Platini Played For Kuwait

For this pod, Matt and Marc got all reflective about their past season in football and discussed the highlights from their football travels in 2023/24. Matt's Choices 1. San Mamés 2. Rifcom Charity Football Tournament in the Rif Mountains, Morocco 3. Antoñito's 122nd minute goal against Nàstic to get Málaga promoted Marc's Choices 1. Cob and chips at Merthyr Town FC 2. Josh Williams' scissor kick goal for Connah's Quay v The New Saints in the Welsh Cup final 3. David Brooks You can find ...

As we get into the full swing of Euro 2024, it would have been rude not to pay homage to one of international football's greatest tournaments. So for this episode, Matt and Marc each decided to choose one shirt, one game and one goal to discuss from Euro history. Matt's Choices 1. France's 1984 shirt 2. Czech Republic 3-2 Netherlands at Euro 2004 3. Hal Robson Kanu v Belgium in Euro 2016 Marc's Choices 1. Netherlands's 1988 shirt 2. The Euro 2000 semi-finals 3. Fernando Torres v Germany i...

There are not many things that come more exciting than the play-offs in football. So, with Marc back from watching Southampton triumph in the Championship Play-Off Final and Matt about to watch Málaga over two legs in the Primera RFEF Play-Off semis, what better time to do an episode on these madcap, all-up-for-grabs games. Matt’s Choices Manchester City’s away kit in the 1999 Division 2 Play-Off FinalGarry Monk’s tackle in the 2011 Championship Play-Off FinalAltrincham 2-1 Guiseley in 2014...

For our 50th episode we headed to Rotterdam to take a deep dive into the 'Club of the People' - Feyenoord. With our choices, we covered the club's successes throughout the past 50 plus years - domestic, European and even worldwide. Joining us for our half century was Matt's Guiricast co-host Chris Marquez - born in Span, but brought up in Rotterdam. He even brought along some very precious Feyenoord memorabilia once worn by one of the greatest footballers ever. Chris's choices 1. Feyenoord ...

There's not much better than a cup final...except maybe a semi-final? We delved into what makes semi-finals so great and looked at some of our personal favourite semi-final games. Matt Choices 1. England v West Germany - 1990 World Cup 2. Germany v Italy - 2006 World Cup 3. Chelsea v Barcelona - 2009 Champions League Marc's Choices 1. The 1990 FA Cup sem-finals 2. Alesandro Costacurta getting suspended both the 1994 Champions League and World Cup semi-final 3. Suwon v Al Sadd - 2011...

For this episode, we discussed arguably the Premier League's greatest cult side - loved and feared in equal measures. From the days of Djorkaeff to the final throes of this great team being led by Anelka, we looked at what made this team so much fun and so well-remembered. Of course, we talked about their glorious leader too: Sam 'Big Sam' Allardyce. To herald Big Sam, we were joined by Bolotn fan Joseph 'Gibbo' Gibbons. Matt and Marc's Choices 1. Youri Djorkaeff 2. Gary Speed's 500th Premi...

Everyone loves a diving headers, don't they? Well, here's a whole episode dedicated to them. From Argentinian football rituals to goalkeepers saving their team with their noggin', plus much more. Matt's Choices 1. Aldo Poy's 1971 header for Rosario Central v Newell's Old Boys 2. Jamie Mackie for QPR v Manchester City in the 'AGUEEERRROOOO game' 3- Michu's diving headers for Swansea Marc's Choices 1. Greogory Coupet's double save for Lyon v Barcelona 2. Diego Forlan's first ever profession...

We went Down Under for this episode and explored the history of the Australian national team AKA The Socceroos. We discussed the Godfather of Australian football right up to the hipster footballer who has been the face of the current squad's recent penchant for social justice, plus all the heartaches and World Cup triumphs in between. Marc's Choices 1. Johnny Warren 2. Tim Cahill's volley v Netherlands in the 2014 World Cup 3. Australia's 2015 Asian Cup win Matt's Choices 1. Australia get...

