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Today’s story comes from Gaizka Mendieta – who at Valencia was the most reliable penalty taker in the world. He’s going to tell you all of his secrets, so grab your pen and paper and listen up. 

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Here’s another chance to hear my Big Interview with Gus Poyet from season four.

The former midfield maestro explains the indefatigable mindset of players from his native Uruguay which makes the nation overachieve, and culminated in the 1995 Copa America triumph which Gus starred in. That sparked a level of euphoria only football can bequeath, as did Gus’ incredible European Cup Winners’ Cup final win with Real Zaragoza against Arsenal that same year.

Also in this extraordinary Big Interview: why playing in a Chelsea midfield alongside Roberto Di Matteo, Dan Petrescu and Dennis Wise meant he felt they could beat anyone.

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At the start of his pro career at Barca B, Oriol Romeu was under the auspices of Luis Enrique. It was an incredibly demanding experience, but the current Spain manager made the midfielder see football completely differently, not least because of Oriol’s desire to improve.

Also in part two, we chatted about Oriol’s published diaries. He found the writing experience fun, cathartic and self-improving – and he wanted to leave a legacy, a testimony.

And there’s great content about the methods of Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl and why club team-mate James Ward-Prowse is the best free-kick taker in the world.

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Oriol Romeu is a midfielder with such game intelligence that he has adapted to playing a pivotal role under several Southampton managers. Key to this success is his ability to seek out critique in order to improve his game, even contacting Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez for pointers. Xavi said his famously consistent level of performance was rooted in his stubborn refusal to give the ball away.

Also in part one, you’ll hear Oriol’s ultimate five-a-side team picked from the clubs he’s played for – Barca, Chelsea, Valencia, Stuttgart and Southampton. He barely hesitated in rhyming his selections off.

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Which La Liga players should be on Manchester United's radar if they are planning a summer rebuild? And how many of them feature in the relegation scrap that has turned into Spain's most enthralling football attraction? This and more in the final installment of our Q & A show.

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Hola

Welcome to part one of the April Q&A - yes, we know it's May but we wanted to preview this week's Champions League semi-finals, so we delayed it by a few days. So here's myself and Pete Jenson chewing over Liverpool 2 Villarreal 0 and Man City 4 Real Madrid 3 - and what we expect from this week's second legs.

Enjoy

G

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In part two of my absorbing conversation with Bolo Zenden, there’s great stuff about Ronaldo (the Brazilian one), who blossomed alongside the Dutchman at PSV. Bolo adored and admired Ronaldo, and tells us how fancy dress failed to disguise the genius from recognition at a Dutch carnival. But it was agony losing to his pal’s Brazil in the semi-final of the 1998 World Cup.

There’s also amazing content about working under and alongside Rafael Benítez, and winning the only major honour in Middlesbrough’s history.

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During my time in Spain, I have seen the heights of Villarreal’s extraordinary rise from a scruffy port town team, playing in front of a couple of thousand fans in a ramshackle stadium.

Here, from my writing this week for ESPNFC, is the special story of how their billionaire owner, Fernando Roig, has sustained that improbable transformation for a quarter of a century, and now stands on the edge of a new frontier: the Champions League final. 

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Boudewijn ‘Bolo’ Zenden was a winger full of pace and precision who graced the jerseys of the Netherlands, Barcelona, Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Liverpool and his beloved PSV Eindhoven, where he now coaches.

His childhood grounding in judo prepared him for epic duels with full-backs, and he’s as good a Big Interview guest as we’ve had at articulating the intricacy of his craft, how he lured opponents into his traps.

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Hola!

Here's an interesting one... this is my chat with Mick Clegg, the former power development coach at Manchester United. Mick is a fascinating character who tells tales of boxing with Roy Keane and Wes Brown, training the 'non-athlete' Paul Scholes and, of course, helping to shape a teenage Cristiano Ronaldo into the specimen he became. A fascinating tale of a unique guy.

G

** Mick has a brilliant book out, The Power and The Glory, expertly ghostwritten by Steve Bartram - You can buy it here **

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