Even towards the end of his soccer career, Rob Green hadn’t considered what would come next.

“You’re so ingrained in the game. It’s drilled into your brain that you have to play. To have any thought of quitting is an admission of losing. It’s very difficult to manage that in your brain,” Green tells the Guardian.

Over the course of his distinguished 20-year career, Green played more than 600 times in the Premier League and Championship for Norwich City, West Ham United, Queens Park Rangers, and Leeds United, as well as winning 12 caps for England.

Green’s composure, big picture thinking and refusal to sensationalize have made his work as a co-commentator on CBS’s Champions League coverage in the US stand out, especially when compared with his banter-seeking, quick-to-criticize peers.

Green spent the last few years of his playing career getting a degree in business management, which saw him studying on buses and planes as he traveled to games. But once he completed his degree, Green still found himself at a crossroads.

“I always had different ideas of what I might want to do. But I just never really understood how the outside world worked. When you’re in football, it’s just a very different world,” says Green. During his final season as a player, at Chelsea, where he didn’t make an appearance, Green paid close attention to the workload coaches take on, as well as the “internal challenges” that pop up every day at big clubs. “It just reaffirmed to me that I didn’t want to go into coaching.”

Green was still infatuated with the game, though, and wanted to be involved in some capacity. “That’s where co-commentary came in,” he says. Taking a step-back and not being consumed by soccer also gave him the time to prioritize other aspects of life. “I had other considerations. I have a family. I love spending time with my kids and watching them grow. That last year at Chelsea, I lived away from home. We worked out that I had six days off in the season. I just didn’t get to see my family.”

Many ex-professionals set their sights on becoming studio analysts. That way they are able to watch games freely while preparing their half-time and post-match comments, where they can showcase their passion and energy. Green found himself more at home as a co-commentator, though, providing his instant thoughts and explanations as the match unfolded. “I love the nature of live television. I did try doing what Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards do in the studio. But it just wasn’t something that resonated with me as strongly. There is a special kind of skill set to that, where you need to bring your own personality and you bounce off each other.”

It was Carragher who initially encouraged Green to go into co-commentating. “He told me that it was the closest you can get to playing. Because you’ve got to think on your feet, point out why something is good, and you’ve got to nail it. You’ve got to trust your instincts. Trust that you know the game. In a sense, it’s thrilling, because you’re living off the game.”

Having spent the last 20 years at stadiums trying to block out noise from the supporters, Green also realized that he loved going to games. So much so that he and his wife went to Paris this summer to enjoy the Olympics and he found himself caught up in the atmosphere there, too. “I just love being at live sport. I love going to football matches. I remember the Champions League games last season, I was just sat there feeling the buzz in anticipation. I never got to enjoy it when I was playing.”

Green soon discovered that life as a goalkeeper had actually prepared him perfectly for his new job. The same qualities that saw him play for England, were transferable to the world of commentary. “As a goalkeeper you’re involved in every goal. You’re observing all the time. You can see so much of the game unfolding. And 99% of the job is reactionary and commentary is reactionary. You want to bring an element of reasoning and rationale and you’re trying to find an explanation to the stuff that’s going on in front of you.”

CBS’s studio show has quickly become the standard bearer for quality soccer programming in the US, blending Monday Night Football-like analysis with a heavy dose of Inside the NBA. But while Carragher, Richards, Kate Abdo and Thierry Henry bring the fireworks between the action, it’s over to Green and Clive Tyldesley to guide the audience through a game’s 90 minutes.

The two have struck up a strong partnership. Tyldesley, the master of letting a game breathe, has clearly influenced Green, who uses his vantage to offer subtle insights fans at home cannot see, rather than turning European nights into a running Rob Green Show.

When Green interjects, it’s to note the details that non-professionals would miss. During a game at Stamford Bridge last season, he pointed out that a goalkeeper had lost the flight of the ball because the floodlights opposite that goal are particularly low. “The people watching at home don’t know that, apart from the goalkeepers who have played there.” When André Onana was at fault for goals in Manchester United’s 3-3 draw at Galatasaray in November 2023, Green had spotted the keeper’s nerves earlier in the game because he’d slipped over twice taking goal kicks. “I could see that he was struggling because he was overthinking. I’ve been there. I’ve done that.”

All the while, though, Green is always quick to note that the hugely talented, physically impeccable, multimillionaires that play the game are, first and foremost, still human. “I always want to bring a human element to my commentary. These are young lads playing the game that just so happen to be brilliant at football. Sometimes it feels like a dad watching their kid. You just want to give them a big hug. It’s horrible at times. But that’s football.”

But while co-commentating comes with its own set of obstacles, potential pratfalls and humiliations, Green has certainly been in worse positions on the pitch. “It’s not as stressful as playing, I can tell you that. In the end, you just have to forget about the people watching or listening at home, and look at it like you’re sat watching the game and talking to your mate. That’s how you do it.”