For many, Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning team are the greatest national team of all-time, with their fable five of Pele, Tostao, Rivelino, Gerson and Jairzinho. With his new book O Jogo Bonito!: Brazil's 1970 World Cup Samba Party coming out soon, we were joined by Gary Thacker (making his hatrick appearance on Platini Played for Kuwait) to discuss the joys that Brazil brought tto Mexico in 1970 - the players, the goals and even the team’s origins four years earlier. Gary’s Choices Brazil ...

Christmas is a time for family, friends, food and…the giving and receivng of video games and consoles. In that spirit, for our first podcast of the year, we looked at football in the virtual world and discussed those games, teams and players that have enchanted us in the 2D and 3D realms over the years. Matt and Marc’s Choices FIFA International SoccerTommy Svindal Larsen on Championship Manager 97/98Football-endorsed gamesAS Roma on Championship Manager 01/02The Pro Evolution Soccer Mast...

One of football's most glorious failures? They were certainly a glorious team whichever way you look at it. On this episode, we looked back on that incredible Bayer Leverkusen team that came agonisingly close to a Treble, but came away empty-handed. We were lucky to be joined by Gareth and Joe of The England B Team podcast to talk about a manager that started Leverkusen's late 90s/early 00s rise, the key games around their cruel 2001/2002 season and the characters on the pitch who made this s...

For this episode we are going green and looking at those clubs who adorn themselves green shirts or house themselves in green stadiums. Joining us to discuss all things green-shirted was Yeovil supporter Alex Ashmore, co-host of the excellent Malaga fan podcast, Guiricast, and currently studying with Real Madrid. Alex's Choices 1. Yeovil's season in the Championship 2. Celtic 2-1 Barcelona in 2012/2013 3. Betis winning the 2022 Copa del Rey Matt and Marc's Choices 1. Rapid Vienna's Allian...

Overhad kicks. Scopion kicks. Scissor kicks. We celebrated those goals that have seen players take to the air and soar and score. Matt's Choices 1. Laurent Robert v Fulham https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GxmOlqwsULc 2. Wayne Routledge v WBA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-RMV5wjaRU 3. Morten Nordstrand v FC Copenhagen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqJ6qvWk91M Marc's Choices 1. Mauro Bressan v Barcelona https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g515yEVE7lU 2. Wayne Rooney v Manchester...

For this episode, we discussed the adventures of Welsh clubs in Europe. From the first clubs to venture onto the continent through to some of the most iconic wins in the history of Welsh football. Matt's Choices 1. Borough United v Sliema Wanderers 2. Barry Town v Porto 3. Swansea City v Malmo Marc's Choices 1. Bangor City v Napoli 2. Cardiff City v Real Madrid 3. Merthyr Tydfil v Atalanta You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo. And follow the ...

With the Netlix Beckham documentary being a streaming hit this week, we thought we’d jump on the Beckham bandwagon too and do an episode devoted to one of football’s greatest icons - on and off the pitch. We discussed some of his greatest goals and assists, as well as some of the great shirts he wore on the pitch and how we all came to learn the word ‘metarsal’ because of him. Matt’s Choices Beckham’s lobbed goal v West Ham in 2002Beckham’s 2006/2007 La Liga winning seasonLA Galaxy shirts Ma...

On this episode, we looked back at those footballers who have found a final lease life of life in their careers in the most unlikeliest of places. From a 35-year-old going on a 5 trophy haul in the space of 6 months to a French striker going on to be possibly the best striker in the history of Mexican football, these are some of football's best Indian Summers. Matt's Choices 1. Christophe Dugarry at Birmingham City 2. Clarence Seedorf at Botafogo 3. Andre Gignac at Tigres Marc's Choices 1...

For the first episode after our summer break, we decided to celebrate one of the great teams of the late 90s/early 00s: Valencia CF. We looked back on how Claudio Ranieri kicked things off with the 1999 Copa del Rey winning team, how Héctor Cúper then took them to two consecutive Champions League finals, before Rafa Benitez made Valencia Spanish champions twice in the space of three years, as well as winning the UEFA Cup. To talk all things 'Los Che', we were delighted to be joined by footba...

