeared the attacker to the Claret and Blue Army.
Vaz Tê’s 87th minute finish against Blackpool was the difference in the 2011/12 Championship Play-Off final, securing a 2-1 win and returning the Hammers to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST HERE!
Sitting down with Iron Cast co-hosts Chris Scull and James Collins, Vaz Tê goes in-depth on his emotions about scoring such a finish and opens up on wishing he enjoyed the post-match celebrations more and crying afterwards in the Wembley changing rooms.
The striker may not have even made it to West Ham United, revealing how a bad knee injury almost prompted an early retirement for Vaz Tê, while also discussing playing under Sam Allardyce at both the Irons and Bolton Wanderers.
It was with the Trotters that Vaz Tê made his first Premier League start, as a 17-year-old, at Old Trafford against Manchester United. The former forward talks about going from that moment to joining West Ham via Panionios, Hibernian and Barnsley.
Vaz Tê also reveals a confrontation he and former Welsh international defender Collins had during training as part of Allardyce’s West Ham, with both he and ‘Ginge’ offering their version of events.
Vaz Tê is revered by West Ham fans across the world for his goalscoring efforts and he also discusses his interactions with supporters now, his thoughts on the heights reached by West Ham United in recent years, and his departure from the Club in 2015.
You can check out the whole episode in the video player above, or you can download and subscribe to Iron Cast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and RSS here now!
