What if Football

Rome both is and isn’t a football town. The people who live there might be crazy about the sport but the clubs who also live there aren’t really that successful at the sport. For a brief window in the late 90s and early 2000s, that changed. This is the story about when Rome ruled Italy, in a football sense of course, but only too briefly. 00:00 – Introduction 00:30 – Lazio 08:35 – Roma 14:30 – 1999/2000 21:35 – 2000/2001 28:55 – Legacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Napoli were just existing, living day-to-day with the survival in the jungle known as Serie A in the 1980s. Up north unimaginable glories and successes that never got handed down to the little people in the south of a country harshly divided in football. All it took was one little genius to change Calcio forever. Napoli, the House That Maradona Built. 00:00 – Intro 00:30 – Napoli 04:45 – Diego Maradona 08:45 – Magica 18:45 – Legacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Italian football has a big three: Juventus, Milan and Inter. One’s successful back home, the other more so abroad and the other… neither here nor there. This is Inter Milan, a team that can dominate but often prefers to keep its success brief, with long distances between. However, there was a moment—just one moment—when they might just have been the best Italy had ever seen. And it is when Germany controlled Calcio. 00:00 – Introduction 00:35 – Inter 05:40 – Trap 10:50 – The Germans 13:50 – Germany x Inter 23:25 – Legacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you were told to mention the greatest teams in the history of Italian football you’d throw in clubs like Juventus, Milan, Inter, maybe even a Napoli or one from the capital. You’d mention players like Baggio, Platini, Zidane, Maradona, Totti and the like. But they’re not the best Calcio ever seen. This is, and it’s the story of Il Grande Torino: the best football team you’ve never heard of. 00:00 – Intro 00:30 – A Brief History of Italian Football and Torino 03:15 – Erno Erbstein 06:35 – Lucchese: The Blueprint 09:20 – The False Start 16:35 – When Torino Became Grande 23:35 – Il Grande Torino 31:05 – Up On Superga Hill 36:25 – Legacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Think of Italian football and you probably think of Juventus first. They’re the ones with the most Italian championships and their history is stacked with a litany of the world’s greatest to ever play football. This is how they got to become Italy’s biggest football club. Through decadence, dominance and disasters: this is how The Old Lady grew up. 00:00 – Intro 00:25 – The Beginning of Juventus 04:55 – The First Great Juventus team 08:45 – The Decline 10:20 – The Void Left by Superga 14:35 – Il Trio Magico 30:20 – Legacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The transfer window is full swing, the happiest time of the year of those donning yellow ties on Sky Sports News and them weirdos who live for the June, July and January as opposed to the actual football being played on the grass out there.   To celebrate: we’ve got a compilation tape that’s busy asking ‘what if the transfer window went differently?’     00:00 – Introduction 00:25 – What if Bryan Robson signed for Juventus? 05:30 – What if Marco van Basten signed for Juventus? 08:55 – What if Marco van Basten stayed at Ajax? 10:45 – What if Marco van Basten signed for Barcelona? 13:25 – What if David Beckham signed for Barcelona? 16:20 – What if Robert Lewandowski signed for Real Madrid? 19:50 – What if Dragan Dzajic signed for Real Madrid? 23:30 – What if Dragan Dzajic signed for Inter Milan? 26:45 – What if Georgi Kinkladze signed for Inter Milan? 29:35 – What if Georgi Kinkladze signed for Liverpool? 32:00 – What if Kevin Keegan stayed at Liverpool? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

EURO 2024 may be over in real life, but the alternate realities from the tournament still stew away. Here is a compilation tape of 10 ‘what if?’ scenarios from EURO 2024’s knockout stage. 00:25 – What if Frenkie de Jong wasn’t injured? 03:00 – What if Giorgio Scalvini wasn’t injured? 06:20 – What if David Alaba wasn’t injured? 08:45 – What if Joachim Andersen’s goal was allowed against Germany? 10:00 – What if Niclas Fullkrug scored against Spain? 14:00 – What if Thibaut Courtois played? 16:15 – What if Kylian Mbappe didn’t break his nose? 18:55 – What if Benjamin Sesko scored vs Portugal? 21:15 – What if Jude Bellingham didn’t score against Slovakia? 24:15 – What if Marc Guehi scored vs Spain? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time in eight years, England are searching for a new manager after Gareth Southgate stopped just minutely short of winning the nation’s first trophy once again. Naturally, for one of the most high-profile jobs in the sport, speculation is rampant about the man to succeed Southgate. So here are nine contenders that populate the mouths of supporters and the lists drawn up by the bookmakers. What if the following people were the next England manager? 00:00 – Introduction 00:45 – Eddie Howe 04:35 – Jurgen Klopp 06:35 – Thomas Tuchel 08:45 – Mauricio Pochettino 10:45 – Lee Carsley 12:50 – Steve Cooper 14:55 – Graham Potter 17:00 – Frank Lampard 18:55 – Steven Gerrard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

