Ep 46 | Champions League in Iceland, Manchester United in Kazakhstan, & Argentina's Superclásico w/ ESPN Senior Writer Mark Ogden
The Footy Travelers Podcast · FYPer Media
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Show Notes
Today we're joined by ESPN senior football writer, Mark Ogden. Having been a professional football journalist (and a professional footy traveler) since at least the early 'noughties', Mark is an absolute treasure trove of stories. No cheeky or pithy description today. This outline speaks for itself:
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00:00:00 | Introduction & welcome
00:04:07 | Mark's ESPN and footy traveler origin story
00:07:47 | The internet's impact on Mark's work (& life)
00:12:45 | Keeping the list of all 54+ 'countries been' for footy
00:15:10 | Traveling to Iceland for Champions League preliminary rounds
00:18:09 | Interviewing the modern day footballers & Breidablik's Europa Conference League berth
00:20:53 | Tips for longer term footy travels (i.e. World Cups)
00:24:19 | Mark's Women's World Cup 2023 experience in Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand
00:28:05 | The challenge of getting to San Marino (home of the worst team in the world) & avoiding travel headaches
00:33:15 | Manchester United, in Kazakhstan, on a sub-zero Thursday night
00:37:25 | Travel buddies from the Manchester days, an upcoming Wrexham book, and the death of Queen Elizabeth
00:39:32 | Insights gained covering Iranian soccer after the murder of Mahsa Amini & subsequent protests
00:43:23 | Meeting Lionel Messi's body double, some thoughts on AI, & packing woes
00:46:50 | Thoughts on the loudest & proudest fan groups & a San Siro CTA
00:50:07 | Why Burnley has been punching above its weight
00:51:55 | Everton (& Liverpool) fans' approach to community impact
00:54:00 | Rapid Fire begins!
00:58:19 | Ronaldo (CR7) recognizes Mark & colleagues at World Cup 2010
01:01:40 | Mark's bucket list footy trip (Boca Juniors vs River Plate Superclasico)
01:02:50 | Thoughts on US Soccer, Messi-mania, & Pep's next move
01:06:20 | How Spain have upended women's soccer & Mark's hidden gems of footy traveling
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Foot(y)notes:
- Keep up with Mark's coverage of the beautiful game (and his footy travels) on ESPN.co.uk
- Read more about Mark's experience at the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League preliminary rounds in Iceland.
- This is the #HungerDoesntWearClubColours initiative that Mark mentions in our discussion.
- *UPDATE*: Mark recently published a story on his trip to San Marino (the worst team in the FIFA rankings) for their Euro 2024 qualifier against Slovenia.