Learning from the Podcast: Dana Costin Asks the Questions

From discussing abandoned dog rescues to sharing lessons through football, Dana Costin guides the conversation with the podcast host, highlighting empathy, dedication, and the power of small actions to make a difference.

1. What is your first memory of an animal?
My first memory is of a half-breed dog named Suru. He was a big dog, or at least that was how he seemed to me, and I was around 4 or 6 at the time. I thought of him as my dog, although he belonged to my aunt and my grandmother, who lived in the countryside. His fur was grey and white. He was very gentle and had the warmest eyes, ones I will never forget.
My first memory is of sitting with him on the front door steps and sharing a plain crescent roll—one piece for me, one for him. Unfortunately, he died from poisoning on the village road, like many dogs used to die back then in the 90s, and some still do in the rural parts of the country.

2. Which was the most beautiful and most impactful moment in football?
Liverpool – Olympiakos, final score 3 – 1, in December 2004. It was the first time I saw Steven Gerrard from Liverpool playing. I instantly appreciated him, and despite his retirement, he is still the best football player I have ever seen on the field. He had a style similar to mine (amateur level), with long, gorgeous passes and compelling long-distance shots. I, too, used to love to shoot from a distance—so much so that I used to practice long-distance shots for hours, alone, with no help, in any kind of weather.
If I’m not mistaken, in that match, for Liverpool to advance in the group, they had to beat Olympiakos by two goals. The 3 to 1 goal was a superb kick Gerrard did from approximately 25 meters from the goalpost. I liked it so much that I have been a Liverpool supporter ever since. That season of the Champions League also included that epic final match against Milan, in which the Italians led 3 to 0 at halftime.

3. Your biggest football-related disappointment?
There are two of those. Both are related to the Romanian National Football team. With the first one, I was a child, and it was during the World Championship in America, in 1994. I was eight at the time, and after the legendary victory of Romania against Argentina, I fell asleep. And I fell asleep so deeply that my mother did not manage to wake me up to show me out the window the thousands of people pouring down the streets, going down to the house of Daniel Prodan’s parents, who lived two streets down from us. I was highly disappointed that I did not get to see them.
I consoled myself at the thought of the coming match with Sweden. I cannot and will never forget our goalkeeper, Florin Prunea’s blunder, which cost us a monumental qualification in the semifinals of that world championship. After the Argentina match, my mother could not wake me up, then after the one with Sweden, she could not stop me from crying… I never saw a giant crowd of people like the one I missed after the Argentina match.
My second big disappointment was during the next World Championship, the one in France, when we were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Croatia, with a 1-0 score, after a successful penalty shot from Davor Suker, a player I liked, apart from that particular match. I cried after that match also 😊
I used to experience every one of the National team’s matches with great intensity, probably due to the naivety of my age. At the Euro 2000, when we defeated England 3-2, before the penalty shot, I watched with the prayer book in my hands, actively praying for victory. After Ganea’s goal, I ran out on the balcony and, in my burst of excitement, I slammed against the balcony railing. My mom thought I had fallen off 😊. I’m laughing now, but she did not laugh then, not at all 😊

4. What do you think about the connection between young kids, junior players, and animals? What are your conclusions from what you heard from the guests?
There are two nuances here: young people’s general connection with animals and football players’ connection with animals. As far as young people go, in general, I discovered through podcasts positive aspects like young people who love and respect animals, as well as deeply concerning things about young people who disregard animals, torture, and even kill them in ruthless ways.
I have only heard good and interesting things regarding football players and their bond with animals, especially with dogs. Namely, these kids are more responsible, work harder, are more empathetic, and are more prone to sacrificing and making an effort for the team. I got this feedback from a football coach working with 50 children. It’s not scientific research, but I believe that animals can positively impact the attitude and lives of young people, regardless of the types of extra-curricular activities they do.

5. Your vision on the ideal team (active professional players): 11 players, no reserves
I will devise a 4-3-3 system: Allison Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Radu Dragusin, Théo Hernandez, Jude Bellingham, Pedri, Luka Modric, Salah, Lewandowski, Yamal.

6. How do you think/hope that your podcasts are changing our world?
I think and hope that they do at the same time. I think they help the world we live in and the animals by promoting education. At least in Romania, education on the animal world, from needs to specifics, from acceptance to respect, is lacking.
People still don’t understand that Romania is a country of abandoned dogs. They don’t even want to understand. This is because the subject is of no interest to them whatsoever. They think it does not affect them in any way, but they are wrong because everything is connected when it comes to life and the well-being of a nation. Romania would be a country with better-educated and just better people if the problem of stray cats and dogs were fixed.
I hope that my podcast is changing the world because I want the messages I promote in these podcasts to reach as many people as possible, slowly. If out of one hundred people, only one understands, has an epiphany, and decides to do something about this, it is already a massive gain.
This is mainly because that person will no doubt influence those around them; if they have children, they will educate them to respect and love animals. The message will reach across generations because their children will also teach them to love animals. So, I believe podcasts have great power, including the power to change the world.

