Platini Played For Kuwait

Partnerships

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 23:00:00 +0200

For our first episode of the new season, we thought we'd look to those who have got by with a little help from their friends. From footballing bromances to managerial partnerships, via striker partnerships and defensive duos, we explored those who agree that two heads (or two sets of feet) are better than one.

Matt's Choices

1. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams
2. Nihat and Darko Kovacevic
3. Brian Clough and Peter Taylor

Marc's Choices

1. Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min
2. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos
3. Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister

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. Also please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Matt and Marc's Football Travels 2023/24

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 11:00:00 +0200

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 Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

The Euros: Shirt, Game, Goal

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 21:00:00 +0200

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 in the Euro 2008 final

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. Also please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Play-Offs

Fri, 31 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

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 Final
Garry Monk’s tackle in the 2011 Championship Play-Off Final
Altrincham 2-1 Guiseley in 2014 Conference North Play-Off Fina

Marc’s Choices

Bologna winning the 1964 Serie A in a Play-Off match v Inter
Bolton 4-3 Reading in the 1995 Division 1 Play-Off Final
Uzbekistan v Bahrain in 2006 World Cup Qualifying Play-Off Semi-Final

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. Also please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Feyenoord

Fri, 17 May 2024 06:00:00 +0200

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 v Estudiantes in the 1970 Intercontinental Cup
2. Johan Cruyff's season at Feyenoord
3. Arne Slot

Matt and Marc's choices

1. De Kuip
2. 2002 UEFA Cup final - Feyenoord v Dortmund
3. Giovanni van Bronckhorst

You can find Chris on Twitter at @ChrisMLG6 and the Guiricast at @GuiricastPod

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. Also please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Semi-finals

Mon, 06 May 2024 18:00:00 +0200

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 AFC Champions League

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. Also please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Big Sam's Bolton

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 21:00:00 +0100

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 Premier League appearance
3. Nicolas Anelka

Gibbo's Choices

1. (Almost) signing Rivaldo
2. Sam Ashton
3. Qualifying for the UEFA Cup

You can find Gibbo on Twitter at @JoeBillGibbo.

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. Also please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Diving Headers

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 19:00:00 +0100

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 professional goal
3. Gianluca Vialli's sliding header for Sampdoria v Bari

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. Also please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Australia: The Socceroos

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 03:00:00 +0100

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 getting to the final of the 1997 Confederations Cup
2. Australia v Italy in the 2006 World Cup
3. Jackson Irvine

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. Also please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Brazil's 1970 World Cup Winners

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0100

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 in the 1966 World Cup
Roginho’s replacement
Mario Zagallo

Matt and Marc’s Choices

Brazil v England at the 1970 World Cup
Jairzinho
Carlos Alberto’s goal in the 1970 World Cup Final

You can find Gary on Twitter at @All_Blue_Daze and you can find a Twitter dedicated to his new book O Jogo Bonito!: Brazil's 1970 World Cup Samba Party @O_Jogo_Bonito70

You can also pre-order Gary's new book O Jogo Bonito!: Brazil's 1970 World Cup Samba Party here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jogo-Bonito-Brazils-World-Samba/dp/1801506760

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. Also please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Football and Video Games

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 23:00:00 +0100

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 Soccer
Tommy Svindal Larsen on Championship Manager 97/98
Football-endorsed games
AS Roma on Championship Manager 01/02
The Pro Evolution Soccer Master League team
FIFA 10/FIFA 11

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. Also please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Bayer Leverkusen 2001/2002

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 23:00:00 +0100

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 such a great team.

The England B Team's Choices

1. Christophe Daum
2. Michael Ballack
3. Ulf Kirsten

Matt and Marc's Choices

1. Leverkusen's 2002 Champions League Campaign
2. Hamburg 1-1 Leverkusen
3. Hans-Jörg Butt

You can follow the England B Team on Twitter and Instagram at @EnglandBTeamPod.

