20 episodes
22 Goals The Ringer
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- Sport
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4.5 • 8 Ratings
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There’s nothing quite like a soccer goal.
As the 22nd Men's World Cup approaches in November 2022, this podcast takes a look back at the history of the World Cup, through the lens of 22 of the most iconic goals ever scored in the greatest sporting event on earth.
Listen along as The Ringer’s Brian Phillips leads you on a breathless tour of nearly a century of World Cup history—from triumphs to tragedies, and everything in between.
This is not a soccer podcast, it’s a history book on a rocket ship to the moon. (OK, fine, it is technically also a soccer podcast.)
22 Goals is also available in Spanish and Portuguese.
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1 | Diego Maradona (1986)
Brian looks back at the two legendary goals Diego Maradona scored against England in the 1986 World Cup. But that’s not all! We’ll also discuss the Falkland Islands, Humphrey Bogart, God getting a manicure, militant art teachers, Emily Dickinson, unchecked euphoria, and why soccer players can’t stop taking off their shirts. And some other stuff!
Host: Brian Phillips
Producers: Devon Renaldo, Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins and Vikram Patel
Sound Design and Original Music: Devon Renaldo
Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville
Match footage from FIFA
Also available in Spanish and Portuguese
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2 | Ronaldo (2002)
Brian explores the legend of the Brazilian striker Ronaldo, possibly the most gifted player ever to kick a ball, and his triumphant return from injury at the 2002 World Cup. We'll also discuss the warped poetry of 1950s American tourist movies, the Rio bus system, and how to secure a hypoallergenic hotel room in Austria (spoiler alert: you can't).
Host: Brian Phillips
Producers: Devon Renaldo, Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins and Vikram Patel
Sound Design and Original Music: Devon Renaldo
Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville
Archival audio courtesy of Global ImageWorks, LLC
Match footage from FIFA
Also available in Spanish and Portuguese
Just for fun: here is a compilation video of Ronaldo scoring five goals against Bahia in 1993
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3 | Kylian Mbappé (2018)
Brian looks at the meteoric rise of Kylian Mbappé, whose goal in the 2018 World Cup final made him the first teenager since Pelé to score in soccer's biggest game. We'll discuss the contradictions of contemporary soccer, where the joy of stories like Mbappé's sits alongside high-level corruption. Also: three classic Arsenal jokes and the difficulty of dragging the creator of the universe into county court.
Host: Brian Phillips
Producers: Devon Renaldo, Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins and Vikram Patel
Sound Design and Original Music: Devon Renaldo
Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville
Match footage from FIFA
Also available in Spanish and Portuguese
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4 | Dennis Bergkamp (1998)
Brian delves into the career of Dennis Bergkamp, the enigmatic Dutch striker whose 1998 goal against Argentina is one of the most beautiful moments in the history of the men's World Cup. We'll also talk about real ghost ships, fake pig farms, and why it sometimes pays to park your car the wrong way at a British gas station.
Host: Brian Phillips
Producers: Devon Renaldo, Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins and Vikram Patel
Sound Design and Original Music: Devon Renaldo
Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville
Match footage from FIFA
Also available in Spanish and Portuguese
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5 | Roger Milla (1990)
Brian tells the story of Cameroonian striker Roger Milla, the oldest player ever to score in a men's World Cup. Along the way, we'll talk about dancing for joy, the text messages you never want to get on vacation, and why Africa laps the rest of the world when it comes to cool team nicknames.
Host: Brian Phillips
Producers: Devon Renaldo, Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins and Vikram Patel
Sound Design and Original Music: Devon Renaldo
Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville
Match footage from FIFA
Also available in Spanish and Portuguese
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Introducing: '22 Goals'
Also available in Spanish and Portuguese.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Customer Reviews
Beautifully written World Cup stories
A brilliantly written and performed history of the World Cup told through the stories of 22 goals (probably closer to about 40 actual goals in the end though)
There is plenty of florid hyperbole and superfluous diversions, however our esteemed host has such a twinkle in his voice that he is obviously in on the own joke.
Maybe once or twice it gets a little too indulgent, but that is more than made up for in the special way he looks at events that may otherwise be old hat.
Thanks for a great series
Excellent POD
A very entertaining and well researched podcast and worth listening to in full, even if only for the quotation of Johan Cruyff’s universally applicable mantra vis a vis pig farming. One small note though, during the discussion of the general superiority of African football team nicknames, The Elephants warranted a mention. Although that may have triggered an interrogation as to how a nation ended up being called The Ivory Coast in the first place (see footnote 1: Colonialism).