Euro Leagues: Is Valverde the world’s most underrated player?

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On the football daily podcast,

the Euroleaks with Steve Crossman.

Welcome to the Euroleaks with us,

Guillain Balagay, ESPN Julien Laurent,

and the Athletics James Hall Castle evening team.

evening boys.

Hello, hello, you've all been glow trotting.

You've all made me jealous.

Guillain, where have you been?

I've seen a miracle.

Oh, I've seen a miracle at the Vernauil.

I was at the Vernauil.

The miracle wasn't that Valverde score a hatchery

in 45 minutes so that Madrid beat City

and nobody expected that.

I saw people crying a half time

in the first leg of the last 16 of the Champions League.

What's that about?

You said no to a selfie again.

No, no, just the high motions of football

just to still shock me.

That is the miracle of the Vernauil.

James has been in Bergamo.

Yeah, it was a fantastic night for so many reasons, Steve.

I mean, I got to see one of the best team

and individual performances that I've seen all year.

From Bayern and Michael Elyse.

We'll talk about that later.

But to hear the Atlanta fans first,

get on their feet and applaud Michael Elyse

for his second goal was a lovely gesture.

And then having seen their team lose 6-1

to treat them like they had 1-6-1

at the end of the game was magnificent

because the Atlanta players went under the quarterback

and usually after a defeat like that,

you get booed, you get insulted.

And instead, there was this party atmosphere.

And I think it was just a way from the Atlanta fans

to say thank you for everything that this team

and the club has done over the last 8 years.

And where have you been, Julia?

I went home to Paris for another very special night

before Wednesday night.

The party performance was incandescent.

And when Greerak Graskeliag, Varadona's,

James and people in Naples,

nicknamed him before when he was there

is in that kind of form and does those kind of things.

Then it makes your night even more special.

And I was lucky because I was watching the game

like pitch side literally, almost like if I was

sat on one of the team's bench.

And from there, you see even more how impressive

those players are.

So it was a very good night.

Individuals are going to be the big focus

of the Elyse tonight.

And they've already been mentioned save once.

So lots to come on Val Verde,

on Elyse, on Kvarek Skelier,

and yes, even Igor Tudor.

We'll be focusing on all of them on the Elyse.

What we've decided not to do Bodo glimpsed this week

just because you didn't want to, Jules.

You just said, you said no.

You said, do we really care about them?

Crossy, whenever we have a Scandi on

and we often have Scandi's on this program,

we'll have to tell them about Jules

this kind of no Scandi policy.

I'm so Scandi as well.

I'm so Scandi.

I just said, there's so much this week

and they won't bring in, they will qualify

for the qualifying, which we do.

Another chapter in this incredible story

so we can do them next week and focus on them next week.

And then you still have a credit.

Yeah, stop talking about that.

We have, I think we've led the Elyse

with Bodo glimpsed more times

than any other team they see.

And that is right.

But the problem with it is Guillem

that we're running out of people to interview.

So we've done the manager.

We've done the players.

We did the mentality coach.

I think it's got to be the mascot, the culture coach.

I think we've got the mascot on live

on the Elyse next week.

Oh, oh, a group of fans.

But I think to do that, which is really go there.

Yes, you're right.

I mean, that you are right.

The Arctic Circle live for the Elyse.

I'll picture.

I did a Elyse from the Arctic Circle.

You did, yeah.

I'll get the pitch written up.

Feel like it might be a no.

But you never know.

Right, let's jump in and start with Federico Valverde, shall we?

I think we have to.

His hat trick for Real Madrid.

All of the goals as the beat Manchester City 3-0.

I saw Guillem that Trent Alexander-Arnold

said after the game,

Valverde is the most underrated footballer

on the planet, discuss.

Yeah, he went straight into that.

When I asked him about the performance of somebody

that looked like Berkham and Van Basten

and El Piero put together,

he was like, you've got no idea how this guy is really.

And people don't know that he's got so many talents.

It's interesting that

and the Chavilla Lonser, for instance,

he felt limited and he showed it.

He said it in my press conference.

I was born to be a right back.

And he wanted somebody to put him back

where he thinks he belongs, which is a sentiment field.

Arbeloa has done that.

And with that, his leadership grows as well.

Because when he was out of

where he thinks he should be,

you didn't hear much from him.

He was like, he was obsessed about his position.

Didn't become a good example to everyone.

And now he's.

So he's not only those big names that I mentioned on the night,

he's the Juanito of Real Madrid.

And this is said by Arbeloa Juanito

being the legend number seven that represents the essence

of what Ramadhi is about,

hard work gives, never gives up.

And the magnificent thing about him

is that he comes from a very, very humble

or bringings in Montevideo.

His mom was absolutely crucial

because she pushed him to go on a trial for Peñarol

as he was when he was a kid.

She pushed the president of Peñarol

to sell him to Real Madrid when even the kid

that 17 wasn't sure about that.

He could have gone to Arsenal.

