Nessun Dorma Retro Football Podcast
An in-depth, nostalgic celebration of football in the eighties and nineties, where the wider world of sport and popular culture are occasionally welcome visitors. nessundorma.substack.com
Episodes
May 8, 2026 • 48 mins
In the first of a series of book specials, the journalist and columnist Robert Taylor joins Martyn to discuss his new book about following England throughout the last 50 years. They chat about obsessive fandom, the curse of big injuries and early goals, how critical we should be of England managers, why England underperform and indeed if they actually have and a lot more.
This is a great read and can be found here and in the usual...
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May 1, 2026 • 97 mins
The easiest draft in football history? Let's see.
Reigning ND World Cup Draft Champion Dominic Hougham returns to compete with Mac, Michael Hamlen and author of the brilliant 'The Heroes of Mexico 86' Richard Mulligan to find the best unique XI based purely on performances at the tournament.
With Martyn left to judge on defence, midfield, attack and overall balance it might just be more than who gets the number 1 draw and gets ...
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April 24, 2026 • 107 mins
We started back in January with the qualifiers and now we are at the Azteca, bursting with 114,000 people for the World Cup Final of 1986. Aidan Williams and Dominic Hougham join Martyn to discuss the team selections and possible alternatives, the game, the impact of the last 20 minutes, the fascinating live coverage and debate where this Final and the tournament as a whole sits on the World Cup pantheon.
Argentina v West Germany ...
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April 17, 2026 • 71 mins
And then there were four. Mac and Martyn attempt to make sense of another French failure against their arch nemesis but give some justified praise for an excellent West German defensive performance. Belgium did everything right for the best part of an hour before the real Diego masterclass from Mexico got underway.
If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, join our Nessun Dorma community chat, want your episodes without ads and ...
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April 10, 2026 • 122 mins
Martyn, Mike and Rob settle down to revisit one of the great weekends in World Cup history. France and Brazil produce a classic and a goal that would be lionised if the result had been different, the hosts suffer a fate that many will over the years: defeat to West Germany on penalties, the surprise package carry on and England v Argentina provides enough for an entire series.
France v Brazil - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ...
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April 3, 2026 • 77 mins
World Cup author Dominic Hougham joins Martyn to see France break a bit of a hoodoo, West Germany bore their way past Morocco, Bobby's boys march on despite another shaky start and Denmark absolutely losing their collective mind.
Italy v France - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV1Ocz4GyzY
Morocco v West Germany - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNA2e_cdt4I
England v Paraguay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J672j5Ko_xg
Denmar...
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March 27, 2026 • 77 mins
It's knockout time! Michael Hamlen from the brilliant 80s&90sFootball is here to look at the first two rounds of Last 16 matches including the first classic of the competition between the USSR and Belgium, Brazil coming to life against Poland, the hosts progressing and Diego warming up for immortality.
Mexico v Bulgaria - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9JPDvqeMso&t=2s
USSR v Belgium - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K9R8BLHOXs...
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March 20, 2026 • 87 mins
Gary and John return to wrap up the group stages of the 1986 World Cup. Ian St John has a meltdown watching Scotland somehow managing to miss out against the "scum of world football". West Germany are the latest to be put to the sword by Denmark but end up on the better side of the draw as a result and there is quite the debut for a young Brazilian right back by the name of Josimar.
Brazil v Northern Ireland - https://www.youtub...
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March 13, 2026 • 75 mins
Mac Millings makes his tournament debut as England's hopes hang by a thread. Bobby Robson is forced into some changes and, although familiar issues are still apparent early on against Poland, goals change games. And careers.
There is also Morocco discovering what can be done when you cross the halfway line, progress for the hosts, Paraguay and Belgium fight to avoid the USSR, Italy remain unconvincing and some love for Jorge Valda...
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March 6, 2026 • 95 mins
Mike takes to the lectern as he guides us through the crushing beauty of Denmark's destruction of Uruguay. There's also Gordon Strachan's struggles with advertising boards, iconic branding of World Cups, Belgium get back on track while France and the USSR warm down into the knockouts.
