The former England striker looks back on a memorable childhood TV appearance alongside Rod Hull and Emu
Emile Heskey waving prior to prior to the Women's Super League match between Manchester United and Leicester City(Image credit: Getty Images)
Emile Heskey scored more than 100 Premier League goals and won 62 caps for England during an impressive playing career, but he also has another claim to fame.
As a kid, he was once a contestant on a short-lived show called EMU-TV, hosted by children's entertainer Rod Hull and his puppet Emu.
In the show's fifth episode, Heskey is one of three competitors for the Leicester Boys' Brigade, who come up against their counterparts from Nottingham in a section called the Emu Challenge. Running the final leg of an assault course, Heskey pulls away from the opposition to secure an easy victory for the Leicester team.
It’s Emile Heskey’s birthday today. You remember him.Target man. England international. Ran the anchor leg of Emu’s Challenge as Rod Hull’s relay team defeated Grotbags.pic.twitter.com/LIuMvBHb7KJanuary 11, 2020
Unfortunately, Heskey's first brush with fame was soured somewhat by being called 'Emily', prompting a confused reaction.
Since it was rediscovered and posted online, the clip from 1989 occasionally resurfaces on social media and the former Liverpool striker was asked about it in the latest issue of FourFourTwo.
"Assault courses are the sort of thing you love as a kid. I looked back and thought, ‘Where is everyone? Was I that quick?!’ It was good fun," said Heskey.
"I don’t know how it all came about, but I was in the Boys’ Brigade and we must have gone through a few rounds or something to reach that final.
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Emile Heskey walking on the pitch ahead of a WSL match between Liverpool and Leicester (Image credit: Getty Images)
"As soon as he gets my name wrong, you can see I’m thinking, ‘What’s he talking about?’
"Whenever I go into a coffee shop now and they write your name on the cup, I say, “William” [Emile’s middle name] because they’ll inevitably shout out, “Emily”."
The athleticism that served Heskey so well on the EMU-TV assault course was evident throughout his playing days, which featured more than 800 professional appearances.
Since retiring in 2016, he has become head of football development at Leicester City Women, his hometown club.
Sean Cole is a freelance journalist. He has written for FourFourTwo, BBC Sport and When Saturday Comes among others. A Birmingham City supporter and staunch Nikola Zigic advocate, he once scored a hat-trick at St. Andrew’s (in a half-time game). He also has far too many football shirts and spends far too much time reading the Wikipedia pages of obscure players.
