Read Sam's piece on Cristiano Ronaldo here

[02:45] Sam talks about freelance work during the pandemic

[04:15] Sam on the gradual move of his work from largely in magazines to online, including the US-based Athletic website

"There's never been more content but people are annoyed if they have to pay for it, but … the research and time that goes into great pieces requires money."

[09:20] Sam on the origins of his journalism career, which began at Manchester United Magazine

"I left when I didn't think it could get too much better. They played in the World Club Championship and my assignment was to go to Brazil for 10 days in January – during the British winter – at a hotel on Copacabana Beach."

[11:55] Sam on being a 'Manchester United expert', and branching out from that both within and outside football

[13:22] Sam talks about his parents, who are both Australian journalists

"Coming from a journalist family, where both my parents were on Fleet Street, naturally I thought, 'I'd like to do that too'. But then sport was my passion, so I thought I'd marry the two"

[16:40] Sam talks about his father, John Pilger, a renowned investigative journalist and documentary maker

"He's been making documentaries for 50 years. He has inspired me. He's my dad, he's my hero, I love him and his work has always been a source of great pride."

[17:30] Sam talks about the current journalism/media climate

"It does seem things become harder as you go along in terms of access and in terms of making a living from freelance sports journalism. It is possible – I wouldn't shy anybody away from it."

"In many ways it's harder because the competition is huge and there's so much and there's less opportunities, but in many ways it's easier because the gatekeepers aren't there."

[22:50] Sam on interviewing and writing about Lebron James, and the "incredible" access to sportspeople in the US

"Ten minutes after the buzzer, the locker room door would open and you'd walk in and you could talk to who you like … the access is incredible. The Premier League would never let anything [similar happen]."

[26:00] Sam on the importance of establishing contacts, maintaining relationships and having a preparedness to "play the game" as a freelancer

"I feel I'm lucky looking back that I did so many interviews, because I think interviews are becoming a dying art now … we were the conduit, now they don't need [us]; if they want to say something they put it on Instagram or Twitter."

[29:45] Sam goes into his story about a young Cristiano Ronaldo's audition for Manchester United

"If that draws you in, that's great, I've done my job. If you can find that morsel, that moment, that symbolises the piece and offers you more, then you're doing your job."

[38:35] Sam talks about ways to get superstar sportspeople to go beyond their usual clichés in responses

"I think the best writing is telling people something they don't know … if you can find that morsel of information or a bit of colour, that's what they want, and to feel they're there. An old editor of mine said, 'Let them smell the cologne'."

[44:00] Sam on his work as a copywriter

[46:20] Sam on the writers who inspire him

[48:45] Sam answers our hypothetical: dead or alive, who would you love to interview in-depth and then write about 

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