BIG PETE: Heskey on racism in football and educating young players

In the discussion, Heskey shared reflections on the most difficult experiences from his professional journey, including instances of racist taunts directed at him from the crowd inside the venue.

"I can recall a fixture where everyone in the stands was imitating monkey calls. During those situations, the ideal way to reply is via your on-pitch efforts, perhaps by finding the net and hushing the noise. As I began my path, stars such as John Barnes and Ian Wright dealt with open prejudice, including objects like bananas being tossed their way. We encounter such events far less today, however bigotry has relocated to different arenas, such as digital networks. It remains more concealed, yet it endures," he noted.

Heskey considers the training provided to budding athletes a key challenge. Teams engage in certain initiatives here, but these are frequently inadequate. "Upcoming talents thrust into the public gaze without much direction on the implications, from managing hostility to understanding reporting channels if victimised," Heskey remarked.

The entire broadcast edition of this segment from the Big Pete documentary lineup will appear on CANAL+ Sport alongside the CANAL+ online platform throughout the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Poland, Myanmar, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Romania, and Hungary, together with SuperSport in South Africa and Switzerland.