He spent a week in London training

and he remembers the likes of

Amy Martinez helping him a lot

to understand what was going on.

He was called a little bird as a three-year-old

because playing football he just jumped around

like a little bird.

He's a hawk now.

They call him the Alcon.

Because he's just become a crucial part

of what Ramadhi is trying to do,

especially when it works well,

which is not always the case.

Yeah, Ramadhi saw him when he was at the end of the

and the 17th South American Championship in Uruguay.

They lost the final.

He was in tears.

But soon after Ramadhi said,

we want you five million euros

what they paid Peñarol.

And then he had to learn his way

because he came to Real Madrid to be, to Castilla.

He saw everybody wearing all kinds of brands

and he was wearing a Zara to like five-year-old

chairs and it's like, I don't belong here.

I need to improve.

And there was a time that he didn't like running

and he's the biggest runner.

Again, he lent through that

the coach that he had at the time

putting him on the bench.

So he's been beating obstacles

and now even though he's not the biggest speaker

or you would say

of the pitch the biggest personality

he's leading by by example.

And he had the best night of his life.

He's never scored three goals in a game.

Once he scored twice.

But what we saw was really extraordinary

and unexpected as well.

James, whenever I hear that phrase

underrated for a footballer,

I tend to try and sort of sub in

underappreciated because of other

he's not underrated.

Everybody knows he is amazing.

But maybe underappreciated in that

he doesn't put himself

front and center at Real Madrid.

And maybe they have they always need

at least one player who who will do that

who will be a star sort of

San's ego if that makes sense.

San's ego.

Like a crossy.

I mean, I suppose when you are selected

to be one of the galacticals,

I mean he is one of the the stars

shines the least at least in terms of

getting the attention

that so many of the more illustrious

players that are signed by Real Madrid

get.

He is kind of, I think, in cycling

you would call him kind of Gregadio.

You know, the guy who is basically there to sort of

well, he's there to bring the water

to your embappas and your

what did Gregorio do wrong?

Why can't Gregorio go and win the turn?

No, Gregorio is the name.

It's the name of the teammates

that are in the water.

Okay, sorry.

But to play from Ermajid,

you have to be about standing technical quality.

And I think I was speaking to a chief executive

of another Champions League club just a fortnight ago.

And that chief executive was marveling

at Real Madrid's succession planning.

And look, it hasn't always gone exactly to plan.

But Guillem laid out the back story,

that Fede Valverde has.

Penoidol.

He's sound from Penoidol,

he goes to Real Madrid Castilla.

And from Real Madrid Castilla

he's integrated into the first team

and becomes an established first in player

who is one more Champions League

than most people dream of, right?

And they keep doing this.

So they have done it regularly,

be it with Rodrigo Santos,

be it with Vinicius Flamengo.

These are guys who had not really been

tried and tested in their own professional game

in Brazil, in Uruguay.

Had not come to Europe and basically gone to another league

and established themselves in European football.

They come to Real Madrid and they do it for Real Madrid.

But you'd get them earlier than anybody.

And I think that is still something

that you really have to tip your hat at.

Because as much as people say,

look at Madrid,

they do the free transfer for Mbappe,

they do the free transfer for Trent Alexander-Arnold,

they can spend money when they're not building stadiums.

Like the best of them.

But this kind of recruitment,

I think is really, really important.

Behind the success of Real Madrid,

not as the most successful team in Champions League history,

but a successful team in the last decade in the Champions League.

You know how much we love our player ratings, right?

In France.

Oh, you are.

Yeah, this is a big note.

Yeah, because you got 10 out of 10.

There's only the 20th player in history

to get 10 out of 10.

And deservedly so.

And if you look at the list, obviously,

Messi's then,

Holland's then,

Mbappe's there,

Levantofsky's then.

You can already,

even when I just mentioned those names,

you know the kind of games where they would have got the 10 out of 10, right?

The lookman one is obviously the hard track in the,

you're a public final without Atlanta,

I guess, by Levant Cousin and all of that.

And it's just, I don't know,

I don't think that,

obviously, Philippe Valverde really keep every day.

I'm sure this probably is a come-a-thing guy.

It sure are many.

And Mbappe,

who this morning would have either showed him,

I don't know, a screenshot,

the newspaper itself or something,

I don't know if he cares, even, really.

But I think it's just to say that,

when he went to bed last night,

he probably could not sleep

because not many players can sleep

after big Champions League nights or big nights in general.

He must have felt pretty good,

I think, going home with his little, like that.

He sounds quite ridiculous,

a little trophy of play of the match.

We know that little UFA ball.

Because when he was going to hatch with Atlanta,

you need a much bigger trophy than the little one that he took home,

to be honest.

We report on football all the time.

And his rare instances, I think, were our body reacting,

where you don't expect.

So I kind of laughed at people that cried at half time

and I saw a couple.

There was a famous journalist as well

that did so in the live radio station,

but he was broadcasting on the game.

It was the fact that he was unexpected.

