El Partido

With Paul on El Partido Paternity Leave, Nick brings you a solo-cast and another installment of El Partido Stories. This week, we take a look at Fernando Morientes, the Forgotten #9. As Real Madrid started their first galacticos era, traditional strikers like Morientes soon found themselves replaced by the idea of striker who brings as much off the pitch than on it - that wasn't how Morientes was...

Asturias is a hotbed of football with some of the most loyal fanbases in Spain - none more so than the fans of Real Sporting de Gijón. As one of the oldest clubs in Spain, you will struggle to find a club with a richer history and more passionate fanbase than the Asturian club on the coast. From the magic of El Molinón to the legends that have passed through their famed academy, Nick is just by Ma...

It's 2026 and we are back with another installment of En Directo with Matt Harrison - this time from the stunning city of Gijon! Malaga have transformed from potential relegation candiates to play off dark horses under Juan Funes, so obviously Matt had to travel across Spain to the colder climes of Asturias to witness them in one of his favourite Estadios! Available now wherever you get your podca...

We welcome back Matt Harrison to the podcast as we look to assemble our next 'Favourite XI' and this time, we've flipped it on its head - we're doing our favourite Spanish players who've played in the Premier League! So join Nick, Paul and Matt as we talk about some the greatest but most importantly, our favourite Spaniards to appear in the English top flight! Available now wherever you get your p...

Join Matt Harrison as he vacates the warmer climes of the Costa del Sol and braves the elements in the northern Spanish city of Vallodolid. Malaga were looking for a second win in a row under Funes but the former La Liga side have made the Jose Zorilla a difficult place to visit. Available now wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...

We are delighted to share this week, our first El Partido en Directo from a Copa del Rey game! Torrent CF of the Segunda Federacion had drawn a plum tie against Manuel Pellegrini's Real Betis and for the occasion, got the opportunity to play at the impressive Ciuadad Valencia. Russ Pearce (Seagulls Over Spain) was lucky enough to be there and sent us his report straight from Valencia! If you want...

10 years ago this week, Peter Lim shocked the footballing world by announcing a former Manchester United right back as manager of Valencia - that man was Gary Neville! As he took his first steps into management, Neville found out that charm and charisma isn't enough when your aim is to impress the crowds at Mestalla. Join Nick & Paul as they recollect the 118 days of his tenure in Valencia and loo...

The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona has always been fierce. Whether the undercurrents of political viewpoints, nationalism or class, El Clásico had it's intensity unrivalled elswhere in the world. However, at the turn of the Millenium, that rivalry reached new heights of hostility - when Luis Figo, darling and star of Barcelona, crossed the divide by signing directly for Real Madrid... I...

The 'Journeyman' in the UK is a mythical beast. You see him rock up at a league rival, knowing that he could potentially pulling on your colours the following season, adding you to the list of badges he's represented. That sentiment isn't as common in Spain - some may even say it's normal for a player to have several clubs across his career in Spanish football due the nature of short term contract...

In 2004, a man with the nickname “El Ingeniero” would accept a job in the small town of Villarreal. An ambitious move to appoint the Chilean would be the foundation of Villarreal establishing themselves as a domestic and European force but also sent La Liga on a long term love affair with this man. That man is one Manuel Pellegrini! In this episode, Nick & Paul are joined by Rahul (@laligalondon)...

Some things just go together. Salt and Pepper, Roasts and Gravy and of course, Liam and Yeclano Deportivo. We are delighted for this week's El Partido en Directo that Liam once again heads to the Murcia region as Yeclano Deportivo host the Abuelo, Recreativo de Huelva in a top end of the table Segunda Federacion clash - with both sides having aspirations of an immediate return to the Primera RFEF!...

Back in 2007, Real Racing Club were a solid side treading water in La Liga - Enter Marcelino! The former Recre de Huelva manager came to Cantabria and ripped up the rulebook, turning Racing Santander into a challenger at the top of the La Liga table and would eventually bring European football to El Sardinero for the first time in the clubs history. Nick and Paul dig deep into how he managed to tr...