For our final episode before our summer break, we went all reflective and made this episode’s topic a simple one: we looked back out our own 20022/2023 seasons. We looked at some of our highlights and some of the more interesting things we encountered on our football travels this season - from Kuwait in the Middle-East to Portugal in the very west of Europe, Matt’s Choices Kevin Medina at Gil VicenteVillarreal CF’s Estadi de la Ceràmica Pablo Hernández at CastellonMarc’s Choices Al...

For our latest club focus, we headed to Brazil and to the big boys of Brazil - to club some consider to have the biggest fanbase in the world: CR Flamengo. We went right back to the origins and their first real superstar all the way up to their recent success; of course we went through their history via some cult heroes, cult games and some of the greatest players of all-time. Joining us to talk all Mengão was football writer and podcast Stephen Brandt, whose latest book, Flamengo: Winning Al...

We revisited the season where the razzmatazz of the Premier League all began (although, maybe it didn't quite have too much razzmatazz at the time). Joining us to talk all things 1992/1993 was football writer and podcaster Rob Fletcher; a perfect guest as Rob is the author of the book 1992: The Birth of Modern Football. Rob's Choices 1. Paul Gascoigne moving to Lazio 2. The 1992/1993 Premier League shirts 3. Oldham Athletic in 1992/1993 Matt and Marc's Choices 1. Dalian Atkinson's G...

With the latest AFC Champions League recently coming to its conclusion (congratulations to Urawa Red Diamonds), this week we looked at Asia’s biggest continental club trophy - from those famous teams crowned as champions to those famous players who have been named MVPs. Plus, a lot of ‘Hey, have you seen who manages this team in Asia these days?’ chat. Matt's Choices 1. Western Sydney Wanderers as winners in 2014 2. Omar Abdulrahman 3. Bafetimbi Gomis Marc's CHoices 1. Seongnam as winners...

In this episode, we took a deep dive into those players who have broken the world record transfer fee. We look at those players who were going for tens of thousands in the first half of the century all the way up to the current record holder who moved for over €200 million. Matt Choices 1. Trevor Ford 2. Christian Vieri 3. Neymar Marc's Choices 1. Jackie Sewell 2. the 1992 Serie A transfer window 3. Kaka You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo. ...

Undoubtedly, the Ajax of the early 1970s was one of the greatest club sides ever as they dominated Dutch football and, more significantly, won 3 European Cups in a row between 1971 and 1973. We took a deep dive into Michels' famed 'Total Football' team and who better to join us than Gary Thacker, who is just about to release his new book, Dutch Masters: When Ajax's Totaalvoetbal Conquered Europe. Matt and Marc's Choices 1. Vic Buckingham 2. The Ajax shirt 3. Barry Hulshoff Gary's Choices ...

We decided that it had been too long without us focusing solely on a topic linked to African football, so we decided to fix that and focus on - in our opinion - the coolest African national team side/era in football history: Nigeria in the 90s. Matt's Choices 1. Nigeria v Italy in USA 1994 2. Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu at Ajax 3. Jay Jay Okocha in the 90s Marc's Choices 1. Nigeria's World Cup 94 away shirt 2. Celestine Babayaro's celebration in the Olympic 96 final 3. Sunday Oli...

After Matt's trip to Lisbon, which included a trip to the Estadio Jose Alvalade, we decided to take a deep dive into one of Portugal's biggest clubs: Sporting CP. The players, the managers, the games, the falling in love with them on Championship Manager and, most importantly, those beautiful green shirts. Matt’s Choices Bobby Robson and Jose Mourinho at SportingMario Jardel's 2001-2002 season at SportingMarcus Edwards Marc’s Choices Randolph GallowayEmilio PeixeSporting CP v Manchester Uni...

