#42 | "I Wouldn't Pay A Penny To Change Him" | Paul Mullin On Albi, Autism & Being A Dad

Paul Mullin has scored goals in front of millions and become a household name through Welcome to Wrexham. But this one is about the part of his life the cameras rarely catch: being dad to Albi, his autistic son. Gaz and Andy sit down with Paul for an honest, Albi-centric conversation about the regression that stopped his little boy in his tracks, the guilt that kept him up at night, and why he wouldn't change a single thing about his son. Plus the moment Albi found a way to tell him 'you're my best friend' without saying a word. If you have ever felt like the only dad going through this, this one is for you. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome Paul Mullin 01:00 The first signs, and Albi after his 12-month jabs 02:00 Regression: like a click of the fingers 04:00 The guilt, and crying himself to sleep 04:30 I wouldn't pay a penny to change him 05:35 Denial, and getting the diagnosis 07:20 Speaking about it on Welcome to Wrexham 08:24 The hope that kills you 11:38 Why 'he'll be fine' doesn't help 13:00 Did he grieve? The problem-solver dad 16:14 Being a footballer dad: time away and routine 19:12 How Albi communicates now 22:15 Holidays: frozen meals, dry ice and the airport 25:40 Coming home: holidays, holidays, holidays 27:50 Razor-sharp awareness: he just knows 29:20 The crafty negotiator: jet skis and boats 33:40 The best friend clip 35:07 Macho on the pitch, in tears at home 35:48 Autism in Racing and giving back 38:26 Nobody ever asks the dad how he is 43:00 Advice to a dad just starting the journey New episodes of the Autism Dadcast every week. Real talk, real dads, real autism. Listen, follow and find everything in our link tree in bio.