In this episode, we take a look back at one of the most fascinating players in the history of the game – Juan Román Riquelme. We start off with his first steps and his first period in Argentine football, with Andrew Miller (@AndrewMillerNBA) telling this genesis chapter. Next, we hear from Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) about Riquelme’s sole season at Barcelona in 2002/03. Then, Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) reflects on the Argentine’s time with Villarreal. In part two of the podcast, we look over h...
May 01, 2020•36 min•Season 3Ep. 62
In this episode, we look back on David Beckham's four seasons with Real Madrid between 2003 and 2007. Host Euan McTear (@emctear) starts the podcast off by explaining how Beckham ended up signing for Real Madrid even after an agreement had been announced with Barcelona. Then Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) tells the story of Beckham's first couple of seasons at the Bernabéu and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) goes on to detail the Englishman's final two years in the Spanish capital. Sam Leveridge (@sam...
Apr 23, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 60
In this episode, we tell the Real Zaragoza story. The club from the fifth most populous city in Spain is a historic one and there is so much success to look back on. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) recalls their first few titles, before Dan Parry (@DanParry_) tells the incredible story of their European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph of 1995. We also hear match-winner’s Nayim’s take on his famous goal. Then Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) explains how Real Zaragoza started the 21st century in style. But they...
Apr 09, 2020•29 min•Season 3Ep. 59
In this podcast, we tell the Samuel Eto'o story, starting off with Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) discussing his beginnings in Cameroon and his move to Real Madrid. We also hear from Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100) about his time at and Copa del Rey win with Real Mallorca and from Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) about all his success at Barcelona and his first treble. In part two of the podcast, Serie A expert Conor Clancy (@ConJClancy) reflects on Eto'o's second treble, earned at Inter Milan just ...
Apr 02, 2020•30 min•Season 3Ep. 58
This episode of La Liga Lowdown is all about Diego Forlán, the Uruguayan striker who won the Pichichi award for the Spanish top division’s top scorer twice. He did so once with Villarreal and we hear from Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) about his time in yellow, while he repeated the trick with Atlético Madrid and we hear from Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) about his success in the Spanish capital. In this podcast, which is hosted by Euan McTear (@emctear), we also hear from Matt Clark (@MattClark_08)...
Mar 27, 2020•26 min•Season 3Ep. 56
The next four Copa del Rey finals will be held at the Estadio De La Cartuja in Seville, a stadium that is often forgotten. Built in 1999, it has hosted a number of events but has never truly felt like any team or any sport's home. In this episode, hosted by Euan McTear (@emctear), we look at the story of this stadium, starting with Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) reflecting on its beginnings. Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) goes on to discuss the wild dream of Sevilla and Real Betis groundsharing the s...
Mar 19, 2020•23 min•Season 3Ep. 55
There was no football to recap this weekend, with Spain and the world of Spanish football hit hard by the Coronavirus this past week. Topics that seemed so important just a few days ago suddenly faded into the background. While we’re not medical experts, we did want to bring you the lowdown from Spain. So, in this special episode, host Euan McTear (@emctear) is joined by Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) and by Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) to lay out a timeline of the Coronavirus impacting Spanish foo...
Mar 15, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Real Betis hadn't won any of their previous seven matches... so of course they went out and defeated the league leaders Real Madrid. In this episode we discuss Real Betis and their unpredictability with Radio Betis' David Whitworth (@DCWh1tw0rth). That result means Barcelona are leaders again and we analyse their win over Real Sociedad with Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee). There's also a recap of Atlético Madrid and Sevilla's unusual draw with Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge), a moment of relief from...
Mar 09, 2020•28 min•Season 3Ep. 54
One of the most shocking stories in the history of Spanish football is the Butcher of Bilbao story. This was the nickname that was given to Athletic Club defender Andoni Goikoetxea, who broke Diego Maradona's leg, snapping it like a piece of wood as the Argentine would later describe it. This wasn't the only incident to this story, though. As Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) explains in this podcast, there was a brewing rivalry between Athletic Club and Barcelona at that time. Paco Polit (@pacopoli...
Mar 05, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Here's La Liga Lowdown's matchday recap after Clásico weekend. Zinedine Zidane was bold and his Real Madrid team beat Barcelona 2-0 to go back to the top of the LaLiga table. We discuss the match in depth in part one of this podcast, as host Euan McTear (@emctear) speaks to Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee). Also coming up in this podcast, Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100) provides the lowdown on Getafe's latest win, as they took the three points in Mallorca. Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) reflects on ...
