Episode 3197: Madrid Never Die, Litigate And Win, Unsinking Ships, The Last Bell
Real Madrid are through to the Champions League quarter-finals once again, this time thanks to a miniscule, possibly invisible double-touch on a Julian Alvarez penalty, at the end of a game that deserved a better ending. How does this keep happening? Why do teams get rewarded for litigating on the pitch? And can Arsenal stop them in the QFs?
We speak to friend of the show and one of the great sportswriters, Donald McRae, about his new book The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing, which acts as a counterpoint to his 1996 William Hill winning classic, Dark Trade. Inspired to write the book during a period of grief in his own personal life, he tries to untangle his love of the sport from the realities of boxing’s ties to Daniel Kinahan and Saudi Arabia, and the ever-present and obvious dangers faced by fighters every time they step into the ring. Out today, it already looks like one of the best sports books of 2025.
Plus there’s unsinking Swedish ships, Jungian synchronicity and a listener notes a trend in our recent podcast output.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe says Manchester United have run out of money and can’t afford to hand out anymore free lunches; in other news, the club today announced plans for a new 100,000 seater stadium.
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