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Call it showtime mentality. It's at the core of Cristiano Ronaldo's big-game performances. It's what makes Real Madrid the masters of Champions League football. And for now, at least, it appears to be the difference between the back-to-back European champions and PSG. Let's look into an area of elite football that doesn't show up in the OPTA stats.

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Hello Big Interview listeners! We’ve picked out a juicy chunk of my Big Interview with Kevin Kilbane. In this extract, Kevin talks about the great Roy Keane and his influence on his Ireland team. Kevin describes a team-mate who demanded high standards, while he also gives a brilliant analysis of how exactly Keane controlled the tempo of matches and put Ireland on the front foot.

Keane was a talisman for his country, no more so than in a 2002 World Cup qualifier in Dublin against a Portugal team which included Luis Figo and Rui Costa. Kevin believes that match was the Man United midfielder's best ever performance in an Ireland jersey.

To hear the full 90-minute episode, including Kevin's retrospective look at how far he believes Ireland could have gone at the 2002 World Cup with Keane in the side, it’s time to become a Socio.

Sign up now and you’ll not only unlock the Kevin interview, but my conversations with Rafa Van der Vaart, Ledley King, Robbie Keane, Kevin Phillips, Jermaine Defoe, Roberto Di Matteo and Sir Les Ferdinand. Go to patreon.com/grahamhunter.

It’s the best £2.99 you’ll spend this year.

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Hello,

By now you are bound to know that I changed my career, changed my life by moving to Spain and covering FC Barcelona. It was a risk which paid off, but I am not the only one to reap the rewards of moving to live and work abroad.

In Season Two of this podcast I encountered many kindred spirits, guys like Steve McManaman, who in this clip show describes how he made friends at Real Madrid following his move from Liverpool. Steve Archibald also calls Barcelona home after swapping English football for the Camp Nou, proving he was good enough during his training session. He explains why here.

Gianluca Vialli describes the culture shock he felt after signing for Chelsea; Stan Petrov tells the story of how he learned English flipping burgers; and Thomas Hitzlsperger reveals the prejudices he encountered as a German playing in England.

Away from the British game, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink talks about playing in Madrid and Benni McCarthy explains what it was about Ajax which drew him to Amsterdam, while messrs Peter Crouch and Jonny Evans reveal their ambitions to play football abroad. 

Enjoy!

Graham

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Archie Macpherson’s book 'Jock Stein: The Definitive Biography' was published in 2004 and updated four years ago. Built on a mountain of research and infused with Archie’s own knowledge through his decades-long professional relationship with Stein, this is by far the most complete view of Stein’s life that has ever been written. This is Martin's conversation with Archie

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Hola!

FC Barcelona are in London tomorrow to face Chelsea in the Champions League. Their rivalry goes back a long way and this is the origins story, as told by Jody Morris.

Jody was a member of the Chelsea midfield which took on Louis Van Gaal's Barca team in April 2000. In fact, Jody faced an as yet unknown Xavi in the first leg - a 3-1 in for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Chelsea man then went toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola at the Camp Nou, with the home side claiming to a 5-1 win over the 10-man London side.

Listen to Jody as he takes you back to those nights and describes the experience of facing famous names, stepping out at the Camp Nou, and taking on Pep. By the end I promise that you'll be more than ready for the next instalment of this rivalry.

Enjoy!

Graham

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Well, the wait is almost over and the Champions League is nearly upon us once again.

And what a way to get back into the competition! Real Madrid at home to Paris Saint-Germain is a must-see tie and boy am I excited.

In this special preview podcast I pick my Madrid team and discuss the prospects of the Spanish side conquering Neymar, Cavani and co.

Enjoy!

Graham

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In December 2017, Bleacher Report published James Montague's ground-breaking report from inside North Korea - the result of a journey over a decade in the making. His story brings together an Asian Cup qualifier, a nuclear bomb, an under-pressure manager, the world's largest stadium and a ballboy-based international incident. It's a trip.

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Liverpool 4 Man City 3. January 14, 2018. The day Andy Robertson arrived as a Liverpool player.

With 71 minutes gone and his team 4-1 ahead of league leaders City, visiting winger Raheem Sterling is subbed after being marked out of the game by the young Scot.

Minutes later Robertson embarks on a lung-bursting 70-yard pressing run which sees him chase down four City defenders and their goalkeeper. ‘The Run’ would go viral on social media the next day.

Moments later, the Kop starts signing his name. It has been a good day.    

Here, Robertson recalls the key moments of last month’s classic match and breaks down life under Jurgen Klopp.

Enjoy

Graham

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In 2010, journalist Nick Harris first produced an annual report called the Global Sports Salaries Survey, which compared athletes’ wages on a like-for-like basis from major sports around the world. In 2018, the report now covers all the major football leagues, NBA basketball, NFL, NHL, IPL cricket and more. Here Nick tells us how he pulls it all together thanks to a huge amount of expertise and an army of contacts around the world.

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My Big Interview with Les Ferdinand is available now, exclusively for our Socios. Go to Patreon now to unlock my chat with Les in full, as well as a host of other exclusive Big Interviews and special episodes.

In the meantime, here is an extract which I think is important for us all to listen to. You'll hear Les talk about how he was inspired by black footballers like Cyrille Regis, who stood up to vile racism, while Les also outlines the measures he would take to rid our game of this evil once and for all.

He has some stern words for the FA too, and explains why he thinks they are unable to tackle racism effectively.

Graham

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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 revistadelaliga.substack.com