Mar 02, 2020•29 min•Season 3Ep. 52
To start off this matchday recap, we discuss the Martin Braithwaite saga and all the ramifications of it. With Javier Martín (@kikomartin), we discuss how the striker's move to Barcelona has hurt Leganés and how Lega fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to 10-man Celta Vigo at the weekend. With Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge), we then discuss Braithwaite's Barcelona debut and Messi's master class in Barça's 5-0 win over Eibar. We also hear from Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG), who was in the stadium as L...
Feb 24, 2020•27 min•Season 3Ep. 51
In this episode, we take a look back to 1992, when the Olympic Games came to Barcelona and Spain. The Spanish squad won the football tournament, the only time they've claimed gold at the Olympics. We hear from Matt Clark (@MattClark_08), who picks out the most interesting names from the squad. We hear from Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG), who explains how Spain reached the final and how they did so in Valencia. Euan McTear looks back on the final, along with some wild commentary. And we hear from Rom...
Feb 20, 2020•19 min•Season 50Ep. 3
We start off this week's matchday recap with host Euan McTear (@emctear) discussing what he saw at the Bernabéu as Real Madrid were held to a 2-2 with Celta Vigo, complete with post-match comments from the back-from-injury Eden Hazard. The other team in the title race is Barcelona and they got the better of Getafe, winning 2-1. Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) is on hand to analyse that one. There's also a look at the relegation battle and Real Mallorca's crucial win with Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorc...
Feb 17, 2020•28 min•Season 49Ep. 3
Did we have a preview of the 2020 Copa del Rey final in matchday 23? Maybe... Whether it ends up being repeated in the Copa del Rey final or not, we analyse Real Sociedad vs Athletic Club with Dan Parry (@DanParry_) to start off this week's recap podcast, while host Euan McTear (@emctear) looks at the weekend's other Basque derby between Alavés and Eibar, where he saw Scotsman Oliver Burke score the winning goal. We also look at Real Madrid's comeback win at Osasuna with Emily Wilson (@wilson_em...
Feb 10, 2020•27 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Getafe have had a remarkable three and a half years under José Bordalás. Their coach arrived when they were second bottom of the second division and he led them to the Europa League and to the point where they're now a genuine contender for Champions League qualification. So, how did they do it? That's what we discuss in this midweek podcast. Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) sets the scene by explaining how far Getafe had fallen. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) picks up the story by reflecting on Bordalás'...
Feb 06, 2020•25 min•Season 3Ep. 48
The relegation battle has been sparked into life by a wonderful last-gasp winner from Leganés' Óscar Rodríguez as they defeated Real Sociedad 2-1 on Sunday. To start this week's episode, we discuss that game with Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge), while we also reflect on the relegation six-pointer between Real Mallorca and Real Valladolid with Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100). There's also discussion of the Madrid derby from host Euan McTear (@emctear), of yet another Valencia victory with Paco P...
Feb 03, 2020•27 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Sevilla made history by winning the Europa League three times in a row and, in this podcast, the La Liga Lowdown crew tell that story. It started in 2013/14 and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) explains the impact Unai Emery had and reflects on the epic semi-final against Valencia, which ended up sending Sevilla to Turin to defeat Benfica on penalties. Then they also won it in 2014/15 and 2015/16, in Warsaw and in Basel, and Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) and Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100) respecti...
Jan 30, 2020•27 min•Season 3Ep. 45
We have a new leader at the top of the LaLiga table after the results of matchday 21, with Real Madrid winning at Real Valladolid 1-0 and with Barcelona falling to a 2-0 loss at Valencia. Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) analyses that match and the two teams' styles of play, while there's also discussion of Atlético Madrid with Brendy Boyle (@BrendyBoyle) and of the pressure Diego Simeone is under. Elsewhere, Sevilla won the Andalusian derby against Granada and Gregor Chappelle (@gregorchappelle) reve...
Jan 27, 2020•26 min•Season 3Ep. 44
This midweek podcast from La Liga Lowdown is all about Barcelona and Spain legend Carles Puyol. We tell his story, from his childhood to his playing days to his life after retirement. Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) kicks the podcast off by detailing how Puyol went from playing as a goalkeeper as a kid to making his Barcelona first-team debut at right-back. Richard Fitzpatrick (@Richard_Fitz) then picks up the story and explains how Puyol became a world-class centre-back, the club captain and a ke...
Jan 23, 2020•28 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Barcelona changed their coach, but they didn't change their goalscorer. Once again, it was Lionel Messi who led them to victory, but their 1-0 win over Granada was a very different kind of performance under new boss Quique Setién and we break it down with Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee). Plus, host Euan McTear (@emctear) was in Mallorca this weekend to see Real Mallorca defeat Valencia 4-1 and he spoke to La Liga Lowdown's expert on the island, Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100), straight after th...
