Copa del Rey Final, Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, 17 March 2004.

In the first episode of The Greatest Games, Jonathan Wilson and Marcus Speller are joined by European football correspondent and author of Di Stéfano, the Alfredo Di Stéfano biography, Ian Hawkey to discuss the 2004 Copa del Rey final.

In the 2003/04 season, Real Madrid were hurtling towards their first ever treble. With a four-point buffer at the top of La Liga and a Champions League semi-final against Monaco coming up, they went into the Copa del Rey final against Real Zaragoza full of expectation.

What happened next sent the club on a downward spiral that signalled the end of the Galácticos...

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Recorded at: https://outsetstudio.com
Produced by: Jack Elderton & Ryan Arnold

Greatest Games – Real Madrid 2 Real Zaragoza 3

FA Cup semi-final, Wembley Stadium, London, 16 April 2011

Jonathan Wilson and Marcus Speller are joined by football journalist at The Independent, Jack Pitt-Brooke, to discuss the 2011 FA Cup semi-final between Manchester City and Manchester United.

The expectation of silverware was beginning to stir at Manchester City as fans and pundits looked for justification for the millions being spent by the relatively new ownership regime led by Sheikh Mansour.

The game not only set City on their way to their first FA Cup final since 1981 but also represented a significant moment in the development of the modern Manchester City and the landscape of football in Manchester today.

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Recorded at: outsetstudio.com
Produced by: Jack Elderton & Ryan Arnold

Greatest Games – Manchester City 1 Manchester United 0

Champions League Final, Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, 25 May 2005.

Jonathan Wilson and Marcus Speller are joined by freelance sports journalist, John Brewin, to discuss the 2005 Champions League Final between Milan and Liverpool.

It was the last match that the Liverpool squad at the time would play together, many aware that they were soon to be replaced. Standing in their way of a Champions League winners medal were Milan who could boast a squad full of superstars. 

Despite the disparity between the sides, it turned out to be one of the greatest finals of all time.

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Recorded at: outsetstudio.com
Produced by: Jack Elderton & Ryan Arnold

Greatest Games – AC Milan 3 Liverpool 3

Brazil won the Copa América but their triumph was hijacked by Jair Bolsonaro.

In Episode One Hundred and Nineteen, we take an early look at "Mediocrity and the Beast" by Ewan MacKenna, to be published in Issue 34, in September 2019.

You can preorder Issue 34 here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/i…e-thirty-four

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – Mediocrity and the Beast

What Reading's attempts at a club song tell us about the hollowness of modern football.

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty, we take a look at "Royal Dissent" by Edward Sugden, published in our latest issue, Issue 34, in September 2019.

You can order Issue 34 here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/i…e-thirty-four

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – Royal Dissent

Adama Traoré dribbles more than almost anybody else in the world. But what is he actually good for?

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty One, we take a look at “The Dribber” by Sam France, published in our latest issue, Issue 34, in September 2019.

You can order Issue 34 here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/i…e-thirty-four

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – The Dribbler

Why a certain level of cynical fouling is essential for football's balance. 

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty Two, we take a look at “The Yoshida Defence” by Mark Thompson, published in Issue 28, in March 2018. 

You can order our latest edition, Issue 35, here: https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/issue-thirty-five

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – The Yoshida Defence

Globalisation, the Third Way, the Premier League and the Brexit backlash against the elites.

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty Three, we take a look at “Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated?” by Anthony Clavane, published in Issue 28, in March 2018.

You can order our latest edition, Issue 35, here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/i…ue-thirty-five

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated?

How fans fought back against the rise of the far right on the Elland Road terraces.

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty Four, we take a look at “Leeds United v the National Front” by Gary Hartley, published in Issue 35, in December 2019. 

You can order Issue 35, our latest edition, here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/i…ue-thirty-five

And access our entire archives here: www.theblizzard.co.uk/articles

From The Pages Of – Leeds United v the National Front

The night in 1962 when third-division Crystal Palace pushed Real Madrid to the limit.

In Episode One Hundred and Twenty Five, we take a look at “When Puskás came to Selhurst Park” by Jo Harman, published in Issue 37, in June 2020.

You can order Issue 37, our latest edition, here: theblizzard.co.uk/shop/product/issue-thirty-seven

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Read by: Tim Adams (@TimAdams76)
Produced by: Ryan Arnold (@_RyanArnold__)

From The Pages Of – When Puskás came to Selhurst Park

The Blizzard is a quarterly football publication put together by a cooperative of journalists and authors. These podcasts feature some of the best articles from our back catalogue, and recordings of live Q&A events we hold with our writers around the UK. 

Our main aim is to provide a platform for top-class writers from across the globe to enjoy the space and the freedom to write what they like about the football stories that matter to them.

For more details – www.theblizzard.co.uk