It was the fact that he was another miracle

at the Bernabéu,

he was against Pebord de Ola and all of that.

But it was also the way it was done by one of theirs.

And yeah, on the third goal,

my arm spread very far and started

touching people around me.

And we were just turning around like that,

almost like holding each other,

touching each other,

creating some kind of connection.

I see, this happens every time we go to a game with Julian.

If we're a PSG game with Jules,

Jules his hands are everywhere.

There's one thing that fits your team.

Another thing is one you're not just reporting

and all that happens.

So all that happened at the Bernabéu.

There was again, something magic was created.

You did have an interesting experience, James,

being with us at the Champions League finals,

sitting sort of, Jules was kind of in this way.

You know, I mean you, which was interesting.

Yes.

And I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else

than by my good friend Jules inside.

And to finally see him get his day with PSG,

you know, it was, it was good.

But I mean, James just said,

another miracle at Real Madrid.

Miracles only supposed to happen once.

These things keep happening.

No, no, let's go.

Listen to Real Madrid.

Let's not pump up the myth.

It hardly ever happens.

It's just that when it happens,

it's really, really memorable,

especially when he's unexpected as he happened in 2022,

and serratally, serratally.

And the first 45 minutes last night.

One more on Valverde before we move on to Paris Saint-Germain.

I think sometimes, James, you kind of,

you look for the way the best players in the world

see guys like Valverde when their teammate.

And there was two things that stood out to me.

One was the reaction from Jules Bellingham in the stands

when Valverde's second goal.

And another is the fact that Tony Cruz

actually wanted Valverde to take his number eight shirt.

Those are the two of the things that just make you think,

well, if those guys see him in this way,

you maybe don't even need to be told anything else.

Yeah, I think he's helped them win so much.

They appreciate the value that he brings to the team.

I remember, I think Carlo Ancelotti,

when he was writing his book, The Dream,

about all of the dreams that have come true for him,

about winning the Champions League many, many times.

It's a recurring dream.

He talked about the game plan, I think,

again, Liverpool in the Champions League final in Paris,

and how important Valverde was to get up to Virgil Ben Dyke

and stop him making those raking diagonal balls

with his right foot.

And little details like that,

and a player who's prepared to sacrifice himself

and do that over and over again,

and help a team win a game and fulfill a dream like that.

I think it's why, as you mentioned,

you drew bellings, you tonny grosses,

understand that place, like that absolutely essential,

to a team that is so often looked upon as a team of individuals,

and it's collective endeavour,

like that from players like Valverde,

which makes them special.

Our next individual then is Kvichert,

Kvairat Skellius, scored twice,

got an assist as Paris Saint-Germain,

beat Chelsea 5-2 at the Park Day, Perance.

I genuinely think he is my favourite footballer.

At the moment.

And he couldn't even get in there starting 11,

which is frightening.

Yeah, it is frightening,

because his best position is on the left wing,

where he's also brightly barcola's best position,

and to be fair, barcola has been the best,

or certainly the most consistent PhD player

of late in attacking positions.

So you could understand why

Wysandriki decided to go with barcola on the left,

and Zagrad Skellius could have started on the right,

and then they would have been a lot of fluidity

within that front 3-8 with Dembele anyway.

But I think part of the thinking from Wysandriki,

by the way, I got everything right on Wednesday night,

in his coaching, the lineup that he picked,

how he outcoached, outsmarted Liam Rossino,

who's obviously much younger,

an experienced coach compared to Wysandriki,

and I really hope for Liam that one day

he gets to the level that Wysandriki is right now,

but at times yesterday it was a schooling.

The thinking was, if the one player

in this whole PhD squad,

that you want to bring on after an hour or 55 minutes,

if you need it, is via Skellius.

Because you could see that again,

it's been so intense, PhD, when man-marking everywhere,

the pressing, the kind of pressing from both teams,

was really impressive at times.

So naturally, players, even of that level,

even of that physical, incredible fitness,

would get tired.

It's inevitable.

Anyway, when you get to the hour mark,

and 65th and 70th minutes,

imagine if you're Malogusto or if you're Wesley for Fana,

and then suddenly, you see,

Vargas Kelly are coming on,

with the low socks,

with just full of energy,

you know, the beard, everything,

and you know exactly what he's going to do,

he's going to get the ball,

and just run at you time after time after time after time,

at pace,

and that's not what you want to see.

And he felt exactly like that,

and I think even the party promised,

the atmosphere was great,

but it was a time at two-two where he felt,

it's just, the atmosphere just needed something

a bit special to bring everybody up again,

and that's exactly what he did when he came on.

And Kfaret Skellier is like perfect Euroleague's fodder,

because he plays for PSG,

so that's all Jules.

He came from Napoli before that,

so that's all James,

and Guillem, you've been round his house,

but not his house now,

where he grew up in Tbilisi.

Yeah, went to Tbilisi,

and out of everything that was shown to me,

like his first shared with Tbilisi,

that his mom keeps in a little bit like an open wardroop,

where he keeps all the key shares of his career.