Jan 20, 2020•26 min•Season 3Ep. 41
In this week's midweek podcast, we take a look at the Martin Ødegaard story so far. We've got Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100) on his origins in Norway. We've got Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) on his arrival at Castilla, Real Madrid's B team. We've got Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) on his loan spells in the Netherlands. We've got Dan Parry (@DanParry_) on his time so far at Real Sociedad. And we've got Matt Clark (MattClark_08) on his international career. All hosted by Euan McTear (@emctear) ...
Jan 16, 2020•20 min•Season 40Ep. 3
It was a bit of a different weekend this weekend. A very different weekend, in fact. There was no LaLiga, but there was the Supercopa for Valencia, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid and the Copa del Rey for everyone else. Well, apart from Alavés. Sorry Alavés... Looking at the Supercopa, Valencia fan Cesar Benoit (@amunti), Barcelona fan Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee), Atlético Madrid fan Jeremy Beren (@JBBeren) and Real Madrid fan Kristofer McCormack (@K_mc06) all share their thoughts o...
Jan 13, 2020•28 min•Season 3Ep. 40
We asked you, our listeners and followers, to vote in a survey to decide your top XI from the first half of the 2019/20 LaLiga season and the results are in. In this special podcast, we reveal each player who made the XI one by one, with analysis on their first half of the season from the journalists and fans in the know. It's all hosted by Euan McTear (@emctear) and the contributions come from Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee), Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100), Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge), Matt...
Jan 09, 2020•21 min•Season 3Ep. 38
The first matchday of 2020 was a thrilling one, and potentially an important one for the LaLiga title race. Barcelona dropped points in the Catalan derby against Espanyol as they conceded a late equaliser to Wu Lei and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) shares his thoughts on that match. Real Madrid moved level on points with Barcelona thanks to their victory over Getafe and Emily Wilson (@wilson_emt) praises Fede Valverde, Thibaut Courtois and Éder Militão when reflecting on that game. In the second...
Jan 06, 2020•25 min•Season 3Ep. 38
We've just had the final LaLiga matchday of 2019, so here's your final La Liga Lowdown podcast of the year! In this one, we reflect on Sevilla finishing the calendar year in third with Gregor Chappelle (@GregorChappelle), on Villarreal's latest win and Valencia's fighting spirit with Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) and on the basement battle between Leganés and Espanyol with Panos Kostopoulos (@Panos88K). Looking at the title battle, Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) analyses Real Madrid's 0-0 draw with Athle...
Dec 23, 2019•26 min•Season 3Ep. 37
It had been a long wait for this Clásico, as we'd had to wait an extra 55 days before finally getting to see Barcelona and Real Madrid go head to head. And, it had been a long time since we'd seen a goalless Clásico, as there hadn't been one since 2002. We discuss what happened at the Camp Nou in this podcast, starting with a discussion between Euan McTear (@emctear) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG). Then, Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) and Hasan Karim (@TheHasKarim) give us their player ratings, w...
Dec 19, 2019•26 min•Season 3Ep. 36
In the weekend before El Clásico, both Barcelona and Real Madrid drew to remain level on points. We discuss both of their thrilling draws, analysing Valencia 1-1 Real Madrid with Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) and Real Sociedad 2-2 Barcelona with Phil Ball (@PhilBallTweets). We also look in detail at Getafe's excellent form with Matt Clark (@MattClark_08), at Atlético Madrid's impressive performance against Osasuna with Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) and at the return of Rubi and Borja Iglesias to Es...
Dec 16, 2019•26 min•Season 3Ep. 35
David Villa's career is coming to an end and, in the week where he played his final league game, we look back at what the Spanish striker achieved. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) tells the story of Villa's first steps in football. Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) reflects on his time at Valencia. Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) covers the Barcelona years. Host Euan McTear (@emctear) explains how he helped Atlético Madrid to win a league title. And Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) discusses the striker's overse...
Dec 12, 2019•22 min•Season 3Ep. 33
Matchday 16 was an action-packed one, with lots of drama packed into the 10 fixtures. We go through it all in this week's podcast, starting with Alex Fitzpatrick, who was pitchside for Barcelona vs Real Mallorca. Host Euan McTear (@emctear) also reflects on Real Madrid's win over Espanyol with Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee), on the Valencian derby with Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG), on Javier Aguirre's first win at Leganés with Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) and on Granada's return to winning ways wi...
Dec 09, 2019•27 min•Season 3Ep. 33
In this Thursday episode, we look back at the greatness of Ronaldinho and at his Barcelona years. There are so many historic moments to get into. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) discusses the drama of the transfer itself. Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) offers a reminder of how the first season went. Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) looks back on the high points, from the ovation against Real Madrid to the Champions League win. And Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) reflects on the decline. It's all hosted by Eua...
Dec 05, 2019•24 min•Season 3Ep. 32