EURO 2024’s fun and cuddly part is over. The group stages are gone, we’ve spent two weeks and a few dozen matches to eliminate eight teams. That doesn’t mean the groups are over, however. It lives on in our hearts, our heads and through this: the ‘what if?’ compilation tape of alternate scenarios from the EURO 2024 groups. 00:00 – Introduction 00:40 – What if Scotland received a penalty against Hungary? 01:30 – What if Scotland beat Switzerland? 04:15 – What if Niclas Fullkrug didn’t score against Switzerland? 05:45 – What if Rey Manaj scored for Albania vs Italy? 07:40 – What if Croatia beat Albania? 09:15 – What if Slovenia beat Serbia? 11:15 – What if Luka Jovic was onside vs Denmark? 12:35 – What if Christoph Baumgartner scored vs France? 14:15 – What if Xavi Simons’ goal vs France was allowed? 15:30 – What if Mike Maignan stayed on his line? 17:15 – What if Romelu Lukaku’s goals were all allowed? 19:20 – What if Saba Lobzhanidze scored against Czech Republic? 20:40 – What if Kerem Akturkoglu scored against Portugal? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the European Championship circles back around, we get strapped to the same tired chairs and we're forced to watch the same pictures again and again. We see Bukayo Saka, Darius Vassell and Gareth Southgate missing penalties, the Icelandic thunderclap. The failures. From Dzajic in ‘68, Netzer four years later and Pirlo in 2012: England have been beaten by class. From fighting in the stands in Rome, Phil Neville giving away a penalty and Graham Taylor substituting Gary Lineker: England have also been embarrassed. They should have won it by now, shouldn't they? 00:00 – Introduction 00:45 – Paranoia: 1960-1976 05:35 – Problems: 1980-1992 11:30 – Promise: 1996-2004 17:10 – More Problems: 2008-2016 21:40 – More Promise: 2020s 25:15 – In Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The reign of Spain only fell on the plain of the European continent. They had lost their global crown and were a shadow. Football had transformed drastically since Spain painted their pretty patterns all over Kyiv against Italy in the EURO 2012 final. High possession football was disposed of, in its place was gegenpressing. It ruled Europe, first at club level when Germany's biggest clubs made up the 2013 Champions League final. The following summer, Germany won their fourth World Cup. EURO 2016 was a turning point, where tactical ideologies would collide. And oh yeah: the competition was even bigger than ever. This is EURO 2016.   00:00 – Introduction 00:50 – Road to France 07:00 – Group A 08:55 – Group B 11:40 – Group C 13:50 – Group D 16:25 – Group E 19:45 – Group F 24:10 – Knockout Phase 33:35 – In Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Four years earlier, we had witnessed a potential greatest ever European Championship team when Spain won their second title. They only went and improved upon that, by becoming one of the world's best when they claimed the Jules Rimet trophy in South Africa. Now, Spain were nailed on favourites to become one of the greatest teams ever assembled: club or international. Just who could feasibly stop them? Portugal were a one man band under Cristiano Ronaldo, but one hell of a band. Germany had the beginnings of an all-conquering team. Italy could be dangerous, Netherlands too—but the latter for your health. This is EURO 2012: and its greatest ever team. 00:00 – Introduction 00:45 – Road to Poland and Ukraine 09:35 – Group A 13:30 – Group B 18:15 – Group C 22:00 – Group D 25:50 – Knockout Stage 33:50 – In Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The previous European Championship had been won by the rank outsiders in Greece. It felt like a partition between the old way football was played and a new age where anything was possible. For one, there was no British or Irish involvement for the first time in 24 years and the World Cup finalists Italy and France were already on the wane. A void needed to be filled in this new European Championship, this film on EURO 2008 attempts to detail just what happened. 00:00 – Introduction 00:35 – Road to Austria and Switzerland 08:50 – Group A 14:05 – Group B 18:20 – Group C 26:10 – Group D 29:35 – Knockout Stage 36:15 – In Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2004 was the European Championship of the Golden Generation. The hosts Portugal and also Netherlands had two eras combining to create interesting dynamics, the esteemed nations of Germany, France and Italy experienced the final days of their empires, Spain were busy preparing to start their own empire and the plucky little English had a young squad seemingly destined for the very top. But would it make for a great spectacle? It was certainly UNBELIEVABLE, as the title suggests. 00:00 – Introduction 00:35 – Road to Portugal 12:00 – Group A 15:55 – Group B 20:05 – Group C 26:35 – Group D 33:15 – Knockout Stage 43:40 – In Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

