Part One - Becoming the GOAT

Welcome to the Making of Messi, our new three-part narrative series.  Following in the footsteps of former stars of the footballing world like Pele, David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi is attempting to crack the US with his move to Inter Miami. The Argentine has won it all in domestic and international football over a glittering career at Barcelona, PSG and for his country, Argentina. In the first episode of this audio documentary series, presenter Mike Zimmermann takes us on the journey of Messi becoming, in many people’s eyes, the greatest of all-time, or GOAT. We go back to Messi’s roots in Rosario, Argentina, hearing from Felipe Cardenas on his early years, Pol Ballus provides insight on his 20-year spell at Barcelona, and Tom Williams recounts his time at PSG. James Horncastle assesses his international career, which reached its peak in that epic 2022 World Cup win in Qatar. You’ll also hear from Michael Cox on Messi the footballer, and Nick Miller on the Messi the man, and the money. Produced by Mike Stavrou.

Om Podcasten

Lionel Messi - arguably the greatest footballer of all time - is now an Inter Miami player and the biggest asset MLS has ever had. Over this three-part series, The Athletic details why Messi is deemed as the GOAT in almost every department, his complex relationship with Argentina and the nuances of the unique deal that brought him to Florida. Featuring interviews with the likes of Bradley Wright-Phillips and Nedum Onuoha, as well as leaning on the expertise of Athletic writers from both sides of the Atlantic. Initially homed on The Athletic's soccer documentary feed Go Deeper: https://podfollow.com/godeeper Artwork illustration credits: Marcus Marritt