7. Name one cause that would determine you to change the world around you (other than ROLDA).
I think about this cause very often. It is an enormous and significant cause for us, and one that people are completely ignoring. It is called Terra, our planet, our only home. And I don’t say this because I want to come off as a wise benefactor, but because I have been passionate about astronomy since I was a child. I have understood ever since the universal perspective, the position and the place our planet holds in the Universe. As a planet, we are tiny and vulnerable compared to the violent and endless Cosmos. Yes, I know, the Universe is beautiful, but also very chaotic and aggressive. And what do we do in our own home? We willingly destroy it, and we are slowly wiping ourselves out as a species. We don’t believe in the danger of deforestation, pollution, global warming, or the role and importance of animals in the ecosystem. I know it is a science fiction scenario, but we might have to look for a new home sooner to continue living as a species.
We don’t think about this because we are stuck on national beliefs only intended to exploit and make money—beliefs that often encourage ignorance, manipulation, corruption, and wars. We will never evolve as a species unless we develop planetary consciousness. Let’s all put the planet first and forget about borders. This would also mean a planet without famine and wars; unfortunately, we are far from that. We might need 1000 more years to get to that point.
Maybe we won’t see the day our actions destroy the planet, and neither will our children, their children, or their grandchildren. But we must think about this problem and try to fix something.

8. How would you teach a dog anything about football?
I wouldn’t want to teach a dog anything about football if this meant forcing anything about his nature and instincts. I don’t think a dog would have to know too much about football, unless we are talking about basic play. I don’t even want to think about ball tricks or other aberrations.
Of course, dogs need basic training, and I would leave it at that. However, I would teach him to play with the ball outdoors and rejoice with me when our favorite team scores a goal indoors. I would teach him that football means joy.
Also, a moderate reaction to the joy of a goal. If you shout like a Neanderthal, your furry friend is bound to get a different idea about you and football.

9. How would you educate the world of football to support animals?
I would try to explain to them more than just the animals’ plea. I don’t know whether people realize it, but football can be a real ‘weapon’ for peace. This sport is so popular worldwide that it could bring forward any of the world’s major problems, and people would better understand and educate themselves even on matters they now choose to ignore.
For example, in Romania, football players help raise awareness about abandoned dogs in campaigns right before matches. But these cases are isolated. There would have to be a national campaign in this sense.
How would I educate the people in football about the cause of animals? There are many methods, but only one comes to mind more clearly. Namely, I would convince more world football celebrities to speak in press conferences or after the matches on the cause. It is not easy because, even here, personal interests, branding deals, financial issues, and more get in the way.
But I only think about what it would be like if Messi, once he is done playing football, had his own podcast about dogs (I know he loves dogs) in which he would tell people to stop abandoning and to start sterilizing dogs. I don’t think his words would be ignored.

10. What message would you send to a football idol (someone no longer living) to do differently and change the story he has already written?
A complicated question, but Duncan Edwards comes to my mind. Have you ever heard of Duncan Edwards? He used to be one of the players of Manchester United who died in the plane crash in Munich in 1958. He was 21.
This player fascinates me because I have heard several football experts say that he would have become, without a doubt, the greatest footballer of all time! It seems he was extraordinary in every position on the field, except as a goalkeeper.
My message to him would be not to get on that plane. I would have loved to see him and see whether he had become the greatest footballer.

11. Maradona: Legend or cheat?
The answer to this question is not complicated, but it is complex. Maradona was, without a doubt, a legend of world football.
The hand of God? Yes, you can clearly see in the footage that it was handball, and that goal won Argentina’s World Cup in 1986. Understandably, 90% of the planet can blame him, but if you try to empathize, you can see the patriotism, the ‘fanaticism’, and the ‘despair’ to do anything and everything for his country to win the World Cup. Suarez almost did the same thing at the 2010 World Cup when he stopped a ball on the goal line with his hand, knowing he was not a goalkeeper and would get a red card—everything for his country.
It’s easy to judge, but, without going into details, life has taught me that severe addictions people have for specific products are mainly caused by disease and trauma from childhood and more. Who am I to judge the effects of another person’s traumas?
Maradona himself says in a documentary that he would have been a greater footballer had he not struggled with addiction. Maybe it’s better for the beauty of football that Maradona wasn’t bigger. Why? Because then people would only say about Messi that he merely managed to match Maradona. But now, as far as I am concerned, Messi is greater even than Maradona.

In conclusion, Maradona is a football legend who loved the sport with all his being and who fought with all his might against the demons that did not want him to play anymore.