We’ve covered the best football books, films and much more here at 888sport. This time it’s the turn of the football podcast, an industry that has exploded over the last few years.
Podcasts have become a part of everyday life, listened to on an evening run, while doing chores around the house or on the daily commute.
Podcasting has become an integral format for various publications. TV stations will release debate shows in a podcast form, newspapers will run weekly podcasts to discuss the big issues and there are some podcasts that standalone as a project in their own right.
Just like with our favourite football films, we have compiled a list of a best football podcasts…
The Totally Football Show
James Richardson’s newest venture, The Totally Football Show, is released three times a week.
Monday covers the Premier League, Tuesday is focussed on European football and Thursday will be a combination of a review of midweek action and a preview of the upcoming weekend.
Spin offs – Totally Football League Show and Totally Scottish Football Show – are available on Wednesday and Friday respectively.
The podcast has its own website, which is a place to find all the pods, including Golazzo, the Italian, the Totally Italian Football Show. The Athletic’s Carl Anka and Michael Cox and Tom Williams have all featured on recent episodes.
Richardson has led the way in football podcasting and that hasn’t changed with The Totally Football Show. Whether you listen to all three every week or drop in and out, it’s worth subscribing to anyway.
ESPN FC Podcast
Regularly released, the ESPN FC podcast covers as many topics as any football podcast out there.
Recent episodes have included discussion on the favourites for Euro 2020, England’s slip up in Prague and the possibility of Real Madrid moving for Premier League star duo Christian Eriksen and Paul Pogba - two transfers that could impact the football betting markets!
The excellent Gabriele Marcotti and Sid Lowe will often be heard on the podcast.
James Horncastle and Mina Rzouki will appear too – Mark Ogden and Julien Laurens have featured over the last few weeks to discuss Manchester City and La Liga respectively. Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf was a recent guest.
An ideal podcast for those with plenty of time considering how frequently episodes are released, ESPN FC is one of the best around.
Football Weekly Podcast
In the hands of Max Rushden since James Richardson departed in 2017, Football Weekly is the Guardian’s offering to the world of football podcasts.
Unlike many of its rivals, Football Weekly looks beyond the Premier League, giving British fans a perspective on the European game, particularly La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga.
Owen Gibson, Nicky Bandini, Sid Lowe and Barney Ronay make regular appearances alongside Rushden and Barry Glendenning. Author of Inverting The Pyramid Jonathan Wilson will often feature too, as will Philippe Auclair.
Even in the post-Richardson era, Football Weekly stands head and shoulders above fellow newspaper-run podcasts. So much so, in fact, Football Weekly Live has been running for several years.
Spanish Football Podcast
The Guardian’s Sid Lowe teams up with Spanish football journalist Phil Kitromilides to discuss everything there is to know about the Spanish game. It’s a must-listen for anyone looking to get into La Liga or those who are already devoted fans of Spain’s top flight.
There’s plenty of Lionel Messi, of course, and we can all do with a bit more Messi in our lives, can’t we?
The Argentine is a regular topic as Lowe and Kitromilides provide their own unique insight into the biggest stories in Spanish football from the latest drama at Santiago Bernabeu to the relegation scrap.
The duo combine reflection with a look into the future as they preview upcoming fixtures for Spanish sides both in the domestic battle of La Liga and as they look to reassert their dominance in Europe.
Football Writers Podcast
BT Sport’s Football Writers Podcast sees Michael Calvin joined by a selection of the world’s finest football journalists to discuss the biggest news.
For example, the most recent episode featured the Mirror’s Darren Lewis and the Independent’s Miguel Delaney on Manchester United’s struggles and where the Red Devils go from here.
While the podcast is obviously focused on the Premier League – as most football media is – Calvin also delves into other areas of the game.
He recently was joined by Glenn Moore, Faye Carruthers and Sophie Downey to chat about Phil Neville and the England women’s team.
Whoever joins Calvin on the podcast, the discussion is in depth and goes beyond the debate you will often see on BBC or Sky Sports. It’s one to add to your listening list.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alastair Grant / AP Photo*
