In Episode 41, we move beyond biographies and autobiographies for the first time and into the wonderful world of the language of football with Do You Speak Football by Tom Williams.

In his book, Williams takes us, Palinesque, on a tour of the world explaining how football is spoken about by fans everywhere.

If you would like to find out where a defensive midfielder is known as a faecal plug, what To Zlatan means in French, or what sunshine and piano football means in South Africa, this is the episode for you.

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🎧 Once more into the football-musical breach… 🎤⚽

We’re back with one final (for now) dive into the weird and wonderful world of footballers who made music. 🎶👟

Footballing genius doesn’t always translate to musical talent (spoiler: some of these are rough) 😬🎵 — but there are surprises. And its all good fun anyway...

💫 The players featured in this episode have won six Ballons d’Or between them. And one legend — whose music is probably the best of this particular lot — won zero, but only because the award wasn't open to non-Europeans throughout his career. (France Football later said he’d have won seven!) 👀🇧🇷 Can you guess who we’re talking about?

This week, we dive into Flight to Bogotá by John Leonard — the true story of Neil Franklin, the England defender hailed by Tom Finney as the finest defender of his generation… until he threw it all away.

In the years after WWII, Franklin played 27 times for England and had a ticket to the 1950 World Cup in the bag 🏆. But instead of heading to Brazil, he shocked the football world by signing for Santa Fe in Colombia’s rebel pirate Dimayor league — sacrificing his career for freedom, dollars 💰, and a new life beyond the FA’s reach.

We explore the post-war players’ rebellion 🛫🇬🇧, their fight against “slave contracts” in British football, and what awaited them in the chaotic, cash-rich world of Colombian football.

A story of risk, revolt, and thick, thick soup 🔥.