Golazzo: The Totally Italian Football Show

Golazzo: The Totally Italian Football Show

Author: The Athletic Language: English Episodes: 87
There’s a certain magic to Italian football that goes far beyond the scorelines, a blend of artistry, drama, and sheer larger-than-life personality that defined an era. Golazzo: The Totally Italian Football Show, from The Athletic, is your deep dive into that world. Hosts James Richardson, James Horncastle, and Gab Marcotti don’t just analyze matches; they are master storytellers resurrecting the spirit, scandals, and sublime skill of Serie A’s most unforgettable period. Each episode of this podcast feels like pulling up a chair in a perfect piazza café, listening to friends with encyclopedic knowledge and genuine passion unpack the stories you thought you knew and countless others you didn’t. You’ll hear about the tactical geniuses, the mercurial maestros, and the downright infamous characters who made calcio a global obsession. The conversation flows from the philosophical to the farcical, always grounded in deep insight and a palpable affection for the subject. It’s a celebration of the sport’s cultural weight, where a transfer saga could feel like a opera and a defender’s tackle was a form of high art. Tune in for a rich, entertaining, and wonderfully detailed oral history that captures why this particular chapter of football continues to captivate. This is a show for anyone who remembers, or wants to discover, how Italian football felt when it truly ruled the world.
Episodes
Ultras in Italy – part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:24
In the first of a two-part special, we look at the roots of ultra culture, the politics and the power wielded by Italian clubs’ most passionate and outspoken fan groups. Suspending games, stopping signings and supposed l…
Il Trio Magico [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:42
In a backdrop of a boom in Italy, Juventus supplemented Giampero Boniperti in 1957 with forwards Omar Sivori and gentle giant John Charles, perhaps the most universally popular Juventus player ever. And one hell of a sin…
De Rossi: Captain Future [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:06
Immortalised in Italian pop culture and in the hearts of fans at the Stadio Olimpico, we examine a man of impeccable integrity and character. Brian McBride might tell you otherwise.RUNNING ORDER:• PART 1: De Rossi’s last…
Berlusconi - the Bunga Bunga years (part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:48
Having established Milan as a European superpower, Berlusconi made the move into politics, becoming Italian prime minister. And wherever he went, sex and scandal usually followed. Did he take his eye off the ball at the…
Berlusconi - the man who made Milan (part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:38
The first in a two-part special looks at how Berlusconi brought an elite level set-up on and off the pitch, making his three-time Champions League winners AC Milan the benchmark in European football.RUNNING ORDER:• PART…
Totally Totti – part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:16
Francesco Totti scored some of his most memorable goals in the twilight of his career before retiring at 40. But exiting centre stage for his hometown club Roma proved to be a slightly messy affair.RUNNING ORDER:• PART 1…
Totally Totti - part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:36
He’s a God in Rome. Would Francesco Totti have been more appreciated globally if he’d taken that move to Real Madrid? The first part of our special looks back on the first decade of his career, when he realised the dream…
The rumble of Riva – an Italian icon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:48
Jimbo, James Horncastle and Gab Marcotti return to discuss Italy’s all-time leading goalscorer, the benchmark by which all Italian strikers have been measured against – Gigi Riva.Spending almost his entire career at Cagl…
Into the Vialli (part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:11
Jimbo, James Horncastle and Gab Marcotti return with the concluding part of our special on the great Gianluca Vialli.Having tackled Sampdoria and Juventus, we look at Luca’s move to England where he played for and eventu…
Into the Vialli (part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:07
He’s the last man to lift the European Cup for Juventus. This week Golazzo brings you the first of a two-part special on Gianluca Vialli, with Jimbo, James Horncastle and Vialli’s co-author Gab Marcotti.The most expensiv…