The Talking Barefoot Podcast

A lot of people ask us questions about how to carve a career in the Indian footballing landscape. We got Jal Sonpal (@thejollyfoot) on the podcast, a sports marketing and media expert, who took us on his journey, the different roles he played in different clubs and organisations, what it took, how he kept going and what you can learn from him before going down this path. In an informative episode, we tell you exactly how you can make it in the Indian footballing industry.  Follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@talkingbarefoot) for regular updates about the podcast and engage with the best footballing stories from around the world.

On the eve of the Women's Champions League final, we sit down with Radha (a.k.a. @SheTalksBall) to talk about Emma Hayes' high flying Blues and the legacy she's creating at the club with superstars like Fran Kirby, Sam Kerr and Maren Mjelde. We discuss women's football in India and abroad, and how it can be improved in a male-dominated society, both on the pitch and off it, through women in the media and the ups and downs they face. Along with a preview of the final, the gang touch upon some inspiring stories in the women's football world. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@talkingbarefoot) for regular updates about the podcast and engage with the best footballing stories from around the world.

The Talking Barefoot crew react to the news which has sent shockwaves across the footballing world: the European Super League. We try to understand why it's happening, juggle both for and against perspectives and make sense of all the uproar around it. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@talkingbarefoot) for regular updates about the podcast and engage with the best footballing stories from around the world.

Indian fans often ask, "How will we see more Yan Dhandas in the game?" In this episode, the PFA's Player Inclusion Executive and former Brentford player Riz Rehman speaks about their unique and powerful program which aims to bring more South Asians into the footballing front-fold.  Subscribe to our podcast to tune into some of the best footballing stories from around the world. Follow our Instagram and Twitter handles @talkingbarefoot and never miss an update on future episodes. Music my Longzijun. Artwork by @rip_tidedraws on Instagram. 

Born in Delhi, Raised in Manila and trained in Madrid, boy wonder Ishan Pandita finally made his return to Indian shores last year as he donned the FC Goa jersey in the Indian Super League. The 22-year-old sat down with the crew and bared his life, including his struggles in Spain, missed opportunities and life-changing decisions to his record-breaking achievements, life at Goa and aspirations to play for India.  For more fascinating stories from the world of football, subscribe to our show and follow our Instagram and Twitter handles @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by @rip_tidedraws and @doodlegun on Instagram.

Manisha Tailor MBE joins the Talking Barefoot crew to share her heart-warming journey of becoming a full-time academy coach at Queens Park Rangers from a deputy headteacher at a primary school. Breaking barriers and stereotypes, Manisha is the only South Asian-Indian woman to be in such a prominent role at any of the 92 clubs in the English football structure. In this episode, she narrates her life, her inspiration, her struggles and much more.  For more fascinating stories from the world of football, subscribe to our channel and follow our Instagram and Twitter handles @talkingbarefoot for more updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by @rip_tidedraws on Instagram. 

The youngest Dutch coach ever to obtain the UEFA Pro License, Eelco Schattorie joins the Talking Barefoot crew as he takes us on his footballing journey across the globe, to the middle-east, India and more. In a fly-on-the-wall account of life at an Indian club, he talks about the many facets of the football in the country, its ups, downs and how it can be improved. He candidly speaks about the regrets of his career so far, ambitions, the self-designed GAME program and a heated exchange with Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler. Subscribe to the podcast and follow our Instagram and Twitter handles for all the latest updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by @rip_tidedraws.

FC Goa's midfield starlet Princeton Rebello joins us for this episode as he takes us through the ups and downs of his young career. Having underwent stints at English clubs Queens Park Rangers and Watford, the Goan returned to the subcontinent to pursue his dream of representing the state and the Indian national team. Rebello gets candid with the hosts as he speaks about his Portuguese passport dilemma, his midfield idols, early struggles and much more in what was an emotional dive into his life.  For more fascinating stories from the world of football, subscribe to our channel and follow our Instagram and Twitter handles @talkingbarefoot for more updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by @rip_tidedraws. 

