• Heroes & Humans of Football

  • By: Immaterial
  • Podcast
Heroes & Humans of Football By cover art

Heroes & Humans of Football

By: Immaterial
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  • Summary

  • Exploring an individual in football every Thursday. Hosted by Simon Kuper, a Financial Times columnist, and Mehreen Khan, Economics Editor of The Times, the podcast covers people such as Mbappé, Messi, Rapinoe and Abramovich. Simon Kuper, described by Time Magazine as "one of the world's leading writers on soccer," has been to the last nine World Cups and owns Europe's largest football library. Mehreen Khan started her career in sports journalism – and now she's back. Blending socio-political and pop-cultural narratives, she sees football as a brilliant shortcut to also understanding societies, economics, and politics. Follow @heroesandhumans everywhere. Instagram TikTok Facebook X Visit our website for news and updates: heroesandhumans.com
    © 2024 Immaterial
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Episodes
  • Jude Bellingham: Born in England, made in Europe

    Jude Bellingham: Born in England, made in Europe
    May 30 2024
    Jude Bellingham could go down as the best English player to never play in the Premier League, but how did he go from a shy and polite young boy from Stourbridge, to an integral part of Real Madrid's push for the Champions League title this season? This episode describes the careful and precise decisions of Jude Bellingham's career so far that have led him to the biggest stage of world football, despite still being 20 years old. From the thinking behind his shirt number at Birmingham, to rejecting England's biggest clubs in favour of a move to Germany. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction to the podcast episode on Jude Bellingham. 00:02:07 - Discussing Bellingham being compared to the fictional character Roy of the Rovers. 00:07:00 - Bellingham's background and upbringing in Birmingham. 00:10:12 - Insights from Bellingham's youth coach Paul Robinson on coaching him at Birmingham City. 00:16:13 - Bellingham's decision to join Borussia Dortmund instead of clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea. 00:22:48 - Bellingham's time at Borussia Dortmund and his relationship with players like Erling Haaland. 00:29:27 - Bellingham's performance at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 00:32:07 - Bellingham's transfer to Real Madrid in 2023. 00:41:44 - Bellingham's incredible goalscoring form for Real Madrid in his first season. 00:49:54 - Discussion on Bellingham's potential legacy and future. 00:57:20 - The rising trend of incredibly talented young footballers emerging at a very young age. 01:05:00 - Speculating on what profession Bellingham could have pursued if not football. Follow @heroesandhumans everywhere. Instagram TikTok Facebook X Visit our website for news & updates heroesandhumans.com
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Carlo Ancelotti: The Godfather of the Champions League

    Carlo Ancelotti: The Godfather of the Champions League
    May 23 2024
    Carlo Ancelotti, son of poor Italian farmers, could be about to win a record fifth Champions League with Real Madrid. That’s pretty good for a guy whose managerial career started with him refusing to sign Roberto Baggio. This episode describes how the nicest man in football learned how to handle the egomaniacs around him, give players the power, and always made sure that everybody ate well together. The secrets of “quiet leadership” all around the world, from the coach whose own role model is Vito Corleone. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction to the episode on Carlo Ancelotti 0:29 - Ancelotti's background as a player and coach who won multiple Champions Leagues 2:21 - Ancelotti's qualities of being funny and having empathy 2:59 - Ancelotti's early life and family background in a farming village in Italy 6:22 - Ancelotti's time playing for Arrigo Sacchi's revolutionary AC Milan team 9:27 - How Ancelotti dealt with egos like Silvio Berlusconi as a player at Milan 11:51 - Ancelotti's early coaching jobs and transition to a more flexible style 14:50 - Ancelotti getting fired just before halftime at Juventus 16:31 - Ancelotti's successful stint at AC Milan as a manager winning the Champions League 19:00 - Ancelotti's time at Chelsea and getting fired in the tunnel after winning the double 22:19 - Ancelotti building Paris Saint-Germain into a top club after their takeover 25:39 - How Ancelotti managed egos like Zlatan Ibrahimovic at PSG 28:19 - Ancelotti's first stint at Real Madrid and his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo 34:49 - Ancelotti's short tenures at Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton 36:57 - Ancelotti breaking his Champions League wins record in his second Real Madrid stint 39:41 - Ancelotti's empathetic man-management style with players like Vinicius Jr, Bellingham 44:13 - Ancelotti potentially becoming Brazil's next manager 46:27 - Discussion on Ancelotti's leadership style and legacy Follow @heroesandhumans everywhere. Instagram TikTok Facebook X Visit our website for news & updates heroesandhumans.com
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    1 hr
  • Mohammed bin Salman: The most powerful man in football?

    Mohammed bin Salman: The most powerful man in football?
    May 16 2024
    Mohammed bin Salman may be the most influential person in global football, even though he doesn’t seem to like the game. In 2021, the Saudi millennial crown prince became the ultimate owner of Newcastle United, when the Premier League club was bought by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The country’s de facto leader is also pumping billions into the Saudi Pro League, where Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are on the crown’s payroll. MBS is almost certain to win the ultimate prize of hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2034, and probably also the Women’s World Cup 2035 – despite Saudi Arabia’s not very woman-friendly reputation. All this for a man who seems to have never taken an interest in football, neither as a fan nor as a player. In 2014, hardly anyone even in Saudi Arabia had heard of him. How did he go from a nobody to the most powerful ruler in the country’s history? And why did he then jump into football? Mehreen and Simon chart the life of a once unremarkable, and not very wealthy, lowly prince, who has risen to become the most authoritarian leader in Saudi’s modern history. It’s a story of a rapid rise to the top, dictatorial power, extra-judicial killings, and trillions of dollars that are being deployed to refashion the Saudi economy. With his nation’s petrodollars, MbS is now taking over golf, Formula 1, and even snooker. But MbS’s most controversial foray into global sport is the world’s most popular game. Why is MBS in football, and will he stay? Timestamps: 00:01:04 - Introducing Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) 00:01:32 - Mehreen discusses her connection to Saudi Arabia as a Muslim 00:03:02 - Discussion of MBS's background and rise to power in Saudi Arabia 00:06:44 - MBS locking up his own mother early in his reign 00:08:25 - MBS's attempts to modernise and reform Saudi Arabia 00:12:19 - MBS's envy of Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup 00:14:13 - MBS's appearance at the 2018 World Cup opening match in Russia 00:16:15 - The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents 00:20:28 - MBS's decision to host the 2034 and likely 2035 World Cups in Saudi Arabia 00:23:24 - MBS's purchase of Newcastle United FC 00:28:10 - Saudi investments in bringing star players to the Saudi Pro League 00:32:42 - Analysis of MBS's motivations for investing heavily in football/sports 00:39:19 - Comparing MBS to Roman Abramovich's ownership of Chelsea FC 00:42:37 - What career MBS might have had if not a Saudi prince Follow @heroesandhumans everywhere. Instagram TikTok Facebook X Visit our website for news & updates heroesandhumans.com
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    45 mins
History Social Sciences Soccer
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