As we entered the new millennium, Sven-Göran Eriksson - with the help of wealthy owner Sergio Cragnotti - had put together a hell of a Lazio team, a team which would go on to win the 1999/2000 Scudetto. We took a deep dive into Sven's Lazio and the array of stars at his disposal - an all star car who he would lead to 7 trophies in the space of just a few years. Matt’s Choices Lazio's 1999/2000 shirtsJuan Sebastian VeronMarcelo Salas' tackle/lob goal against Torino Marc’s Choices Sinisa Miha...

Inspired by Marc’s recent plans to attend Southampton v Blackpool, (which he didn't attend in the end) we decided for this week’s episode to tango the podcast and talk about the football clubs who bring vibrancy to our football stadiums by wearing orange shirts (and the various tangerine and amber derivatives of orange). Blackpool, Dundee United and Shimizu S-Pulse feature in this week’s pod amongst many clubs Joining us to talk all things football and orange is Blackpool fan Nick Bell....

For this week’s episode, we headed to South-East Asia and delved into the ASEAN Football Federation Championship AKA The Mitsubishi Electric Cup AKA The Sukuzi Cup. One of the region’s major football tournaments, it is a competition with some of world football’s less heralded nations, but nations with their own fascinating stories and quirks, as well as vibrant football cultures. Matt’s Choices Daniel Bennett - Malaysia’s most-capped footballerSven Goran Eriksson managing the PhillippinesKei...

In our first episode of 2023, we decided to revisit some of the topics from our 2022 episodes. Matt and Marc each chose 3 episode topics each and came up with one more discussion point to explore on those topics (it makes much sense in the episode). It also gave us the chance to introduce some of our back catalogue to any new listeners on board. We also discussed our favourite episodes so far and what to expect moving forward with the podcast. Matt's Choices 1.Ron Davies at Southampton (lin...

To round off the year it seemed fitting to look back over the World Cup that has just happened over the previous weeks. Joining us to talk about the controversies on and off the pitch and the genuine thrills on and off the pitch was Rhys Richards - the writer of Blood on the Crossbar: The Dictatorship's World Cup all about the 1978 World Cup; Argentina's first World Cup triumph. You can find Rhys on Twitter at @RhysWRichards. You can buy his book Blood on the Crossbar: The Dictatorship's Wo...

As the World Cup draws to a close, we look back on these stadiums that have hosted the biggest games in world football - from the forgotten stadium of 1966 to scene of Zinedine Zidane's infamous swansong. Matt's Choices 1. White City, London (1966) 2. Estadio Martínez Valero, Elche (1982) 3. Olympiastadion, Berlin (1974 & 2006) Marc's Choices 1. Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux (1938 & 1998) 2. Renato Dall'ara, Bologna (1934 & 1990) 3. Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul (2002) You c...

On the eve of the 2022 World Cup, it was inevitable that Matt and Marc would eventually delve into the exploits - or lack of exploits - of their own country at the World Cup. Of course, Wales have not made a World Cup appearance since 1958, so we looked at qualification heartache, how a Welsh referee shaped world football in one of the most famous finals ever and paid respect to the current crop who are representing Cymru in Qatar. Joining us to talk about Wales and the World Cup was Lewis Be...

Carrying on our World Cup theme, this week we decided to focus on those elite players who have achieved one of football's greatest goalscoring feats: being top goalscorer at a World Cup and winning the Golden Boot (yes, we know it used to be called the Golden Shoe). We discussed some of the greatest goalscorers in World Cup history, as well as talking about who we think might win the award in this upcoming World Cup. Matt's Choices 1. Guillermo Stabile at the 1930 World Cup 2. Garrincha at ...

Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, we did our first World Cup-themed episode in the build-up to this winter's World Cup. Of course, as Welsh men, we wanted to delve into one of Wales' group mates and that led us to look at Iran - their previous World Cup exploits and a look ahead to what they could do at Qatar 2022. Joining us to discuss all things Team Melli was Arya Allahverdi of the Gol Bezan podcast - a podcast dedicated to the Iranian national team (and who very recently interviewed fellow gro...