17-year-old Ashwin Raman joins the boys for this episode as he takes us on his journey of becoming one of the youngest backroom staff members at Scottish top-flight club Dundee United. The Bangalore-bred futebolist also features on the Football Manager video game, is an Adama Traore fanboy and known widely for his daily Twitter shenanigans.  For more fascinating insights and stories from the world of football, subscribe to our channel and follow our Instagram and Twitter handles @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by @doodlegun. Ashwin's extremely nerdy blog on football: https://thefutebolist.wordpress.com/author/thefutebolist/

The Talking Barefoot boys talk about Diego Maradona's legacy, his iconic visits to Calcutta and India's unique love for him in this heartfelt tribute to the Argentine demi-god.  Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on European and Indian football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-beat topics. Follow our Instagram page @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by doodlegun.

Established in 2017, the Blue Pilgrims are the Indian football team's first dedicated group of fanatical supporters. In the twenty-first episode of The Talking Barefoot Podcast, we sit down with Joey and Adarsh, the voice of the voices, as they take us through the incredible journey of the Blue Pilgrims. We dissect the anatomy of the average Indian football fan in the country, how to develop local fan culture, the challenges and problems, and much more. Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on European and Indian football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-beat topics. Follow the Blue Pilgrims on their Instagram page @bluepilgrims and head over to ours on @talkingbarefoot. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by doodlegun.

Bhasker welcomes Sayak Dipta, an East Bengal FC fan, member of the East Bengal Ultras and a writer at Sportskeeda and KyroSports, as well as TB regular Abhishek, to the podcast. Sayak talks about his experiences as an East Bengal fan and what it means for his team and the fanbase now that the club have joined the Indian Super League, along with their hopes and aspirations around the players, the manager and the future of East Bengal. Abhishek pitches in to give some insight on the business side of things, the role Shree Cement have played and why it didn't work out with Quess. With a now corporatized East Bengal joining the seventh edition of the ISL, can one of the country's biggest clubs stake their claim again and pave their way for a new legacy in Indian football? Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on European and Indian football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-beat topics. Follow our Instagram page @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Follow East Bengal Ultras on Instagram and Facebook for behind-the-scenes information and offline activities by a loyal, dedicated and passionate fanbase. Music by longzijun. Artwork by doodlegun.

The boys welcome YouTube sensation Be YouNick and Shreejit to the podcast to talk about Ole Gunnar Solskjær's rambunctious Red Devils. In this fun-filled episode, Nick and Shreejit try to answer some good old United trivia, talk about their love for the club and answer your questions. In between all the jokes and anecdotes, the gang review United's topsy-turvy season, ponder the Jadon Sancho transfer saga and look at the way forward for what seems to be the rebirth of promising things to come for Manchester United. Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on European and Indian football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-beat topics. Follow our Instagram page @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by doodlegun.

In light of Borussia Dortmund's recent partnership with Hyderabad FC, India looks to be making great strides in the footballing world, especially with the exponential growth of the Indian Super League and major developments in bringing youth to the fore. On today's episode, the boys host Abhishek Sharma, founder and owner of Athletes Today. Abhishek sheds light on what it was like for him to grow up as a football lover in a cricket-crazy nation and how it led him on his journey to sports management to him working with the likes of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, John Johnson and Sumit Rathi. He also tells us what goes on behind-the-scenes when it comes to mergers with European giants and how the future looks bright for India. The trio end by answering your questions and giving their predictions for the Champions League final! Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on European and Indian football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-beat topics. Follow our Instagram page @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by doodlegun.