You can check out their podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3xIpLBRIEcL8jhNsusKTqp?si=c0bf05e271a544ec&nd=1&dlsi=3377a65565054fb5

And check out their YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@EnglandBTeamPod

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Football Clubs in Green Shirts

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 23:00:00 +0100

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 Allianz Stadion
2. Grafite and Dzeko at Wolfsburg
3. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

You can find Alex on Twitter at @AlexHAshmore and on the excellent Guiricast podcast @GuiricastPod

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Acrobatic Goals

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 22:00:00 +0100

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 City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZV9UWY5wwY
3. Nguyen Quang Hai v Ceres Negros
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ussDB6VQ5pQ

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Welsh Clubs in Europe

Sat, 28 Oct 2023 14:00:00 +0200

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 podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

David Beckham

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 22:00:00 +0200

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 2002
Beckham’s 2006/2007 La Liga winning season
LA Galaxy shirts

Marc’s Choices

The halfway line goal against Wimbledon
Beckham’s metatarsal injury
Beckham’s assist to Ronaldo in Copa dely Rey semi-final in 2006

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Indian Summers

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 11:00:00 +0200

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. Beppe Bergomi at the 1998 World Cup
2. Gary McAllister at Liverpool
3. Luca Toni at Verona

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Valencia CF 1998-2004

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200

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 football writer and podcaster Chris Lee - the host of the excellent Outside Write podcast and author of 'Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World' and 'The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism'.

Chris' choices:

1. Claudio Ranieri and Valencia
2. Champions League final losses in 2000 and 2001
3. Rafa Benitez and Valencia

Matt and Marc's Choices

1. Mestalla
2. Gaizka Mendieta's goal v Atletico Madrid in the 1999 Copa del Rey final
3. Pablo Aimar

You can find Chris and his podcast on Twitter at @OutsideWrite.

You can also find Chris' two books here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chris-Lee/e/B091D5C6LB?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1694447421&sr=8-1

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Matt and Marc's Football Travels 2022/2023

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 21:00:00 +0200

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 Vicente
Villarreal CF’s Estadi de la Ceràmica
Pablo Hernández at Castellon

Marc’s Choices

Al Arabi 2-2 Salmiya
Women’s football at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Emirates Stadium
Wales 2-4 Armenia

You can check out Matt's articles about Kevin and Pablo Hernández (plus a couple of other little Málaga bits) here: https://www.otbfootball.net/author/matt-harrison/

You can also find his fundraising page for his camino from Lisbon to San Sebastian here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/matthew-harrison-1687092527985?utm_source=copyLink&utm_medium=one_pa

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

CR Flamengo

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 21:00:00 +0200

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 All The Cups, is to be published next month.

Stephen’s choices

Manuel Fleitas Solich
Zico
Santos 5-4 Flamengo July 2011 - Neymar v Ronaldinho

Matt and Marc’s choices

Leônidas
Dejan Petkovic and other Europeans at Flamengo
Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa and recent successes

You can find Stephen on Twitter at @StephenCBrandt.

You can pre-order Stephen’s book Flamengo: Winning All the Cups here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flamengo-Winning-Cups-Stephen-Brandt/dp/1801504539/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=flamengo+winning+all+the+cups&qid=1686770078&sprefix=flamengo+winning%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

1992/1993 Premier League

Mon, 22 May 2023 19:00:00 +0200

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 Goal of the Season
2. Brian Clough's final season as manager
3. Eric Cantona's move to Manchester United.

You can find Rob on Twitter at @rob_fletcher_ and you can find a Twitter dedicated to his new book 1992: The Birth of Modern Football at @92FootballBook

You can also buy Rob's book 1992: The Birth of Modern Football here https://www.amazon.co.uk/1992-Modern-Football-Rob-Fletcher/dp/1801504288

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

AFC Champions League

Fri, 12 May 2023 17:00:00 +0200

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 2010
2. Dejan Damjanović
3. Johor Darul Ta'zim in the 2022 tournament

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

World Record Transfers

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 09:00:00 +0200

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.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Ajax 71, 72, 73

Sat, 15 Apr 2023 10:00:00 +0200

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

1. Ajax v Bayern Munich in the 1972/73 European Cup quarter-final
2. Gerrie Muhren's keepie-uppies at the Bernabeu
3. Cruyff leaving Ajax.

