Having recently re-signed for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham, Ben Foster is currently a man in demand in the world of football as he has recently featured in the 2023 edition of Soccer Aid.
The 40-year-old goalkeeper played in the first half of the charity match for the Rest of the World team, despite having eight caps for England, before being substituted at half-time for celebrity goalkeeper, MMA star Leon Edwards, with the match eventually ending in a 4-2 victory for the Rest of the World.
During the 45 minutes he did play, Ben Foster managed to keep a clean sheet, which was all the more impressive given the fact he was miked up and gave an interview to ITV’s commentators mid-match where he discussed the ongoing game, how football coverage can be improved and even his relationship with Wrexham co-owner, Ryan Reynolds.
- ONE MORE YEAR: Ben Foster reveals special conditions Reynolds and McElhenney agreed to for Wrexham stay
Foster denies Ryan Reynolds ‘best mate’ claim
Throughout the first half of Soccer Aid 2023, co-commentator and comedian Iain Stirling described Ben Foster as “Ryan Reynolds’ best mate,” after the goalkeeper recently penned a new one-year deal to stay at Wrexham.
Just after the 36-minute mark, Stirling’s commentary partner Sam Matterface asked Foster if he agreed with the claim that he was best mates with the Hollywood star.
“I will take that all day long,” the goalkeeper jokingly responded as the match unfolded in front of him. “It’s completely not true but I’m taking it all day long.”
Despite refuting the claim, Foster has been seen to have a positive relationship with the Wrexham co-owner who has appeared in several of the goalkeeper’s matchday vlogs, notably congratulating Ben on the penalty save against Notts County and joking with the goalkeeper about staying on for one more year after beating Boreham Wood to seal promotion.
Sadly, before Foster could go into much more detail in his mid-match interview, the England team launched an attack and he had to be alert as ex-Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshire whipped in a potentially dangerous cross that the goalkeeper shepherded out of play for a goal kick.
Calls for more immersive football coverage
Another topic of discussion in Foster’s brief on-pitch interview was his use of a GoPro camera and chest camera to add immersion to his YouTube videos.
Foster believes that similar cameras should be introduced in professional football, to add a player’s eye view to match coverage.
“Got the GoPro all sorted, I’ve got a chest cam on,” Foster began. “I’ll tell you what, this is what we need to start introducing into football matches.”
“We’ve got this in golf,” he added. “Let’s get in football matches in the Premier League too.”
We must say that the prospect of watching a striker unleash a fierce shot on goal from the point of view of the goalkeeper would be thrilling – although whether introducing such camera technology would be impractical is another matter.
In other news: Reynolds and McElhenney unveil next season’s home shirt with new sponsor