They show me around his bedroom,

the bedroom that he goes to,

when to hide from the world.

This is a Soviet style block of flats,

in Tbilisi,

surrounded by a block of flats,

nothing really special.

And the bedroom is mostly used by a big bed,

and in the corner there's a computer,

and there's a gamer chair,

and there's everything that you require to play,

and apparently he spends hours and hours there.

And around the room that is number seven,

and again, memorable pictures of his career.

That, if you like, humble beginnings,

again, is where he comes from.

He doesn't forget Tbilisi or his country.

That same day, I ended up,

he was an apple at the time.

I ended up going to a cinema,

to not watch a movie, but watch him play,

and the cinema had been full of Tbilisi boys and girls,

and celebrating every time there was a close-up of him.

Never mind if you touch the ball,

just a close-up.

They're all very proud of him,

and he's of his country,

and that was very, very obvious to see.

And James, have we reached a Kovaritskelya mark two,

in that has he developed from the guy who left Napoli,

or are we just seeing the same player,

but on a bigger stage,

because he's at PSG and he's won a Champions League now?

I think we're seeing him on a bigger stage,

because it's Jules' stage.

So,

I guess, talk about a lot more.

I think, you know what Steve,

I think there's some regret at Napoli that,

in the year they won the league,

and let's not forget,

it was the first time they'd won the Scudetto for 33 years.

They were also going for the Champions League that year.

They broke new ground.

They got to the quarterfinals.

They've never been there before,

and they got knocked out by their fellow Italians,

they see Milan.

And I think a lot of people on the stood,

that Napoli were a better team.

They just went into those games with an injured Victor Ozzeman,

and a game plan for Kovara.

Kovara, I think, sort of 18 months into his career at Napoli,

was getting doubled up, tripled up.

And sometimes that wasn't enough.

I think Luciano Spaletti, when he had him, he felt that he's such,

he's such like a Tasmanian devil, you know?

Yeah, in terms of, he's just, he's all energy,

that after half an hour of a game,

I wouldn't say time itself out,

but he goes on these runs,

which is so exhausting,

and kind of like, leave you dizzy,

that he had to get him to sort of manage

his energy levels better.

And I think it's really interesting,

what Jules was saying there.

I know Kovara's had a few ankle issues this season,

which is kind of normal when his ankle just gets kicked so much,

but Bacola's been very good.

But to use him,

in these short spells of 30 minutes, 40 minutes,

it's lethal.

And he has been lethal in the Champions League this season.

I think he's got 10 goal involvements in 10 games.

In the league Jules, he hasn't scored in 2026,

has he?

He's actually, I think he got four goals this season,

in the league.

But when those bright lights are on in the Champions League,

and when Jules is on the sideline,

that's when Kovara really shows up.

He's a man of big games, you know?

And I think there's, if there's a little bit of criticism

that he's received a little bit this season,

and he has, like the whole team,

because they obviously haven't hit the highs that they hit last season,

and he's probably was never going to happen anyway,

to have two seasons like they had,

or even two half seasons like they had last year.

It's that it picks his games.

And with me, that's absolutely fine,

as long as the one that you pick are the big ones, obviously,

because it could not kill us if he scores again,

or even if he's bothered playing well against Oksayer.

However, in the night like yesterday,

when he knows there's something for him there,

to bring a new, you could see his first goal, that curler.

Everybody in the whole stage,

I mean, the whole world watching on television,

knew exactly what he was about to do.

I think even the Chelsea defenders knew what he was about to do.

It was inevitable, really.

And he went, and he was still, the delivery was still,

was still perfect.

I actually thought on the ball he gives to Vitiniar

for his little lob.

Arthur, he was going to shoot.

And I was a bit disappointed.

I think Vitiniar doesn't expect him to pass him the ball, by the way.

He expect var to shoot.

That's why he's a bit of a surprise.

That's why his first touch is not that good.

And the ball goes up.

And then, obviously, the lob is beautiful.

But because usually he takes those chances in those big games

and scores them, he would do later with the two goals.

But he was just, he gave a really good interview

in the Parisian newspaper the day before the game,

where he said that he loves everything about Paris.

He's the best, you know what?

He's just a little bit of a problem.

But he said something really cool.

He said before, even when he was in Naples,

his wife used to say to him,

imagine if one day you could play for PSG

and we would live in Paris.

And rather, we'd say like, listen, it's never going to happen.

It's not going to happen.

And yeah, look, maybe it was destiny, you know?

What a perfect balance that is at PSG, though.

I mean, there is the potential with all the names

that we mentioned to actually be big egos

that want to be recognized ahead of the game,

ahead of the team, you know,

Cavara and Barcola and Dembele and Bitin.

And yet, the only leader of the whole thing

is Lucien Rickey, who's just has got no shame

in admitting that he is the boss, he is the one deciding.

If he's got to leave Dembele out of the team, he does.

If he's got to leave Cavara on the bench, he does,

not a problem.