You can find Gary on Twitter at @All_Blue_Daze and you can find a Twitter dedicated to his new book Dutch Masters at @DutchMasters73.

You can also pre-order Gary's new book Dutch Masters: When Ajax's Totaalvoetbal Conquered Europe here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dutch-Masters-Totaalvoetbal-Conquered-Europe/dp/1801504415

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Nigeria in the 90s

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 23:00:00 +0200

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 Oliseh's goal v Spain at France 98

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Sporting Clube de Portugal

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 18:00:00 +0100

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 Sporting
Mario Jardel's 2001-2002 season at Sporting
Marcus Edwards

Marc’s Choices

Randolph Galloway
Emilio Peixe
Sporting CP v Manchester United 2003 AKA The Cristiano Ronaldo Friendly

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Sven's Lazio

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 09:00:00 +0100

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 shirts
Juan Sebastian Veron
Marcelo Salas' tackle/lob goal against Torino

Marc’s Choices

Sinisa Mihajlovic's hatrick of freekicks v Sampdoria
Roberto Mancini's backheel volley goal against Parma
Alessandro Nesta

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Football Clubs in Orange Shirts

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 23:00:00 +0100

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.

Nick’s Choices

Kenilworth Road and Luton Town
Brett Ormerod
Forge FC

Matt’s Choices

Dundee United v Barcelona in 1987 UEFA Cup
Stephen Dobbie at Swansea and Blackpool
Shmizu S-Pulse

Marc’s Choices

Merthyr Town’s Donetsk-inspired away shirt
Lens’ Orange-sponsored shirts in 2001/02
Jeju United in the 2017 AFC Champions League

You can follow Nick on Twitter at @nicknellofbpl and on the Guiricast podcast (alongside Matt).

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

ASEAN Football Federation Championship

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 17:00:00 +0100

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 footballer
Sven Goran Eriksson managing the Phillippines
Keisuke Honda managing Cambodia

Marc’s Choices

Malaysia and the 1972 and 1980 Olympics football tournament
Vietnam U23 team in the 2018 U23 Asian Cup
Theerathon Bunmathan - MVP at the 2022 AFF Championship

You can find Matt on Twitter at @MattLostBoyo and Marc on Twitter at @MarcLostBoyo.

And follow the podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

Platini Played for Kuwait 2022 Revisited

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 17:00:00 +0100

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 (linked to the Southampton Football Club episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1937051/11423855)
2. Fredi Kanoute at Sevilla (linked to the Football in Seville episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1937051/10691721)
3. The proposal for the new Club World Cup (linked to the intercontinental Cup/Club World Cup episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1937051/10100744)

Marc's Choices

1. Spezia's third shirt and Ethan Ampadu (linked to the Welsh Footballers Abroad AKA Lost Boyos episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1937051/10052227)
2. Steven Thicot (linked to the Wonderkids Who Faded episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1937051/11285907)
3. 'Sergio Aguero' scoring for Malaysia (linked to the Dual Nationality Players episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1937051/10227381)

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. Also, please leave us a rating/review on your chose podcast platform.

Enjoy the podcast!

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

The 2022 World Cup

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 11:00:00 +0100

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 World Cup here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Crossbar-Dictatorships-World-Cup/dp/1801501742/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=blood+on+the+crossbar&qid=1672394688&sprefix=blood+on+the+c%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1

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. Also please review the podcast to get the word out there.

Rhys' Choices:

1. Dafydd Iwan
2. Argentina v Netherlands in the quarter-final
3. Argentina fans

Matt Choices:

1. Vincent Aboubakar goal v Serbia
2. Antoine Griezmann
3. The 2022 World Cup Final

Marc’s Choices

1. Richarlison's goal v Serbia
2. The Group E Finale - Japan v Spain/Costa Rica v Germany
3. Australia at the 2022 World Cup

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

World Cup Stadiums

Sat, 17 Dec 2022 14:00:00 +0100

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 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.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Wales and the World Cup

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 09:00:00 +0100

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 Bell, a fellow Welshman and the co-host of the excellent My Football Heroes podcast.

