AFL legend Anthony Koutoufides was the prototype ‘modern’ footballer. More than an incredible athlete, Kouta became a superstar brand in the 90s and changed the game for the players that followed.

Initially joining Carlton on a contract worth about $8000 a year, he went on to become arguably the AFL’s first million dollar man.

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Kouta played 278 games for Carlton between 1992 and 2007. He’s a two-time All-Australian, he captained the Blues for three years and was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2014, and more importantly, he’s a Carlton premiership player.

Kouta had a personal sponsorship with Adidas in 1997 which his club tried to force him out of, after doing a team deal with Nike. Kouta and his management fought back and won, in a move that would open up new commercial opportunities for every AFL footballer going forward.

Kouta joins Tredders and Dion talk about this and much more, including the pressures of being one of the AFL’s biggest stars, being a victim of Carlton’s salary cap saga, what he’s learned from the highs and lows of his career and what Kouta's future looks like in health and fitness with his business, Kouta Fit.

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