Soccer AM

Ansah & Smith: talent spotters

Nothing's going to replace football, the banter for one, but what I do now is unbelievable. To work with the world's best players and to be able to help them perform their tricks is fantastic.

Andy Ansah
Quotes of the week

Street Striker duo Andy Ansah and Sue Smith told Soccer AM they saw a different side to Wayne Rooney during filming.

Aside from being one of the best players in the world, the Manchester United front man is known for his competitive edge and never shirking a challenge.

So it may come as a bit of a surprise that off the pitch, he's just a big softy!

Ansah and Smith worked side by side with Rooney as they searched for best street footballer in the country in Sky 1's new reality show; Wayne Rooney's Street Striker. And Smith admitted she was pleasantly surprised by the England striker.

"It was so nice to see, because you see him on the pitch and he is a different character," she told Soccer AM. "He's probably mean and he loves to get a tackle in.

"But he was so good with the kids and they absolutely loved him. He really is a nice guy and it was great to see that different side of him."

Gems

The three part series was designed to unearth the beautiful game's hidden gems and former Southend player Ansah believes they may have done just that.

"We've got some players on here, who have never played for teams, but are fantastic footballers," he said. "You see them execute some of the challenges and it is unbelievable."

Since hanging up his boots, Ansah has reinvented himself as both an actor and producer and had a starring role in Sky 1's Dream Team.

He has also worked on a number of feature films and TV adverts including Nike adverts - choreographing moves with some of the world's biggest footballers, including Fernando Torres and Ronaldinho.

And although he admits that nothing replaces the buzz of playing football, Ansah revealed he was more than happy in his current occupation.

"Nothing's going to replace football, the banter for one, but what I do now is unbelievable," he said.

"To work with the world's best players and to be able to help them perform their tricks is fantastic.