And then if he loses, then football is,

we kind of use the word that he described football

when he lost in the Champions League.

I can't remember who against, but use a bad word

because he didn't go his way.

So he can even say whatever he wants.

And now he's even given the press conference

in quite good French, not done it for the first year.

So he is the master of his stage, isn't he?

Well, one more on Cavara at Skelly at the Finnish Games.

I wonder if part of the reason he is such a joy

is you know when people start to talk about the idea

of a street footballer and normally actually what they mean

is like a player who'll just do loads and loads of amazing bits of skill.

I almost think it applies to Cavara at Skelly a better

because he looks like what he is,

which is somebody who hasn't come through a major academy

and had anything coached out of him.

If you see what I mean, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing,

clearly loads of unbelievable players come through

the world's best football academies.

But I do look at Cavara at Skelly and think

the way you have come to the stage you're at is perfect for you.

Yeah, absolutely.

I think you're spot on about this sense that he's been sort of uncoached.

I think even when he was in the Russian Premier League

with Rubin Kazan and yeah, let's not forget that

when the war in Ukraine started, FIFA allowed foreign players

in Ukraine and Russia to break their contracts and leave.

He broke his contract and went to play back in Georgia

with Dino Batumi and this isn't long ago.

And so I think that left a lot of scouts

and sporting directs is thinking,

oh, why has he gone back to Georgia?

And it made them skeptical of him

and Napoli took a chance on him and yeah,

no one had heard of this player,

no one had seen much of this player

and that just doesn't happen anymore, Steve.

You know, we are so overwhelmed by clips and content online

talking about players when they are 12 years old

and this guy was, you know, practically unheard of.

And I remember his first game for Napoli

right from the get go just delivered in Verona

and he's never really stopped since and I think

Jules alluded to it earlier, the socks down

two-footed in and out zigzag

and just the speed with which he can move with the ball

but also make the ball move.

I mean, that goal way just wraps it around into the top corner.

There were very few players on the planet who can do that,

although we might get to one.

Yeah, yeah, moments on the other side.

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but I want to explain how it works.

Order, order!

I've worked there for 20 years now.

I really know all the people require corridors,

and I know how to find the stories about what's really happening in politics,

which affect you.

As soon as the news breaks, I can bang on the wall,

and one of the BBC correspondents will come running in

and tell us what's going on.

Matt Jorley, Monday to Friday from two o'clock.

On BBC Radio 5 Live.

Right, let's talk Barcelona.

They drew one all at Newcastle in the Champions League last 16 first leg on Tuesday.

At the end of this week, club members will vote to decide the club's next

president in the running.

Joanne Laporte, current president, returned five years ago.

He was the man at the top during one of their great periods,

2003 to 2010.

There were two Champions League wins and four La Liga titles within that.

His opponent, a man by the name of Victor Font,

who was runner up five years ago.

And we're going to hear from him now,

because he's been speaking to Guillem about what you need to be the big boss of Barcelona.

Obviously, you need to have the club in your heart.

RSA is not the business.

There's a business component, but it's not the business.

You need someone who does have economic independence.

Because basically, this position and the board members do this,

basically, without salary and especially the president.

And in our case, especially given the transformation, the club requires,

I will need to devote the majority of my time, 100% of my time.

To the club.

So unless you are financially independent, it doesn't work.

You need to have a vision on where the club needs to go,

not just around the organization day by day.

You need a vision, and especially in the world of sports and entertainment,

how to combine the roots of the club, the legacy,

our foundational values with where the sports and entertainment industry is going.

I think it's very important to understand how to combine that.

Jean Le Porta has been in charge for five years.

What has he done right?

And what has he done wrong in that period?

Everyone does right and wrong things.

We are human beings.

And therefore, that happens across.

Obviously, there's good things that have happened during this mandate.

Signing cancer flick is a clear one.

And another one, for example, I think that the association with Spotify,

regardless of whether I believe that we could have, we could generate even more

through that partnership, but putting that aside qualitatively and strategically,

the association with Spotify is also a very good thing, right?

On the, let's say, areas of improvement or things that I believe

should have been done very differently,

obviously, professionalizing the club and being able to

grant the organization profitably.

This administration has lost a billion euros, a billion in the last five years.

Obviously, we've recovered part of that selling some assets,

but selling them instead of two reputable companies,

like, for example, the audiovisual and digital businesses,

instead of, you know, doing a partnership with, you know,

Disney's Netflix, well-renowned organizations that could be a good partner for Barcelona,

like Spotify is, the club has been struggling big time to not to sign players only,

but to register them.

And still today, in the last good signing we've done, the Goli,

John Garcia, could only be registered because Therestegen got injured.

Without that injury, we could have not registered Therestegen.

Not being able to take advantage of the potential, the financial potential,

that the organization like Barça has puts the club at risk, at least the club as we know it.

Even top of this, because the club is being run very much all-style,

like football clubs were being run in the 80s last century.

