Tom Brady may have left the NFL behind, but his playbook is far from closed — especially when it comes to his surprise second act in British football. Months after joining Birmingham City Football Club as a minority owner and board advisor, the seven-time Super Bowl champion says his ambitions are only just beginning — and he’s making it clear: he’s not here for the press shots. He’s here to build… Details below

Tom Brady may have left the NFL behind, but his playbook is far from closed — especially when it comes to his surprise second act in British football. Months after joining Birmingham City Football Club as a minority owner and board advisor, the seven-time Super Bowl champion says his ambitions are only just beginning — and he’s making it clear: he’s not here for the press shots. He’s here to build… Details below

Tom Brady is standing on the pitch at Wembley, embracing the atmosphere and discussing the moments leading up to a final.

“It always feels like a different energy because the context is slightly different,” the seven-time Super Bowl winner and minority investor in Birmingham City tells The Athletic before kick-off.

Despite all the high-profile NFL encounters he was involved in as a player with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this showpiece occasion in the EFL (English Football League) Trophy — the knockout competition contested by teams in League One and League Two (the third and fourth tiers of the game in England), plus academy sides from the Premier League — has piqued his interest.