In our first Halloween special, we bring you a collection of spooky Spanish football stories including haunting howlers, terrifying shockers and scary screamers! We also look at the 'Haunting of Getafe' where a routine Barcelona win in Getafe on Halloween turned into a nightmare that would question the integrity and image of the club in the Spanish media! Available now wherever you get your podcas...

There was once a player from El Salvador that Diego Maradona once described as 'a better player than Maradona and Pele'. The man he was referring to never went on to reach the accolades of those two players but his skills and love of the game would make an entire city in Spain fall in love with him. Of course, we are talking about Mágico González and Cadiz Club de Futbol! We are joined by Mark fro...

It was a football weekend in Madrid for Matt and friends with Malaga heading to Butarque to take on Leganés. Matt is joined by the lads from the Spanish Segunda show as Malaga look to build on their emphatic defeat of Depor last weekend, whilst the home side need to start picking up results if they have any aspirations of returning to La Liga at the first time of asking. Available now wherever you...

Diego Simeone has always been a serial winner but his exploits with Atletico Madrid have not just earned him the respect of his peers - but he has broken the duopoly in Spanish football and introduced a third horse into the race. He often gets brushed playing with a 'certain brand' of football - which is so far from the truth. His longevity is based on his team building and the culture of 'Cholism...

Another week, another special edition of En Directo - this time from the incredible Unio Esportiva Sant Andreu. A staple of the ever-growing popularity of non-league football in the city of Barcelona, Sant Andreu are an incredible club that are the face of this movement, as well as Catalan traditions. Join Liam Bambridge as he brings us his report of Sant Andreu v Valencia Mestalla in the Segunda...

It's not often you get to meet one of the inspirations for your entire podcast but we had that joy this week as we were joined by the one and only Guillem Balagué! We go back to where it all started with a Revista de La Liga love-in, talk about the Maradona Nostalgia and all about his brand new book, Rise of the Villains - the Unai Emery Aston Villa Revolution! Available now wherever you get your...

We have another brilliant episode of El Partido en Directo to bring, once again for our man in Spain - Mr Matt Harrison. This week, he is making the trip back to where it all began in Espana to the Abuelo of Spanish football - Huelva. Listen as he takes us back to the historic city on the Atlantic Coast and takes us to the Nuevo Colombino to watch Recreativo de Huelva take on Lorca Deportiva in th...

The Sunshine Coast is a hotbed of football, with clubs big and small dotted along this picturesque part of Spain. It's also the home to many fantastic footballers past and present so we wanted to take the opportunity to talk all about them with the man behind the Costa del Fútbol - Luke Chambers! We get to talk about some of those unique clubs along the Costa but also look at some of the great pla...

On this week's episode, we finally get to talk about about one of the most fascinating clubs in Spanish football, or world football for that matter - Athletic Club Bilbao! We are delighted to be joined by the brilliant Christopher Evans, author of Los Leones, as we discuss everything from Bielsa to Basque culture and most importantly, what makes Atheltic Club unique in the world! Available now whe...

We have received another brilliant installment for El Partido en Directo and this week, we get to join Alex O'Brien (@AlcorconIrlanda) in the beautiful town of Antequera as his follows his beloved Alcorcon to the Malaga region in the hope of securing a win that would possibly take them top of the league! Available now wherever you get your podcasts and through our Patreon. If you are heading to ge...

On this week's episode, Nick is delighted to be joined by the man behind the brilliant Estadios de España blog, Chris Clements. As always, they will take a nostalgic view on stadiums of the past and the memories that go with them whilst also asking the questions, do their replacements capture the essence that made them so special and why are the Spanish so good at upgrading estadios?! Available no...

France is known for many a great thing - baguettes, the Citreon Berlingo and of course, footballers! We're back again with another installment of 'Our Favourite XIs' and Nick is once again joined by our resident team selector, Matt Harrison as we discuss our all time favourite French footballers to have graced La Liga! Available now wherever you get your podcasts, on Patreon and on YouTube! Learn...

Spain was one of later countries to embrace professional football during the late 1920's and just as it started to gather momentum, it was abruptly interupted with outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. We are delighted to be joined by Chris Lee, author of 'Origin Stories', 'Shades of Green' and the spectacular 'The Defiant - A History of Football against Fascism' as we discuss how football in Spain w...