On the week of the 2022 Copa Libertadores Final, we decided to explore South America's premier club competition and all the fun stories behind it - from Zico to 'Super Superclasicos'. We were delighted to be joined by groundhopper and all-round Copa Libertadores-lover David Wilcox to chat about the competition and his own experiences of watching football in Brazil and Argentina. David's Choices 1. Flamengo and Zico in the 1981 Copa Libertadores 2. Argentinos Junior winning the 1985 Copa Lib...

After Matt went to watch Málaga v FC Andorra last weekend, this week we decided to focus on those small countries around the world who, although small in stature, have their own big footballing tales to tell. Matt's Choices 1. FC Andorra 2. Football in Gibraltar 3. Vatican City football Marc's Choices 1. Faroes Islands 1-0 Austria in 1990 2. Mario Frick 3. Nicky Salapu and Next Goal Wins You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo. And follow the po...

In this episode we looked at those players who have scored hatricks at the pinnacle of European football. Plus, we delve into a lot of Champions League trivia and talk about the joys of 'List of Champions League Hatricks' Wikipedia page. Matt's Choices 1. Mike Newell's hatrick for Blackburn v Rosenborg 2. Michael Owen's hatricks for Liverpool and Manchester United 3. Robert Lewandowski's hatrick for Dortmund v Real Madrid Marc's Choices 1. Marco Van Basten's hatrick for Milan v IFK Götebo...

With Marc moving to Southampton, for this week's episode we decided to delve into Southampton FC. We explore Southampton's origins and how the club influenced Athletic Club in its nascent years, all the way through to Kevin Keegan's signing, Danny Wallace winning goal of the season and into the 21st century with Rickie Lambert helping to reignite the club in the lower leagues. Joining us to talk all things Saints was Southampton fan Alex Daniel. Matt's Choices 1. Kevin Keegan signing for So...

In the past month, we've seen a film star appear on a League of their Own and go viral for a mocked-up, yet still very rousing, prematch team talk and we've seen a documentary released about two Hollywood stars running a team in the 5th tier of the English football pyramid. So for this episode, we decided to focus on the times when Hollywood stars intervene in football and when the worlds of the red carpet and the football pitch collide Matt's Choices 1. Sylvester Stallone and Football 2. T...

After our summer hiatus, we are back! For our first topic of the new season, we looked at those hyped 'Wonderkids' who maybe didn't quite live up to the hype. You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo. And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait. If you enjoyed the podcast, make sure to subscribe wherever you get your pods from and tell a friend about us. Marc's Choices 1. Nil Lamptey 2. 2007 U17 World Cup 3. Maitee Hatsady Matt's Choices 1. ...

Ahead of Matt walking the world-renowned El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, we decided to do our own football-themed trail across El Camino. All of our choices this week have links to El Camino de Santiago and who better person to join us than Chris Pidgeon - a former pilgrim of El Camino de Santiago and fan of SD Ponferradina. Matt is completing the charity to raise money for Cudeca Cancer Care Hospice - a charity which helps care for cancer patients in the Malaga province. You can donate her...

We looked back at the first World Cup ever to be hosted in Asia, as well as being the first World Cup to ever be co-hosted. A World Cup synonymous with upsets, but was the quality on the pitch as bad as many have suggested? We explored why there were so many upsets and offer a defence of this World Cup, as well as discussing its legacy. Joining us to talk all things 2002 in South Korea and Japan was Danny Lewis - writer of the soon to be released When Asia Welcomed the World: The 2002 World C...

In our first World Cup-themed episode, we look at arguably the most controversial World Cup of them all: Argentina 78. It is a World Cup that is tied up in politics more than any other, but as well as discussing the social and political backdrop to the tournament, we did explore some of the football on the pitch too. We were delighted to be joined by Rhys Richards to discuss all things Argentina 78 ahead of the release of his book, Blood on the Crossbar: The Dictatorship’s World Cup. You can...

