When you piece through Thomas Gravesen's career, you begin to realise he's one of the most fascinating footballers of the early 2000s.

On the pitch, the Dane's career took him from hometown Vejle Boldklub to Real Madrid, via Hamburg, Everton and Celtic. Off the pitch, Mike Tyson gravitated towards him after one outstanding showing for Denmark. There were pranks including fireworks on the training ground and bear hugs. That locale also played host to an infamous squabble with Robinho at Real Madrid. And then there's the mystery around his life after football. Some wild rumours have spread around his life post-2009.

Misconceptions

Plus, there was the misconceptions about what type of player he was. Though he looked like a quintessential enforcer, he was anything but. Indeed, he needed Lee Carsley and Stig Tofting for club and country respectively.

It's all detailed in Chris Sweeney's book Mad Dog Gravesen: Last Of The Modern Day Mavericks. Sweeney has spoken to some of the key figures in Gravesen's life to get a clearer picture of who he really is.

Sweeney joined me on this week's Team 33 to unravel some of the stories around Gravesen.

You can watch the full interview above via YouTube. Or you can listen to the full podcast right below, here, or on iTunes. 

Also on this week's, we discussed Liverpool, Arsenal and cult heroes. Joe Coffey, Derek Ryan, Enda Coll and Jonathan Higgins were on hand for that chat.

You can watch the full interview with Sweeney above via YouTube or on the podcast.

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