NFL great Tom Brady touches down in Birmingham and meets some of the locals in a pub before match

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — NFL great Tom Brady got to know some of the locals ahead of his first home match as minority owner of English soccer team Birmingham City.

Brady made an appearance at The Roost, a pub near St. Andrew’s stadium, before Birmingham’s game against Leeds in the second-tier Championship on Saturday.

A few hours earlier, Brady posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Any plans before kick off guys? See you at St. Andrew’s.”

Brady then got to know the players as well by giving a pep talk before the game, Birmingham manager John Eustace said after his team scored a late goal to secure a 1-0 win.

“That is great, to have one of the most famous sporting people in the world come down and chat to the group,” Eustace said. “They were all very excited to listen to him and he gave us some real good words of advice. I think you can see today his presence at the club (is a benefit), the vision that he’s got for the football club is amazing.”

The seven-time Super Bowl champion has partnered with the club’s holding company, U.S.-based Knighthead Capital Management, and become chairman of a new advisory board.

Birmingham said Brady will “apply his extensive leadership experience and expertise across several components of the club.” That includes working alongside the sports science department to advise on health, nutrition and recovery programs.

Brady won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. He retired in February, after Tampa’s loss in the playoffs.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer