Football In The 2000s

It is the 17th of May, 2006. We've made it to the steps of the Stade de France. Catalunya vs England. Yellow vs blaugrana. Wenger vs Rijkaard. Ronaldinho vs Henry. Lehmann vs... the world? Arsenal vs Barcelona, live from Saint Denis.In this episode we cover one of the most thrilling finals of the decade. This was the final that had everything. There was drama from the early stages

The year is 2006, the place is Saint Denis (not Paris) and the squads are seemingly on opposite trajectories. The glow of the Invincibles seems to have faded on Arsene Wenger and his side coming into the 2005/2006 season. Not many still think he has many tricks left up his sleeve in the farewell to Highbury season. In the Catalan capital a new power, led by a flamboyant Brazilian b

On this episode, we crossover harder than AI on Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals. Wait, what? Wasn't this a football/soccer podcast? Why are they talking about the NBA?Many of the paradigm shifts we discuss over and over again on this podcast were also evident in the NBA during the decade, whether that be the internationalization of the league or a passing of the torch between gen

Were the Galacticos an on-pitch success or, were they ultimately fated to remain a purely commercial venture? Was Florentino's strategy of purchasing only attacking talent wise? What if Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho or Totti had joined the project? Could things have ended differently?In this second part of our Galacticos mini-series we analyzed what went right, wrong and sideways during

It is the summer of 2000 and Real Madrid President Lorenzo Sanz seems to have life figured out (6:52). He is running the largest club in Spain, has just won a Champions League and his daughter is about to marry the star right back of the squad. What more could he possibly want?In the meantime, a local construction magnate starts to make noise ahead of the presidential election. He

Football In The 2000s is back with a special new segment, where we put two legends of the decade up against each other, measure and litigate them on various parameters to see who, if anyone, comes out on top.First up, Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero! After discussing our memories of the two Italian greats, we dive into our five scoring categories (12:00). Who had the great

Since episode 1, we have promised our listeners that we would discuss the apparel of the 2000s... and now here we are with an episode exclusively about the decade's kits! We start by discussing the wide-array of shirt manufacturers, sponsors and awkward fits that made the decade unique (3:00). What happened to the likes of Umbro, Admiral, Diadora and Errea? Why did we kill off the

In light of Mario Balotelli's return to Serie A, this episode is all about the man himself! We dive into one of the biggest enigma's of the modern game: Mario Balotelli. How will history ultimately judge him? Did he fail to fulfill his potential? Or was he a misunderstood genius?How will football historians will evaluate Super Mario Balotelli now that his best days are behind him?

If you could choose one 2000s footballer to take the penalty that would save your life, who would it be (2:45)? Who was the Tom Brady of European football (10:00)? Who were the 2004 Detroit Pistons? Does Mourinho win the decade - and the podcast, for that matter (30:15)?This is what the listeners wanted to hear! Tune in for our first ever mailbag extravaganza where Nicola and Franc

On this second part of our series on the Promises Of The 2000s, we delve deeper into stories of unrealistic expectations, questionable career choices and positional enigmas. Who was the French kid that Karim Benzema claimed to be better than Messi on his day (4:30)? Then, what happened to the career of the LeBron James of US Soccer (23:10)? And did the heir to Argentine greatness c