The 2019/20 Champions League campaign was the longest in the history of the competition due to the coronavirus outbreak in March. Neutral grounds, empty stadiums and one-legged ties became the new norm. The football, however, only got better. After pushing and pulling through their respective rides, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, two of Europe's most attacking sides, meet up in the final in Lisbon.  In the seventeenth episode of The Talking Barefoot Podcast, the trio dissect the Champions League league final between Bayern and PSG, delve into the match-ups, who to look out for and where the game will be won and lost.  Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on European and Indian football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-beat topics. Follow our Instagram page @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by doodlegun.

The Champions League and the Europa League enters its deepest stages with three nail-biting encounters on offer this week. As Spanish, English and Italian representatives faltered in the quarter-finals, two teams from France and Germany each consist of the last four. Paris Saint-Germain lock horns with RB Leipzig while Bayern Munich entertain Olympique Lyonnais. The Europa League final will see Inter Milan and Sevilla go head-to-head in what should be another thrilling contest.  In the sixteenth episode of The Talking Barefoot Podcast, we preview and predict the Champions League semi-finals and the Europa League finals, discussing the fascinating match-ups, behind-the-scenes stories and hype around the games.  Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on European and Indian football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-beat topics. Follow our Instagram page @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by doodlegun.

The Round of 16 gave us many surprises and statement performances with eight teams now left to battle it all out for European glory. In the fifteenth episode of The Talking Barefoot Podcast, the trio preview the four mouth-watering quarter-finals this week, including the mammoth clash between Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on European and Indian football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-beat topics. Follow our Instagram page @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by doodlegun.

The UEFA Champions League makes it much-anticipated return just less than 150 days after getting halted in the middle of March. With domestic leagues all wrapped up, it is time to divert our attention onto Europe’s most prestigious cup competition.  In the fourteenth episode of The Talking Barefoot Podcast, the trio briefly preview the four Round of 16 return legs which has Real Madrid visiting Manchester City, Juventus and Barcelona hosting Lyon and Napoli respectively and Chelsea travelling to Bayern Munich.  The quarter-finals will also be previewed in an episode due to come out next week. Till then, subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-pitch drama. Follow our Instagram page @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by doodlegun.

Bayern Munich lifted their eighth straight Bundesliga title last month, further expanding their German dominion. It seems like teams around Bayern can no longer compete against them due to their their inexhaustible wealth of resources, squad depth and financial stronghold. The gap at the top is, therefore, widening with every passing season. What does this Bavarian dominance mean for German football? Is it a boon or a bane? The Talking Barefoot gang sit down with Jan-Phillip Grande, a Bayern Munich season-ticket holder pursuing his masters in sport policy-making and development for a detailed insight into the country’s biggest footballing institution. We discuss Bayern’s monopoly, Leroy Sane, transfer policies, the depleting standards of Bundesliga, Red Bull and RB Leipzig, Financial Fair Play, the diversifying 50+1 rule and so much more in the all-new episode of The Talking Barefoot Podcast. Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on European and Indian football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-beat topics. Follow our Instagram page @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by Longzijun. Artwork by doodlegun.

The 2019/20 Premier League season will finally come to a close this weekend after what was been an unimaginable campaign both on and off-the-pitch. Spoiled and marred by the coronavirus pandemic, the season was halted mid-way through March with a sinking feeling of uncertainty and unpredictability.  The return of football in June was a welcome sight for fans around the world but the beautiful game was not the same anymore. Empty stadiums, sanitised footballs, artificial crowd noises, mega fan-view screens, socially-distanced benches and elbow celebrations made for a sight never witnessed in football.  However, football came through and stood tall as Liverpool claimed their first league title in three decades. In what has been a season packed with individual brilliance and performances of the highest quality, it is time to review the campaign and make our Team of the Season.  In the twelfth episode of The Talking Barefoot Podcast, the trio pick their Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Manager of the Season by pitching in candidates, analysing their seasons and debating and discussing their impacts. Subscribe to our channel for more in-depth analyses and discussions on European and Indian football, match previews, transfer news and off-the-pitch drama. Follow our Instagram page @talkingbarefoot for regular updates. Music by longjizun. Artwork by doodlegun.