Personal priorities go ahead and before the interest of the members that creates a lot of

problems. And that's why we are going to win on Sunday, because the voters are the members,

not the fans. And the members are the ones that feel that have been mistreated,

that have not been taken care of, that many promises have not been fulfilled.

And I think that that's why the majority of members believe that the change is needed.

And that change will come and will stay here for good.

Let me finish with Chavir Nande, former manager, talking about the situation of Messi when he

tried to return in 2023. What do you stand with that story? He clearly, Messi wanted to come back,

but what happened? I personally knew what had happened.

Chavir told me he was a manager at Barcelona and on the three wise men day, which is a very

relevant day, as you know, here in Spain. He was having lunch with his family, and he got a call

from Leo, that was after he became a walk-up winner. His contract in PIG was finishing that year,

and therefore he told Chavir that he was very keen to come back, and he wanted to check with Chavir,

if Chavir thought that that would be a possibility from a sports perspective, from a sporting perspective.

And obviously Chavir was all over it, right, given the talent that Leo has, and given also the squad,

the team was being rebuilt at that time, if you remember. So he thought that having Messi there

with his talent, his capacity to score goals, and the combination with the young players that

were coming up, and that Chavir was the responsible to give them opportunities like Lamine Jamal,

or Cuvarci, or Fermin, that that combination would be great, right? So sat for all of us,

members of FC Barcelona, is that we continue to live in this way of doing things that it seems

as if the former president has the capacity to decide who is a good Culea, and who is a bad Culea,

and now I think that that's why change is needed. We need to ensure that we are allowed to work

all together to take advantage of all legends, of all talented people that have Barcelona at their

heart, and create the conditions for them to help the club. So everyone that said that it was

La Porta who stopped it, because he was in fear of Messi overshadowing the president. La Porta

denies that, and says he was Jorge Messi, in fact, the one who stopped the conversations.

Last one, a story that came out actually yesterday that you are in conversations with Manchester City

for Elling Haaland, if I guess Manchester City tries to sell the play, is that true?

Yeah, the end of the day what we have, what the sports organization that we've set up is trying

to do is obviously plan not just for the short term, but also for the long term. We know Elling

is very happy in Manchester that he signed a very long-term contract last year, but we also

know that things change in football, right, and very quickly, and the only thing that we need to do,

because we also know that Elling loves Spain, and obviously the two big clubs in Spain are

Barcelona and Madrid. So our role, if we want to do things properly and blend things properly,

make sure that we have a preferential option if that day comes, so that he cannot go to

Real Madrid and he comes to us. Victor Font Barcelona presidential candidate. Yeah, I love

these moments when we have massive clubs and presidential elections, because, of course,

we don't get this in England, and I love that there's always a name, like there's always

in this time it's Harland, and then it's always like, yeah, you know, a vote for me is a vote for

Harland in five to six years. Do you know, I love that stuff, it's great. And Victor Font

has changed, because in his previous election, he didn't want to put names forward, because he thought,

no, no, no, it's a program, and remember, he spoke to us in that election, and I think he's just

playing the game a little bit. So yes, there was pictures of this. The directors of football

has got three directors of football in his candidacy. We're in the same hotel as Ferran

Soriano, the CEO of Manchester City, they all come out of the hotel and there's a camera there.

Funny, there was a camera there, picture in all that. So yeah, the game has been played,

and of course, the agent of Harland has denied everything, and La Porta will put another name

at some point. But it is fantastic, democratic, and it means that you can monitorize the ones in

charge, one that are elections, and of course, the campaign has been going on for months,

but now he's hitting up, because the 15th is when it takes place.

Can you win, Guillem? Or is it La Porta really hugely favourite?

He is God Paul, in which he says he's gone very much up in the appreciation of many people,

and he's going to be closer than people think. John La Porta, meanwhile, has drove a tractor,

has prepared a paella, and I think beans or something like that, and mix with the people,

because he's one of the people, isn't he? Of course he is. So that's the idea. And he manages the

stage better than anybody. The accusation against La Porta is a group of friends and family,

and it literally is that I work with him, that he's all very presidentialist, that he is the one

deciding, like for instance, according to Charlie, he's the one who stops Messi coming back to

Barcelona in 2023, when Messi was desperate to make it. What in fact, just to add to that story,

a little bit of context, there was never any documentation presented by Barcelona to La Liga

to accept or approve that happening. So not so much blocking it, but perhaps La Porta was

convinced that bringing Messi was the greatest idea. And one of the things that Victor

wants to do is have Messi at the forefront of the future of the club, even though maybe not

as a player. I feel like I'm presenting drive all of a sudden now, because I'm doing the sort of

politics thing. We did ask to speak to Joanna La Porta, and we were told he wasn't available.