Lewis' Choices

1. Wales' 1994 qualifying Campaign
2. Infamous qualification losses
3. Toshack and Flynn's impact on the 2022 World Cup squad

Matt's Choices

1. Wales 1958 qualification campaign
2. Mel Charles at the 1958 World Cup
3. Swansea City's impact on the 2022 World Cup squad

Marc's Choices

1. Mervyn Griffiths
2. Robbie Savage in World Cup qualifiers
3. Jonny Williams

Make sure to go check out Lewis' excellent podcast, My Football Heroes, which features an episode with Matt. You can find the podcast here or wherever you get your pods from. https://open.spotify.com/show/1DDqhkVY0Yft7c1rtXxsBy

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.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

World Cup Golden Boot Winners

Sun, 13 Nov 2022 14:00:00 +0100

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 the 1962 World Cup
3. Davor Suker at the 1998 World Cup

Marc's Choices

1. Eusebio at the 1966 World Cup
2. Gary Lineker at the 1986 World Cup
3. Salvatore 'Toto' Schillaci at the 1990 World Cup

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.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Iran at the World Cup

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 22:00:00 +0100

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 group mate Gareth Southgate).

Arya's Choices

1. Arya: Iran 0-1 Argentina ( at the 2014 World Cup)
2. Iran 1-0 Morocco (at the 2018 World Cup)
3. Saeid Ezatolahi

Matt's Choices

1. USA 1-2 Iran (at 1998 World Cup)
2. Ashfin Ghobti
3. Mehdi Tarimi

Marc's Choices

1. Nasser Hejazi
2. Carlos Queiroz vs Choi Kang Hee in 2014 World Cup qualification
3. Masoud Shojaei (2018)

You can follow Arya on Twitter at @Arya_Allahverd and his podcast Gol Bezan at @GolBezan.

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.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Copa Libertadores

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0200

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 Libertadores
3. Boca v River in the 2018 Copa Libertadores Final

Matt's Choices

1. Atlético Nacional winning the 1989 Copa Libertadores
2. Vélez Sarsfield winning the 1994 Copa Libertadores
3. São Caetano runners up in 2002 Copa Libertadores

Marc's Choices

1. Enzo Francescoli
2. LDU Quito winning the 2008 Copa Libertadores
3. Neymar Puskás Award Goal vs. Peñarol In the Copa Libertadores Final 2011

You can follow David on Twitter at @di1cox.

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.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Minnows and Micro Nations

Sun, 16 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0200

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 podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

If you enjoyed the podcast, make sure to subscribe wherever you get your pods from and tell a friend about us.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Champions League Hatricks

Sun, 09 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0200

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 Göteborg
2. Adriano's hatrick for Inter v Artmedia Bratislava
3. Mislav Oršić's hatrick for Dinamo Zagreb v Atalanta

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.

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Southampton Football Club

Sun, 02 Oct 2022 22:00:00 +0200

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 Southampton
2. Southampton's 2003 FA Cup Final team
3. Sadio Mane scoring the quickest hatrick in Premier League history

Marc's Choices

1. Southampton's relationship with Athletic Club
2. Danny Wallace's 1983/84 Goal of the Season
3. Southampton 6-3 Manchester United

Alex's Choices

1. Rickie Lambert
2. Shane Long's goal at Anfield in the 2017 League Cup semi-final
3. The 2017 League Cup Final

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig.

Film Stars and Football

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 19:00:00 +0200

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. The stars of the Mask of Zorro and their 'reluctancy' to invest in football
3. Reynolds/McElhenney taking over Wrexham - Welcome to Wrexham

Marc's Choices

1. Michael Sheen and Football
2. Matthew McConaughey and Austin FC
3. Atlético Madrid's 2003/04 film sponsored shirts

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Wonderkids Who Faded

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 22:00:00 +0200

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. Kerlon
2. Jack Rodwell
3. Adrian Doherty

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

El Camino de Santiago x Football

Sat, 25 Jun 2022 10:00:00 +0200

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 here: https://gofund.me/46d86252

You can follow Chris on Twitter at @nufcpidge

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.