Iraq v Belgium - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liOXMZwJkF8
West Germany v Scotland - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr3WW3pjpXs
Denmark v Urugu...
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February 27, 2026 • 77 mins
Aidan Williams returns as England's tournament goes from bad to worse in Monterrey, lightning doesn't strike twice for Northern Ireland, the World Cup's poster boy has a major misstep, the greatest clearance of all time and much more.
Hungary v Canda - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohDvj08eybk
Brazil v Algeria - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3qnpl9AB3c
England v Morocco - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBFyPcB3sT4
Mexic...
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February 23, 2026 • 48 mins
On the 30th anniversary of Euro '96, the author Richard Chamberlain provides us with a telling reminder that there was more to this tournament that a homecoming from the sporting wilderness and an internal feel-good summer. The inside story on all the participants can be found in his new book which is out later this year. He talks to us about the project as a whole, the resonance in a post-Southgate era and how you can get involved...
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February 20, 2026 • 72 mins
Martyn is joined by Gary and debutant John Mackay get stuck into a bumper couple of days. Scotland make an unfortunate start against the Danes after Uruguay set out their stall against a West German side in a state of disarray. There are a couple of heavyweight clashes with some pulled punches and much more.
Paraguay v Iraq - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8GCTxga8jw
Uruguay v West Germany - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDOY...
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February 13, 2026 • 76 mins
Mike and Martyn get set to devour a feast of World Cup action over these two days. We have Maradona and Passarella clashing over drugs and affairs before South Korea took turns in having a kick without any serious sanction, Hungary being smashed by the USSR, an early victory for the hosts amidst political turbulence and an arachnid taking over the Azteca, Northern Ireland and Algeria failing to live up to their previous exploits an...
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February 6, 2026 • 46 mins
It is time to start your Mexican waves!
Jonathan O'Brien is here to discuss the opening game, how the World Champions were placed, who the European Champions had turned to up front, a handball goal that was actually chalked off and Spain and Brazil remind us why we should be careful what we wish for when trying to the rid the game of technology.
Italy v Bulgaria - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0eTCWLGTfo
Canada v France - htt...
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January 30, 2026 • 65 mins
We are nearly there! Martyn is joined again by the author Aidan Williams to round up the rest of the qualifiers - from Argentina to Iraq - and to take a look at the contemporaneous previews on the eve of the tournament. There were big concerns about the impact of the midday sun on the quality of football, most agreed that there was no outstanding favourite and Diego Maradona had far from convinced everyone that he was about to take...
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January 23, 2026 • 83 mins
Martyn, Rob and Aidan Williams get our biggest deep-dive yet underway with a look at the European contingent and how they navigated their way to Mexico. We have that drama in Cardiff, the late arrival of Lineker, Northern Ireland doing it the hard way, one major sliding doors moment and so much more.
If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier or just want to support the ...
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January 16, 2026 • 90 mins
The last of the archive re-runs is a good old deep dive into the opening fixtures of the 1996-97 season first released in September 2018. Lee, Mike and Gary consider Beckham's introduction to the wider world, Richie Humphreys' thunderbolt and decline, Super Kevin Campbell and the general pizzazz and razzamattaz that was the Premier League in the post Euro 96 miasma of self assurance.
Nessun Dorma returns next week as we commence...
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January 9, 2026 • 83 mins
We go back into the archives for a few weeks before our big Mexico '86 series begins on 21 January. In this excellent show from November 2018, Lee, Rob and Mike chat all about November 17 1993, the last great night of international tournament qualification; an evening that ended careers, made reputations, left a legacy a certain Welsh fullback could do without and caused David Ginola to have his parentage questioned.
The exclusive...
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January 1, 2026 • 60 mins
Martyn and Gary are mostly full of glad tidings as they try and tackle the brilliant Patreon questions. Winter signings, best festive fixtures, the mythology of the Christmas Day truce are mixed with the greatest games of all time, biggest missed opportunities, Scottish football's best time and, a little less jolly, what players we hate.
Have an excellent 2026 everyone!
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