So it's not just that we've spoken to one kind of, not that it really matters. It's not the same

as a general election in the UK, I don't think. I think on the day of Barcelona's presidential

elections, we don't just have to talk about photos of dogs at polling stations. I think we'll

still be allowed to talk about it. The thing that I found really difficult for Victor Fonta

or Guillem is that, and this was actually true when La Porta first got the gig many years ago,

you probably want the club to be in a really bad place, because you want people to vote for change,

and stuff like that big partnership with Spotify, stuff like Hansi Flick. That's going pretty well,

isn't it? So I wonder if that's going to make life harder for him, even with all of the issues

they've had in recent years. And a new stadium, almost like a new stadium, even though it's very

delayed, I just say 2.5 billion euros. That's the debt of Barcelona that has increased by 1 billion

under La Porta. You know what? That doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to people. You're absolutely

right. The things are going well on the pitch. You've got Lamin Yamal hiding a lot of cracks and a lot

of other youngsters. So it becomes very hard for Victor Fonta trying to explain his policies,

which are professionalizing every department, to get a president who is just a figurehead,

if you like, and organize of people, and to change the model that Barcelona has got at the moment,

which is a little bit, it feels a little bit old, and a time when the income is 1 billion pounds.

So it shouldn't be wrong, like a family company. But I think he's going to have a hard time to

convince the right amount, but we'll see. I love that the other thing that separates it from normal

politics is that you can just do your own polls. You'd be like, yeah, well, I've seen polls,

which say I'm really popular. I've seen polls, which say I'm the best thing about the Euroleagues.

It's a poll of one, but yeah, it's like one of those WhatsApp polls.

Yes, yes, just doing a group in a group of four friends. Should I be passing on a president?

Yes, yes, yes. Right, well, it's on Sunday, so we'll know this time next week.

Right, let's let's talk a bit about Bayern's 6-1 winner, Atalanta, in the Champions League.

James, you were obviously in Bergamo, and clearly, as an Italian football writer, that will have been

predominantly what you were hoping I would think to write about, but then somebody stole your heart.

Yeah, no, a little bit like in the Champions League final, because when I was sat next to

Jules and Jules was punching the air and celebrating, I sort of had to pivot from writing about

Inter, who lost 5-0 to writing about Deseret Duet, who was fantastic that night, and it never

ceases to amaze how France continues to produce these maverick drivelers. I mean, we've talked

about Kevaret's Scalier, but yeah, I mean, even in the PSG goal, game that Jules was at,

Uzman Dembele scores a goal, which is a magnificent individual goal. And to see Michael Alise

performing the way that he did in this 6-1 win for Bayern, where it was kind of done after half an

hour of this game, and from what people who follow the Bundesliga tell me, the Bundesliga teams that

face Bayern have figured out that you have to double this guy up, or maybe get someone to give

whoever's marking him as much help as possible, and Atalanta didn't do that. Atalanta decided to

change, move away from the system that's worked for them for eight years, 3-4-2-1, to play 4-4-2,

still manmarked her all over the pitch, and boy did Michael Alise have some fun, I mean,

just to see someone so nonchalantly play back heels, you know, ball up in the sky, so everyone in

the stadium is looking up and then watching this ball come down, and he just cushions it perfectly,

and in the same movement, plays Sir Jean-Abrie through on goal, to then score, you cut in sign

and find the far corner, and you did it twice, he's like, I'll do the low corner in the first half,

top corner second half, just magnificent to watch, and yeah, I know some people thought Bayern

spending 53 million or something on him was maybe a lot of money, I mean, it just looks like such

good business, that, and you know, Vinny company after the game, delighted, not only with the

performance in his, in the first half, but they kept going, just by and just relentlessly

kept wanting to score goals, Michael Alise wanted to score more goals, because company said,

you never know what happens in the Champions League, you know, if we get comfortable with being

3-0 up, and then Atlanta score that goal at the end, and it's 3-1 instead of 6-1, then all

of a sudden that second leg in Munich, okay, Bayern would still be favourites, but you never know

on these Champions League nights, we do know what will happen when I go to Munich next week

for this second leg, Bayern will definitely still be going through. Yeah, and bear in mind where the

England captain currently plays his football when I tell you this, so Kristoff Kramer, who's become

one of kind of the top pundits in Germany, people might remember, he said on TV last night,

Michael Alise is the best signing any Bundesliga club has made in the last decade, so there you go.

Wow, yes, and perhaps it's what we've seen and what we're about to see, the room for improvement

is fantastic, and he's based on not just intuition, there was a little interview that he gave

a CBS after the game, and he was talking to Tyrion Rie and touching on how he learns what he learns,

how he applies what he learns, how he visualizes what he's going to do next, and even though

he's not a man of many words, and next I want to ask you for advice, you could tell that he's

to this, the game, the advice is as follows, so there was a meeting today, I'm desperate to sit

down with him and talk to him, and there was a meeting today on that, what has come back is,

yeah, he may do it, if I don't ask him any questions. Okay, no questions.