Matt’s Choices

Fernando Llorente
Julián Calero
Ronaldo’s goal v SD Compostela in 1996

Marc’s Choices

El Sadar
Javi Martínez
Juan Mata

Chris’ Choices

Footballers/Managers who have completed El Camino
Fuentesnuevas - former home of SD Ponferradina
Destileria Bar in Ponferrada

The 2002 World Cup in South Korea/Japan

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 16:00:00 +0200

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 Cup Revisited.

You can find Danny on Twitter at @DannyLewis_95 and the Twitter account for his latest book When Asia Welcomed the World: The 2002 World Cup Revisited can be found at @02WCBook.

You can preorder When Asia Welcomed the World: The 2002 World Cup Revisited here https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Asia-Welcomed-World-Revisited/dp/1801501254/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=when+asia+welcomed+the+world&qid=1655474757&sprefix=when+asia+%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-1

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.

Danny's Choices

1. Nelson Cuevas' performance against Slovenia
2. Rüştü Reçber
3. The USA at the 2002 World Cup

Matt's Choices

1. France 0-1 Senegal
2. Republic of Ireland at the 2002 World Cup
3. Ronaldo's redemption

Marc's Choices

1. Sapporo Dome
2. Ahn Jung-Hwan
3. Germany at the 2002 World Cup

The 1978 World Cup in Argentina

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0200

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 find Rhys on Twitter at @RhysWRichards.

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.

Matt Choices:

Cruyff’s no show at World Cup 78
Argentina 6-0 Peru
Mario Kempes winning the Golden Boot

Marc’s Choices

The debut of the Adidas Tango
Clive Thomas’ final whistle for Brazil v Sweden
France’s green and white shirt

Rhys’ Choices

The assassination of General Actis
Willie Johnston’s failed drugs test
César Luis Menotti

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Gareth Bale

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 23:00:00 +0200

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 future holds for Wales post-Bale

You can find Ralph on Twitter at @RalphDavies1.

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.

Matt's Choices

1. Bale's hatrick v Inter Milan at the San Siro
2. Bale's 2012/2013 Season at Tottenham
3. Bale v the Spanish press

Marc's Choices

1. Bale's first international goal - the freekick v Slovakia in 2006
2. Bale v Israel in 2005
3. Bale's freekick v Austria in 2022

Ralph'a Choices

1. Liechtenstein 0-2 Wales - Bale in attack
2. Bale's goal v Scotland in 2013
3. Bale's freekick v Slovakia at Euro 2016

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Football in Seville

Fri, 27 May 2022 14:00:00 +0200

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 Alan on Twitter at @azulfeehely and if Spanish football is your thing, make sure to go check out the excellent @footballespana_

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.

Matt's Choices

1. Patrick O'Connell winning the 1935 La Liga with Betis
2. Diego Maradona at Sevilla
3. Denilson breaking the transfer record on joining Real Betis

Marc's Choices

1. David Narey's goal v Brazil in the 1982 World Cup
2. The 1986 European Cup final
3. Ever Banega

Alan's Choices

1. El Gran Derbi in 2022
2. Sergio Ramos at Sevilla
3. Betis win the 2022 Copa del Rey

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

Club v Country Matches

Fri, 20 May 2022 19:00:00 +0200

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 the Camp Nou for arguably the most glamorous ‘centenary game’ of all-time; and finally, we deep dive into the time a club v country friendly descended into such chaos that the game was abandoned and a player was left knocked out on the floor for 5 minutes.

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.

Matt’s Choices

Tottenham v FA XI in the 1961 Charity Shield
Barcelona v Brazil in Barcelona’s ‘Centenary Game’
QPR A-A China

Marc’s Choices

The Kirin Cup
Leyton Orient 2-1 Wales
Manchester United’s 2001 Preseason Tour of South-East Asia

Music: Chimez by Dan Henig

In Their Fathers' Shadows: Less-Heralded Footballing Sons

Fri, 13 May 2022 11:00:00 +0200

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 Sinagra
Cameron Toshack
Jordi Cruyff

Marc’s Choices

Darren Ferguson
Cha Du-Ri
Ilhan, Irfan and Ikhsan Fandi

Football and Fan Culture in the League of Ireland

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 21:00:00 +0200

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 @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

Matt's Choices

1. Bobby Charlton at Waterford Town
2. Big Sam starting his managerial career at Limerick
3. Wes Hoolahan at Shelbourne and his performance v Deportivo

Marc's Choices

1. Steve Williams
2. Eamon Zayed
3. Jordan Flores' Puskas Award-nominated goal in 2020

Alex's Choices

1. Stadia of the League of Ireland
2. Irish teams in Europe
3. Cork City

Czech Football

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 21:00:00 +0100

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 podcast at @PlayedForKuwait.

If you enjoyed the podcast, make sure to subscribe wherever you get your pods from and tell a friend about us

Matt’s Choices

The Blansko Klobása

The goalscoring of Josef "Pepi" Bican

Bohemians 1905’s club badge

Marc’s Choices

Josef Masupost - 1962 Ballon d’or winner

The Czech republic’s Euro 1996 squad

Vítězslav Lavička - the new manager of Kuwait

Ralph’s Choices

The great grounds of the Czech Republic

Czech internationals playing village football

Tomáš Rosický

Dual Nationality Footballers

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0100

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 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

Matt's Choices

1. Platini playing for Kuwait
2. László Kubala playing for Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Spain
3. Steven Caulker for Sierra Leone in AFCON 2022

Marc's Choices

1. Luis Monti playing for Argentina and then winning the World Cup with Italy in 1934
2. The Boateng brothers playing against each other in World Cup 2010
3. Mika Chunuonsee

Marco's Choices

1. Mohamadou Sumareh for Malaysia
2. Jordi Amat about to play for Indonesia
3. Kobe Jae Chong

Chelsea in the Abramovich Era

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 13:00:00 +0100

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 Blue: Chelsea's Unlikely Champions League Triumph here.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Blue-Chelseas-Unlikely-Champions/dp/1801500819

Matt's Choices

1. Jesper Gronkjaer's goal v Liverpool in 2003
2. Oscar's goal v Juventus in 2013
3. Chelsea v Barcelona in the Abramovich era

Marc's Choices

1. Michael Ballack
2. Chelsea's 2009-2010 season
3. Ji Yo-Sun

Gary's Choices

1. Lampard's 2nd goal v Bolton in 2005 to win the league
2. Ashley Cole clearance off the line v Napoli in 2012
3. Drogba's winning penalty in the 2012 Champions League Final.

Intercontinental Cup and Club World Cup

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 17:00:00 +0100

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 2000 World Cup Championship ahead of that year’s FA Cup.

Matt’s Choices

1. The Battle of Montevideo’ - Racing v Celtic 1967 Intercontinental Cup final

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95jKohSPSDo

2. Zico v Liverpool - the 1981 Intercontinental Cup

https://www.planetfootball.com/nostalgia/a-forensic-analysis-of-zicos-midfield-masterclass-vs-liverpool-in-the-1981-mundial/ - Planet Football article by Joshua Law analysing Zico’s performance

3. Manchester United in the 2000 World Club Championship

Marc’s Choices

1. Platini’s disallowed wonder goal in the 1985 Intercontinental Cup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUhOwDJQAdE

2. Manchester United 5-3 Gamba Osaka in the 2008 Club World Cup semi-final

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAFQFl41RYk

3. Mauricio Molina: top goalscorer in the 2010 Club World Cup

Welsh Footallers Abroad (AKA Lost Boyos)

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 22:00:00 +0100

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 tales of the gentle giant in Italy (and how he once managed our hosts' Dad), how Welsh football helped to kickstart 'soccer' in the US and how a Welsh football manager from Caernafon came to be adored in the Netherlands - plus much more.

Matt's Choices:
1. James Lawrence
2. John Charles
3. Barry Hughes

Marc's Choices:
1. Howard Passadoro
2. Rush-Saunders-Hughes and their European travels
3. The Welsh impact on the NASL