{"podcast":{"title":"PRETEND","slug":"pretend-888499","podcast_index_feed_id":888499,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ADV1293150108","website_url":"http://www.pretendradio.org","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/d1194664-ec48-11e8-879b-cbb0584e3baa/image/040442e608423a0a46b99b03497edb3a.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Javier Leiva","episode_count":311,"summary":"PRETEND is an investigative true crime podcast about real people who lie for a living — con artists, scammers, and the victims caught in their web. Hosted by journalist Javier Leiva, PRETEND exposes the human psychology behind deception and fraud. Each episode follows a real case of manipulation — from financial scams and Ponzi schemes to digital hoaxes and emotional cons PRETEND explains how and why deception works without shaming victims, combining ethical journalism with cinematic storytelling. Featured in lists of the best podcasts about con artists and scams, PRETEND investigates crimes of persuasion, trust, and betrayal. New episodes drop regularly with stories that reveal how manipulation shapes modern life, both online and off. PRETEND is produced by Creative Babble, LLC. © 2026 Creative Babble LLC [CLAIM:B6BT3XC4]","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T18:22:21.960053+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499"},"episode":{"title":"The Greatest Footballer Who Never Played Revisited","slug":"the-greatest-footballer-who-never-played-revisited","published_at":"2026-07-14T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499/the-greatest-footballer-who-never-played-revisited","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/tracking.swap.fm/track/GShUDppPATUMmMhYllkv/pfx.vpixl.com/h54wi/traffic.megaphone.fm/IMP4769379014.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/tracking.swap.fm/track/GShUDppPATUMmMhYllkv/pfx.vpixl.com/h54wi/traffic.megaphone.fm/IMP4769379014.mp3","summary":"We've covered a lot of PRETENDers on this show. But the guy in this one might take the prize. Carlos Henrique Raposo, better known as Kaiser, fooled the entire professional soccer world in Brazil for 26 years. He signed with more than 30 clubs. He partied with George Michael. He got protected by Rio's most dangerous crime boss. He once punched a fan in the face rather than actually step on the field. And through all of it, he barely played a single real game. This week we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations: an interview with Louis Myles, director of the 2015 documentary \"Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football.\" Myles and his team spent 18 months in Rio chasing down the truth, or something close to it, behind Brazil's greatest football legend who never actually played football. Watch the documentary: \"Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football\" (2015) is streaming on Amazon Prime. Also from Louis Myles: \"Mighty Penguins,\" following the Brentford Penguins, a football team made up of players with Down syndrome, as they prepare to serve as guard of honour at a Premier League match. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023 and is currently on the festival circuit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"We've covered a lot of PRETENDers on this show. But the guy in this one might take the prize. Carlos Henrique Raposo, better known as Kaiser, fooled the e…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1955,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/pretend-888499/episodes/the-greatest-footballer-who-never-played-revisited/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499/the-greatest-footballer-who-never-played-revisited.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}