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Just a quick one to say that we are taking a break till August, when we will be back with more weekly episodes.

Meantime, if there's a book or piece you'd like to see us feature, drop us a line [email protected]

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It's matchday in South Africa 2010, so it's time to see what Spain were up to.

It's the round of 16 and it's Portugal: that means Ronaldo. He was the world's most expensive footballer and had just finished his first season in the white of Madrid. 

Behind him, was one of the meanest defences in world football.

Spain had to innovate to stifle Ronaldo and break down the defensive barrier that stood between them and a quarter-final spot. Here's how they did it. 

BUY Spain: The Inside Story of La Roja's Historic Treble in paperback, ebook or audiobook (read by Graham)

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In the sweltering heat of Orlando Pat Bonner misjudged a net-bound shot during Ireland’s knock-out defeat to the Netherlands at USA ’94. Getting over setbacks like that, and indeed the whole psychology of goalkeeping, has obsessed him ever since he hung up his gloves. He has been a top-level coach, he has developed goalkeeping courses and he has been a consultant to the major footballing bodies.

In this brilliant lock-down Big Interview, he is incredibly insightful on the nature of modern goalkeeping, especially on how the No1 has now become a player in his own right. It is little wonder Pat is such a sought-after broadcast analyst. He is also one of the true gents of the beautiful game.

Thanks for breaking the lock-down monotony, Pat.

Graham

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It's win or bust in the final group game. Spain must Defeat Chile or go home. 

This was packed full of incident: a whirlwind start by Chile; two beautiful goals from Iniesta and Villa; a red card that should never have been; and the most bitter memory of the World Cup for my taste, as Chile offered Spain a murky deal, which they eventually accepted. 

Before that, nerves were shredded and I had to use all my wiles to get Spain's talismanic superfan past stadium security.

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Pat Bonner was made in Donegal: his values, resilience and work ethic were instilled in him by his family and his community, while playing Gaelic football toughened him up for a glittering soccer career.

He was Celtic’s stalwart No1 for years, winning nine major honours at the club, and he earned 80 caps for the Republic of Ireland. His penalty save in a shootout in Genoa against Romania - exactly 30 years ago this week - earned his national side a place in the quarter-finals of Italia ’90. Just weeks before, Pat had failed to save a single kick in the shootout against my beloved Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final. But he analysed and strategised and gave his country one of their biggest parties ever. Everyone in the world was a little bit Irish that night.

Enjoy

Graham

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As the Spanish press lose their minds in the wake of an opening defeat against Switzerland, Vicente Del Bosque sends his under-fire players on safari.

This is just one of the ways in which the European champions are treated as adults and now, in crisis mode, it pays off. They find a collective solution and move into Game Two, against Honduras, as one.

Elsewhere, England, France and Italy are not so resilient.

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Matt Spiro is an English football writer, broadcaster and commentator who has lived in France for the past 18 years.

Matt has used that experience, access and perspective to write Sacre Bleu: From Zidane to MBappe, a football journey.

It’s a book that tells the story of the modern history of the French national team, from one World Cup win, in 1998, to another, 20 years later.

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We're off and running with our World Cup 2010 recap. Here's what I saw and heard while tracking Spain for the first few days of their tournament, up to and including their first match against Switzerland.

• Why getting the right training camp counts.
• How to tame a dangerous Puyol in the wild.
• The Ali-Frazier nature of the series of matches between Vicente Del Bosque and Ottmer Hitzfeld, the two coaches, when they were in charge of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

And, of course, the game. A weird one, at the end of which Spain would know they had to make history if they were to add a world title to their European one.

All of this and a dance through the other games in the first round:

• Rob Green costs England
• Maicon scores a belter for Brazil
• Tshabalala starts the party.

• Want to read the whole story of how Spain on in 2008, 2010 and 2012? Find out about the book here:   https://backpagepress.co.uk/books/spain/ 

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Have you ever wondered how a book makes its journey to being a movie? Well, if you have, then this episode of Between the Lines is for you.

This is Martin's chat with John Carlin whose magnificent book Playing the Enemy was made into the Clint Eastwood directed film Invictus starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela.

The story of how that came to be is frankly one of the most amazing tales you'll ever hear.

Enjoy

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Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with John Carlin who wrote Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that made a Nation.

John’s book was later made into a Clint Eastwood film called Invictus starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as Springboks captain Francois Pienaar. Much more of that to come in tomorrow’s bonus episode.

Playing the Enemy tells the story of how Mandela used the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a political tool to help build and consolidate the extremely fragile democracy in South Africa at the time. It is a portrait of Mandela the politician. The great persuader.

As always, we focus on process: we talk about John’s audiences with Mandela and how his six years working in South Africa informed the book and lots more.

John is based in Barcelona and if you listen closely, you might just be able to hear the waves lapping gently on the shore as he talks. Spain’s lockdown was particularly severe and it’s nice to think about people in that beautiful country beginning to be able to live their lives again.  

Enjoy

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit backpagepress.substack.com