Football In The 2000s

Seoul, Korea. May 31, 2002. France - Senegal. Let the chaos commence in 3... 2... 1... gol de Boupa Diop!!!!The group stage of the 2002 World Cup had it all. In this episode we dive into the surprising and disciplined host nations, the hellish atmosphere in the port city of Busan and the magic of The Guus. There is talk of Brazilian Samba, David Beckham getting the Argentines back for 1998 and the usual chaos of a favored Italian side sabotaging themselves. One of the last tournaments which could still surprise us did so from the first match and did not let up. How did Senegal, Turkey, the USA, Korea and even Belgium cause such stunning upsets? And what on earth happened to Argentina, Portugal and France? All of this and much more, including mentions of Pierluigi Collina and Markus Merk, on this episode of Football In The 2000s!Make sure to follow us on our Instagram (@football2000spod) and tell us of more topics you would like to hear. Finally, please give us a rating & review and share this podcast with anyone you think may enjoy it! Thanks!

The summer of 2002 saw a tournament for the ages take place in Korea and Japan. The first two nations to co-host a World Cup did so in style. In the first part of our series on the 2002 World Cup we dive into all the intrigue during the build-up to the tournament. Why did Korea and Japan, two neighbors that do not particularly like each other, end up coordinating their efforts? What was the story behind the 20 ultra-modern stadiums? Did Roy Keane let his country down? Was Brazil seriously not a favorite? And, can somebody tell me what time the Netherlands kicks off at?All of this and much more, including mentions of Collina and Hiddink, in this episode of Football In The 2000s!Make sure to follow us on our Instagram (@football2000spod) and tell us of more topics you would like to hear. Finally, please give us a rating & review and share this podcast with anyone you think may enjoy it! Thanks!

On December 2, 2007, a young Lionel Messi with shaggy hair and a gelled up Cristiano Ronaldo made a trip to Paris for the Balon D'or ceremony. Both were considered the best talents of their generation and had remarkable seasons. Neither would come home with the award that night though, because there was one player that had a season for the ages. The Messi-Ronaldo duopoly, sponsored by France Football, would have to wait another year. The man crowned that night was Ricardo Izecson Dos Leite, better known as Kaká. Kaká ended up being the last Milan, Serie A and Brazilian player to win the award and now, nearly 20 years later, it is time to provide him with the justice he deserves. On this very special episode, we chronicle the life and times of one of Brazil's greatest ever players (5:55).We travel from Brasilia to Sao Paolo, touching upon one of the more unique upbringings for a Brazilian footballer (11:58) before discussing his arrival at Hogwarts (Milan) as a Harry Potter-like figure with a name that was the literal butt of many jokes (21:15). Then, we ruminate on THAT 2006-2007 season, at the dawn YouTube, and THAT goal at Old Trafford (37:50) before commenting on his later career at Real Madrid (57:00) and his legacy (1:03:00).Should Ricardo Kaká be remembered as one of the greatest ever? We think so. Make sure to follow us on our Instagram (@football2000spod) and tell us of more topics you would like to hear. Finally, please give us a rating & review and share this podcast with anyone you think may enjoy it! Thanks!

You can discuss Ancelotti's Milan, Ronaldinho's Barca, the Invincibles, Bianchi's Boca, Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex all you want, but none of those sides or managers won 7 league titles in a row. In this episode we discuss the most dominant side in Europe during the 2000s: Olympique de Lyon. We journey to the capital of French gastronomy on the banks of the Rhone and at the foot of the alps to immerse ourselves in a unique slice of Ligue 1 history. We chart their rise from second division to being bought out buy a local visionary businessman to the talent and, later, title factory that they developed. There is talk of arguably the best free-kick taker of all time, a muscle midfield, young local startlets and underrated glue players. Was Lyon the most dominant side of the era? Could they have done more in Europe? And did they pioneer a financially sustainable football model? Tune in to find out!Make sure to follow us on our Instagram (@football2000spod) and tell us of more topics you would like to hear. Finally, please give us a rating & review and share this podcast with anyone you think may enjoy it! Thanks!

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 with a highly consequential (and perhaps controversial) red card. There were disallowed goals. There were last minute referee changes. Some stars didn't show up. One manager put on a substitution masterclass, the other a surprisingly gritty defensive one. What happened in Saint Denis on that night in May 2006 and what meaning can we draw from it nearly 20 years after the fact?If you haven't already, tune in to the first part of our coverage of the 2006 Champions League Final in which we covered the full build-up, including these sides' entertaining and remarkable rides through the group and knockout stage of the competition. The journey takes us through some all-time defensive performances, dramatic late penalties, offside goals and some very, very '2000s Groups'.Make sure to follow us on our Instagram (@football2000spod) and tell us of more topics you would like to hear. Finally, please give us a rating & review and share this podcast with anyone you think may enjoy it! Thanks!

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 baller is on the rise. They have already defeated the mighty Galacticos domestically and now seemingly only one man, Thierry Henry, stands in their way. Can they be stopped?In this first part of our coverage of the 2006 Champions League final we cover the full build-up, including these sides' entertaining and remarkable rides through the group and knockout stage of the competition. The journey takes us through some all-time defensive performances, dramatic late penalties, offside goals and some very, very '2000s Groups'.Make sure to follow us on our Instagram (@football2000spod) and tell us of more topics you would like to hear. Finally, please give us a rating & review and share this podcast with anyone you think may enjoy it! Thanks!

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 generational talents. Plus we all grew up watching both, so we decided to try a new concept: the NBA Crossover!To kick things off, we look at the 2004 NBA All-Stars and pair each one up with their footballing alter-ego from the same year (6:18). Who was Allen Iverson? Was there anybody as insane as Kevin Garnett in the footballing world? And who are our two coaches (clue: they are probably still around)?There is talk of Bow Wow, baggy suits, David Stern, "Soft Europeans" and much more on this episode of Football In The 2000s!Make sure to follow us on our Instagram (@football2000spod) and tell us of more topics you would like to hear. Finally, please give us a rating & review and share this podcast with anyone you think may enjoy it! Thanks!

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 one of football's most indulgent experiments.There is talk of John The Baptist, Cassano, Posh Spice, a certain long-haired Sevillan defender and much, much more! Tune in now!All of this and much more on this episode of Football In The 2000s!Make sure to follow us on our Instagram (@football2000spod) and tell us of more topics you would like to hear. Finally, please give us a rating & review and share this podcast with anyone you think may enjoy it! Thanks!

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 claims that the club is riddled with debt and that only he, with his business acumen, can save it. He promises a 'Galactico' policy to members if they cast a ballot in his favor, whereby he will purchase the best players in the world and make Real Madrid the most powerful club around.That man is Florentino Perez and in this miniseries we will analyze his first presidency of Real Madrid from 2000-2006.Was the Galactico experiment ultimately successful? What went right? What went wrong? And did Florentino ultimately learn valuable lessons from it that we see being applied in Madrid and world football today?There is talk of Raul, Guti, Becks, a Portuguese that jumped ship from Barcelona, a mustachioed Spanish manager and much, much more! Tune in now!All of this and much more on this episode of Football In The 2000s!Make sure to follow us on our Instagram (@football2000spod) and tell us of more topics you would like to hear. Finally, please give us a rating & review and share this podcast with anyone you think may enjoy it! Thanks!