Gaizka Mendieta on Lazio/Barca chaos & joining Boro – The Broken Metatarsal
Gaizka Mendieta played for clubs as disparate as Valencia, Lazio, Barcelona and Middlesbrough in the 2000s – and he told us all about it on the latest edition of The Broken Metatarsal podcast.
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Mendieta was a runner-up in successive Champions League finals at the start of the 2000s, scoring in both, but moves to Lazio and then Barcelona coincided with periods with instability and ultimately led to the Spain midfielder seeking a fresh start in 2003.
And, despite offers to stay in his homeland, the two-time UEFA Best Midfielder of the Year winner opted to move to the Premier League to join…Middlesbrough.
Mendieta explains the thinking behind that move – plus much, much more – in our latest player special on The Broken Metatarsal, which you can listen to below.
Episode Highlights
Champions League battle against Leeds – 4m 11s
That incredible Valencia Squad – 5m 38s
A quick trip to 1999 – 7m
The type of goals Gaizka scored – 9m 35s
UCL Final v Bayern – 10m 30s
How Gaizka takes losing – 12m 30s
The two unlucky moves to Lazio and Barcelona – 14m 40s
What it’s like when Barca fans see failure – 19m
The ego’s around him – 20m 28s
Why he chose Boro – 23m 10s
What’s attractive about not signing for a big club – 27m 14s
Why it ended so badly at Boro – 29m 30s
How Southgate dealt with the situation – 32m 02s
Player 4 Player – 33m
You can listen to the episode directly below or find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast, CastBox, Google Podcasts, Deezer and RadioPublic among other providers, where you can hear plenty more episodes in which we celebrate the best of noughties football.
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