Are you sure it's if you don't ask him any questions? Yeah, well, it'd be him and I,

but I won't be able to ask questions, so he doesn't talk about even in the dressing room to

face, not just to the media, he's not a talker. Can you give us an idea of how he is different to

someone like Farrick Skellier than Alisa? Yeah, and I think that the most interesting thing is maybe

what's going to happen at the World Cup. I mean, I don't want to remind you English people that

obviously chose to play for a country that can win the World Cup in France and not for England,

but the interesting thing more seriously is obviously, as James rightly said, he's incredible on that

right hand side, on coming into his left foot and all of that. Deshon wants him as a number 10,

which is a very different position, very different role, very different bearings on when you are

on the pitch, was in front of you, was behind you, how you position your body to receive the ball,

all of that is very, very different from that right hand side into the middle. One, I'm not too sure

about changing him position, by the way, I think if you're Deshon, you're going to the World Cup,

why would you move the guy that is one of top five in the world right now? Well, in his position,

he's definitely top three, but maybe in the whole world in terms of form, top five, and why would you

move him into another position? Even if you think he might be great in that position, sure,

I think he can play anyway, he's that good, but maybe just keeping way filled the most comfortable,

and that would be it, and that's why I think it's different than somebody like Farrick Skellier,

and maybe even to some extent, somebody like Lamine too, who plays in the same kind of position.

Lamine, maybe later on when he's the edge of Olise, he can move into a number 10 position and

and be great, but I think Olise give you that because he's also that good, and certainly in Deshon's

mind, he's the guy that will lead France in the number 10 position, which is a heavy number to,

he won't have the number, but it's a heavy position to play in obviously because of whoever

played there before. And we got three minutes left of the Euroleagues, guys, which basically means

if you're batting your average here, you're getting one answer each on our final topic.

And we talked about so many wonderful personal individual stories. We're going to finish with

Igor Tudor, after Atlético Madrid, beat Tottenham 5-2, but we're not here to talk Tottenham

because this is the Euroleagues. What we want to know about is Tudor James, and whether what's

happening, whether that's four defeats in a row or what he did to Antonin Kinsky subbing him off

after 17 minutes, whether any of this is in or out of character.

Look, I've followed his career innately. I've never seen him take action like that, so drastic.

And something that is not only damaging to Kinsky, but I think also damaging to him,

because I think it will be the decision that he is going to be most associated with

in his Tottenham career, because I think it's very hard for us to expect him to turn it around

at Tottenham now. And yeah, that's the big surprise to me, because as much as he's had no

Premier League experience, he has experience of these kinds of situations, and see him flounder

and make mistakes in pretty much every game I think has been very disappointing.

Can I defend Igor Tudor very quickly?

A big reason why he was right to do what he did, right?

When two mistakes happen in quick succession, sportsman can go through analysis paralysis,

which means that the goalkeeper, in this case, stops acting automatically,

begins to overthink, and not the mistake can happen. So if Igor Tudor saw that,

he's got to get him out. Two, can you tell you something? Can you tell his famous goalkeeper said,

he played his whole career through fear, the fear of making a full of himself. So he says,

not me, that if Tudor saw the goalkeeper was overwhelmed and struggling to cope with all of that,

he needs to get him out. And I've asked four managers, and I said, what would you do? And they

thought we needed to defend. We would defend a difficult decision, they all said, but we would

defend the team. He wasn't the right decision. And football has to accept that sometimes the

changes have to happen in the minute 15 or 13 or 10, which allows me then Jules to throw this to you

to end the show. Regardless of that, is the real issue here, just letting him walk off the pitch

and not going to see him and not going to console him? Is that bigger than the decision?

Probably, yeah, I think that adds insult to injury really. I think Igor Tudor was,

I think it was all disgraceful what he did. I completely disagree with him. By the way, it's

Romero who told Tudor to take him off. It's not even Tudor's decision. So I've got nowhere,

I'm so disappointed about what Tudor has done since he arrived, really mistak after mistak.

I thought he should have resigned after the game. He was another humiliation, like the Palace

game, like the Arsenal game. It's a lot of humiliation when you've only been in charge for four

games, by the way. And right now he's on course to be the worst manager. I know he's only a

pam, like he's not into him anymore. He's permanent. I know he's for a short term, but he's still

a permanent coach. He's on course to be one of the worst we've ever seen in the Premier League.

And we've been joined live by Frank DeBurr. No, I'm kidding.

They're together. Thank you very much, guys. Great stuff as always. Right, that's it for this

edition of the Euroleague. Big thank you to Guillem Balagate, Julianne Laurent, and to James

Horncastle. John Murray, Ian Dennis, Ali Bruce Ball will be here on Friday with the excellent

commentators view. Look out for a great interview with Brentford Captain Nathan Collins as well,

which you'll be able to hear on the football daily feed from Friday. As always, thank you so much for

listening.

For the holy grail of streaking, the Super Bowl. Mark Roberts is too largely for this

buddy. He's just like the entertainer. Mark pushes the boundaries of what is socially

acceptable. No chance, Texas. It's really strict, but the number of those who don't say

what are you about? Sports, strangers, crimes, presents, confessions of a Super Bowl

striker. Listen on BBC Sound.