UEFA had piloted the 16-team games in England, naturally, and it had done okay. Nostalgia aside, it was a serviceable tournament but nothing to write home about from a neutral standpoint. Now though, modern football was really here. We had all your favourites: from Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo to Raul and Francesco Totti. It was the new millennium, optimism was in the air, two countries spread the load of what had finally become a true festival of football as UEFA try to paint it in their sickly colours. This is EURO 2000: the greatest ever? 00:00 – Introduction 00:40 – Road to Belgium and Netherlands 14:00 – Group A 19:55 – Group B 23:15 – Group C 30:00 – Group D 35:35 – Knockout Stages 51:30 – In Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Modern football was here. The Premier League and Champions League were in full voice, the world game had been taken to the States and produced the last 24-team World Cup to grand acclaim. The ball was now in UEFA's court, and they were determined to one-up FIFA. They brought the game back to its roots and set about making the Euros bigger and grander than ever. Would the tournament that is consistently peppered onto the screens of every British television every two years live up to the rose-tinted spectacles that has reigned unabated for the past quarter century? This EURO 96: The Nostalgia Euros. 00:00 – Introduction 00:45 – Road to England 09:00 – Group A 15:35 – Group B 19:40 – Group C 24:10 – Group D 27:20 – Knockout Stage 40:10 – In Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Italia ’90 was the cornerstone for so many football fan. The sport was a completely different ball game as the summer of 1992 turned up with the Champions League's star ball under one arm and the Premier League lion under the other arm. In this rapidly changing world of football, would the European Championships be able to co-exist with the same drama and the same quality? This film, The Wildcard Euros, hopes to explain the sheer chaos that was EURO 92. 00:00 – Introduction 00:35 – Road to Sweden 09:30 – A 16:20 – B 21:50 – Knockouts 26:55 – In Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Seemingly, the only way was down for UEFA, after they had staged the immaculate and perhaps greatest ever European Championships four years prior in 1988. This was a gloomy time for the European game, that lived in the day-to-day strife of hooliganism and still existed under the cloud of the Heysel disaster. Remaining within the confines of eight teams, there was probably the fear that having 25% of the tournament's field polluted with teams from the British Isles might soil the good name the competition had developed. Could EURO ’88 live up to the hype? 00:00 – Introduction 00:45 – Road to West Germany 09:20 – Group A 15:30 – Group B 21:55 – Knockout Stage 31:10 – In Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Euros was on its deathbed. It seems hard to believe now, what with the incessant wall-to-wall coverage, build-up, hype and money that goes into the Euros these days. However, UEFA had just suffered humiliation in staging a cagey, defensive Jose Mourinho wet dream of a tournament in Italy. They desperately needed to re-shape the image of the Euros, or risk its premature death. This is the story of EURO 1984. 00:00 – Introduction 00:40 – Road to France 09:45 – A 14:25 – B 21:50 – Knockouts 30:35 – Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

UEFA had their tails up. They'd overseen quite possibly one of the greatest football tournaments ever bequeathed to the sport and now they believed they could make the competition even better by expanding the field. It made sense: there were more than four elite countries in European football, and a more inclusive game surely made for a better one. Or so UEFA thought. What they actually did was nearly kill the competition before it ever truly got going. 00:00 – Introduction 00:35 – Road to Italia 09:30 – A 12:50 – B 17:50 – Knockouts 20:45 – In Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices