The Athletic FC Podcast

Adam Leventhal is joined by Oli Kay and Argentinian journalist Martin Mazur to discuss Lionel Messi as he looks to crown his career with a World Cup winners' medal on Sunday.Having taken Argentina to the final in 2014 as his country's talisman, now at 35, in his last World Cup Sunday offers his final chance for World Cup glory.The panel analyse his tournament so far as well as his role within the Argentine side, plus Jay DeMerit, Adrian Mariappa and Leon Balogun share their experiences of playing against Messi while former PSG head coach Mauricio Pochettino tells The Athletic what it's like to coach Messi. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kylian Mbappe once more shone brightly on the world's stage as he helped France through to consecutive World Cup finals. He is a superstar on the pitch, yet look around Qatar and you won't see a lot of, if any, shirts with his name on the back which is a surprise given that he plays his club football for Qatari backed PSG.Joining Adam Leventhal to discuss "brand Mbappe" and its future is The Athletic's Adam Crafton and Charlotte Harpur. Off the back of yet more french success we discuss why the France camp is so united and what fears they have ahead of Sunday's final, if any.And in the final it's Messi v Mbappe, club mates at PSG, making this final a great success for the French club and its owners.Plus, Adam Leventhal managed to grab a word with elusive Manchester United owner Avram Glazer post match, hear what he had to say on the sale of his club, and whether it is in fact a "sale". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Morocco made history when they beat Portugal as they became the first African side to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, and this incredible team aren't done yet.Adam Leventhal hosts a special episode of The Athletic Football Podcast as we dive deep into the story of the 'Rocky' of the World Cup, a name given to them by their coach Walid Regragui.The identity of Moroccans, what it means to have an African nation at this stage of the World Cup, and why the Moroccan players have been hugging their mums after matches are topics all discussed on this edition.Abi Paterson speaks to The Athletic's Jay Harris, Luke Bosher and many Moroccan fans. While out in Casablanca, Jacob Whitehead helps build the picture of the impact of this Moroccan success in their homeland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The World Cup resumes tonight as Messi and Argentina prepare to face Croatia - A far smaller footballing nation which has somehow reached back-to-back World Cup semi finals... To explain how they keep doing it and to tell us more about the remarkable personal journeys of the players, Adam Leventhal is joined by The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke and host of Nova TV in Croatia, Sasa Lugonjic.Hear about Luka Modric’s backstory of war and personal trauma, to his rise as the best player in the world, possibly even the best midfielder of this generation. Sasa tells us about Josip Juranovic’s “Cinderella story” from competition winner (literally) to National stardom. And the panel discuss where hot property Josko Gvardiol might end up in the coming transfer windows. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the January transfer window coming into sight, Adam Leventhal is joined by David Ornstein and Adam Crafton in Qatar to discuss which players could be on the move this winter.Following glowing World Cup displays there's growing interest in both England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Portugal striker Gonçalo Ramos, as well as the latest on his compatriot Joao Felix with a number of Premier League clubs interested.Cristiano Ronaldo's future is still yet to be resolved after leaving Manchester United ahead of the start of the tournament, meanwhile away from the World Cup, Arsenal continue to be linked with Shakhtar Donetsk sensation Mykhailo Mudryk.For more, read David Ornstein's transfer column on The Athletic: https://theathletic.com/3991075/2022/12/12/ornstein-world-cup-transfer-targets/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Leventhal brings you immediate fallout following England's quarter-final defeat to France at the World Cup, following yet more penalty heartbreak at a major tournament.Jack Pitt-Brooke, Oli Kay, David Ornstein, Charlotte Harpur and Abi Paterson are all on hand at the Al Bayt Stadium as England exit the tournament after an evening of penalty drama involving captain Harry Kane.There's also the view of the fans out in Qatar, analysis of what next for the England squad and Gareth Southgate as well as the French winning scorer Olivier Giroud. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Adam Leventhal is joined by Jack Pitt-Brooke to look ahead to England’s huge quarter-final against France as the draw opens up for Gareth’s Southgate side.One of the clear favourites to win the World Cup, Brazil, are out after their defeat to Croatia on penalties. A win against the reigning world champions would see England go into a semi-final against Morocco or Portugal, while Argentina scraped through on penalties against the Netherlands.They discuss Kyle Walker vs Kylian Mbappe, and if that duel really matters.And the panel pay tribute to American sports journalist Grant Wahl, who sadly passed away in Doha last night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Leventhal is joined by Daniel Taylor, Jay Harris and Dutch journalist Sjoerd Mossou for a looking into one of the most fascinating coaches to shape modern football: Louis van Gaal.Ahead of the Netherlands quarter-final tie with Argentina the panel debate and discuss the career of the 71-year-old including his time at Manchester United as well as how he has cultivated a 'loving' atmosphere within the Dutch camp.There's reflections on his personal battle with cancer in the build-up to the tournament as well as how he has brought his collection of unlikely lads, including goalkeeper Andries Noppert to the cusp of greatness on the highest stage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Qatar has hosted the 'best group stage ever' at a World Cup. But what about all of the issues off the field of play casting a large, looming shadow over the tournament?Host Adam Leventhal is joined by The Athletic’s Deputy Editor Laura Williamson and writers Adam Crafton and Matt Slater to dissect all.We hear the tragic story of how a Filipino migrant worker died during the group stage at Saudi Arabia’s training resort in Qatar.The panel also discuss the 'Disney-fication' of the World Cup, LGBTQ+ issues, sportswashing and much, much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Abi Paterson is in Doha, Qatar at the World Cup and has a few burning questions regarding a player who many consider as the greatest footballer of all time: Lionel Messi.The forward has captained his Argentina side to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, which is widely thought to be his last ever World Cup tournament at 35 years of age.With questions ranging from; is Lionel Messi the greatest? To is he better than fellow Argentine Diego Maradona, or his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo? And has his ambassadorial role with Saudi Arabia effected him?Abi is joined by a host of guests including James Horncastle, Adam Crafton, Felipe Cardenas, Sam Lee, Michael Cox, and a number of other journalists and fans in Qatar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.