Viva Gareth Bale! Ahead of Wales' big World Cup Play-off game against Ukraine this weekend, we decided to dedicate a whole episode to all things Gareth Frank Bale to get us in the mood. Joining us to talk all things Bale was Welsh football fan Ralph Davies, who joined us for some joyous chat about a famous hatrick, famous performances and a host of famous freekicks from our favourite Welshman, as well as discussing if Gareth Bale is the greatest Welsh footballer of all-time and what the futur...

To the capital of Andalusia we headed this week, to explore one of the most celebrated cities in Europe: Seville. A city which is seen as an epicentre of Spanish culture, but a city which also has a rich football history and a rich football culture. We were joined by Football España Editor Alan Feehely, a current inhabitant of Seville, to talk all things Sevilla and Betis, as well as looking at a couple of World Cup and European Cup moments which unfolded in Seville. You can follow Ala...

You always hear about the big ‘club v country’ debate, but what happens when a club team does play an international team? On this week’s pod, Matt and Marc explore the lesser seen games between club teams and international teams. We discuss the strange 1961 Charity Shield game, where the FA didn’t know what to do when Tottenham won the double, they got Tottenham to play 'England' instead; we look back at Wales’ game against an unorthodox opponent ahead of a 1998 World Cup qualifier; we go to ...

After a little hiatus, we are back with episode 7 of Platini Played For Kuwait - and for this episode, we focused on the idea of those players who are burdened (although sometimes elevated) by their father’s names. We delved into the stories of those footballing sons who are forced to wear the surname of their legendary fathers on the back of their shirts, even though sometimes they choose to dismiss that name. Matt’s Choices Diego SinagraCameron ToshackJordi CruyffMarc’s Choices Darren Ferg...

For this week's episode, we were joined by Cork City fan Alex O'Brien to talk about the League of Ireland. We discussed the grounds and the burgeoning fan culture in the LOI, some of the great names who have played in the LOI and the adventures of Irish teams in Europe over the years. Plus, we compared football in Ireland's league compared to football in the Welsh leagues. You can find Alex on Twitter at @AlexisOBrien48. You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @M...

On this week’s pod, we focused on football in the Czech Republic (and Czechoslovakia). We were joined by Ralph Davies, a Welshman in Brno, to talk about the greats of Czech football, the quirks and perks of Czech football grounds and his adventures around the Czech Republic with ‘The Blansko Klobása’. You can find Ralph on Twitter at @RalphDavies1 and The Blansko Klobasa at @BlanskoKlobasa. You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo. And follow the podc...

We were joined by Marco Negeri to talk about those multi-cultured footballers who have represented not one, but two different national teams. In our chat we covered over 98 years of footballers representing more than one nation at international level (or those who are perhaps about to do so). Plus, we finally discuss the name of the podcast and the time that Platini played for Kuwait. You can find Marco on Twitter @MarcoNegeri. You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on...

We were joined by football writer Gary Thacker to talk all things Chelsea in the Abramovich era ahead of Gary's latest book release - Out of the Blue: Chelsea's Unlikely Champions League Triumph. We discussed some of the events which led to Chelsea's 2012 Champions League victory, as well as our love for Michael Ballack, how Jesper Gronkjaer instigated Chelsea's success in the 2000s and Matt dubs one Chelsea goal as the 'most underrated goal of all-time. You can preorder Gary's Out of the Bl...

This past week, Chelsea lifted the 2022 Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, so we decided to explore a competition that is still unheralded and unloved by many (particularly in Europe). Our choices this week go right back to the first decade of the competition in the 1960s to the new tournament format created in the 21st century, as we discuss the Intercontinental Cup/Club World Cup via a great performance, a great (disallowed) goal and the infamous time that a certain club opted to play in the&nbsp...

Welcome to the first ever episode of Platini Played For Kuwait - the trivial football podcast (and not really a podcast about Michel Platini or Kuwait). Each week Marc and Matt come up with a football-related theme, which they then have to discuss centred around six 'artefacts' of their choosing - players, games, clubs, shirts, goals moments etc. In this first episode, they discuss a topic close to their heart: Welsh footballers who have played abroad (AKA Lost Boyos). Expect to hear ta...