Tom Brady was on a private jet on his way to London. While most people don’t have the luxury of watching football games suspended in the air, there the 7x Super Bowl winner was, watching the Kansas City Chiefs go against the Cincinnati Bengals and crushing them. That win reminded the former NFL quarterback of his own glory days with the Patriots.

For some reason, Brady, who also happens to be the co-owner of a UK-based soccer franchise called the Birmingham City Football Club, believes that his time with the Patriots was quite similar to the glory that teams like Manchester City FC and Real Madrid had in their heyday.

Tom Brady chases the rush once again

The scene jumps to the NFL legend landing in Birmingham, England, and then to a home gym where he’s faking his 552 pull-ups. Brady sounded a bit anxious and under pressure as his team, BCFC, was going against Rotherham of the Football League One. Then, it hit Brady. The pressure to watch his soccer team win was quite identical to his time with the New England Patriots.

“I think there’s more pressure on us. There’s more of an expectation for us. I think the sporting culture that I’ve been used to, lot of my expectations, I mean I played for the Patriots. We were essentially Man City, Real Madrid and people had to come beat us. You know, I’m sure a lot of people were watching us and rooting against us for all those years but now, I’m on the other side of that, though. I appreciate the greatness,” Brady mentioned in a video he uploaded on his own YouTube channel.

In the last decade, Man City has won seven Premier League titles, a lone Champions League title, 2 FA Cups, a lone UEFA Super Cup, and many other titles. Madrid, on the other hand, has won the UEFA Championship 9 times since 1998. That’s a heck of a lot of winning for both franchises.

This begs the question of how Tom Brady got interested in soccer and how he ended up buying a stake in Birmingham City Football Club.

Brady is branching out to unexpected places

It was around August last year when the news about Brady joining hands with the $111 million English soccer club broke out. While bringing in an NFL legend to partner with a lesser-known soccer team seems like a foreign concept, there is a purpose to his involvement with the second-tier Championship team. So what’s the method to this madness?

He’s been brought in to advise players on health, nutrition, wellness, and recovery systems and programs, per a statement from Birmingham. However, Brady’s knowledge of English soccer is not as great compared to the wisdom he can offer about its gridiron counterpart. But he’s there to learn and persevere after joining hands with Knighthead Capital Management LLC and becoming the chairman of the advisory board at the club.

“So here’s the deal, I’m officially coming on board at Birmingham City Football Club,” Brady said. “And maybe you’re asking what do you know about English football, Tom? Well let’s just say I’ve got a lot to learn. But I do know a few things about winning, and I think they may translate pretty well.”

Brady’s in for the thrill of it because he likes being an “underdog,” and this stage gives him an opportunity to do just that. His nervousness before the match against Rotherham was proof enough. Do you partake in English or European soccer? Let us know about your favorite clubs in the comments below!