Some football stories are too good to be true. Some are too strange to be made up. And some, apparently, involve Rivaldo crouching in a bush moments before a camera crew is supposed to film him. This week on Karel Prince: Lie Detector, it falls to broadcaster and Soccer AM favourite John Fendley — better known to fans as Fenners — to convince the panel that his most outrageous career anecdotes actually happened.

Three Stories, One Liar Test

The BBC Sounds podcast, presented by Karel Prince and Anita Abayomi, puts guests through a rigorous grilling armed with photographs, deep football knowledge and what the show cheerfully describes as plenty of scepticism. Fenners arrives with three tales in his locker, each one pulling a familiar face into an unlikely scenario.

The first: did Lionel Messi really storm out of a FIFA video-game match after losing to Fenners, and then cancel a pre-arranged interview in a fit of pique? The image of one of the greatest players who ever lived sulking over a virtual defeat is almost too entertaining to dismiss.

The second claim is arguably even harder to verify. Fenners says he scored the very first goal at the new Wembley Stadium — not on a match day, but during a pre-opening test event before the ground had officially welcomed a competitive fixture. That would put his name — however unofficially — into the fabric of English football's most storied venue.

The third story is the one that will have listeners leaning forward in their seats. According to Fenners, Barcelona legend and Ballon d'Or winner Rivaldo vanished without explanation just before filming was due to begin, only to be discovered moments later relieving himself in a nearby bush. Whether the Brazilian maestro has ever been told his disappearing act made it into a lie detector segment is another matter entirely.

Karel and Anita on the Case

Karel Prince brings a forensic approach to each episode, combing through the evidence before Fenners returns at the end to reveal which of the three stories is the lie. Anita Abayomi adds a second set of eyes — and a healthy dose of disbelief — to the process. The format works because football, by its very nature, generates moments that sit just on the right side of plausible.

The show is a Sport Social Studios production for BBC Sounds, with series producer Matt Tasker and executive producer Jim Salveson steering the editorial ship. New episodes are available on BBC Sounds, and the Fenners instalment runs to around 25 minutes — a comfortable listen over a lunchbreak or the commute home.

Why It Matters

Beyond the entertainment, Karel Prince: Lie Detector is quietly carving out a space for the kind of football storytelling that does not fit neatly into a match-day preview or a transfer bulletin. These are the stories broadcasters collect over careers spent in dressing rooms, mixed zones and, apparently, car parks where world-class footballers go to water the shrubbery.

Fenners spent years on Soccer AM building a reputation as someone who could get access and, crucially, get people talking. Whether Messi genuinely rage-quit a FIFA match, whether there is footage somewhere of Fenners wheeling away in celebration at an empty Wembley, and whether Rivaldo was truly found in a bush — well, that is what the episode is for.

The Fenners episode of Karel Prince: Lie Detector is available now on BBC Sounds.

Frequently asked

What is Karel Prince: Lie Detector on BBC Sounds?
It is a BBC Sounds podcast hosted by Karel Prince and Anita Abayomi in which football personalities share three career stories — one of which is a lie — and the hosts try to work out which one before the guest reveals the truth.
Did Fenners really score the first goal at the new Wembley Stadium?
Fenners claims he scored at the new Wembley during a pre-opening test event before the stadium hosted competitive football. Whether the story is true or the lie is revealed at the end of his episode on BBC Sounds.
Who is Fenners and why is he on the podcast?
Fenners is the broadcasting name of John Fendley, best known as a presenter on Soccer AM. He appears as a guest on Karel Prince: Lie Detector to share — and defend — three stories from his career in football media.