"I believe that football is a means of communication in itself that allows us to talk about anything in life and get to know people better. That’s why I thought I could ask relevant figures, who interest me for their profession, talent, or likability, for the ideal team of their lives. In each interview, the characters choose their players, and I take the opportunity to ask them anecdotes and curiosities related to their responses," this is how Diego Barcala, the director of Líbero magazine, starts his explanation of what the Líbero podcast is and what it means. Through this adventure they have embarked on in our application, we can learn about another facet and curiosities of some figures from culture, sports, and communication in our country, such as Guille Galván, Berta Collado, or Julián López.

In the Líbero podcast, you will find "a traditional interview but almost like a quiz," acknowledges its director. All characters are asked to choose from the goalkeeper to the last forward and a dessert that consists of answering quickly: president, coach, stadium, anthem, jersey, and bar… The latter, that of the bar, not everyone can answer, given the pandemic and that watching football in bars is not very common anymore. Additionally, Diego points out that "the gang of hooligans that appear on the podcast are those who watch the game locked up at home to yell as they please".

Thus, while the interviewees recount their "ideal 11", the listener can see in real-time the team of each guest, compare, and along the way, build their own. It is a very child-like and appealing feeling to make lists of the things we like. And football is very recurrent in transporting us back to childhood. The good thing about the conversation, Barcala acknowledges, "is that the script is known in advance, and the listener has the certainty of what is coming with their curiosity intact".

If we ask Diego what the reason is for listening to the Líbero podcast, he is very clear: "No one is obligated… But if you don’t listen, you will miss dozens of anecdotes, curiosities, and stories that will make you look fantastic in a group of friends". And his intention in the interviews is "to let out constant unpublished stories that we then love to share around".

Still not familiar with Líbero Magazine?

Líbero is a football and culture magazine that was born in June 2012. Since then, it has been building its reputation based on maintaining football discussions from a more elevated point of view compared to what we usually read in sports media. The podcast is the audio reproduction of our interviews that all readers recognize for being full of anecdotes that help to discover we are not alone among the football crazies. Don’t expect to find in Líbero the latest relevant information about the latest youth jewel of Turkish football. Nor the latest girlfriend of the current star, unless it concerns the new George Best; there, you will definitely have us. 

About Diego Barcala, the voice of the podcast: he is a journalist, directs, and edits the magazine. He handles interviews well, especially if they are with personalities he has encountered in some other adventure. In 10 years of the magazine, he has had time to experience some legendary comebacks. He admits that the selection of guests has been to his liking "which is sometimes a bit old-school, I admit". He has tried to have a bit of everything: musicians, actors, journalists, and also footballers. He says he has become a bit of a writer, to be honest, but he couldn’t avoid it. "I was born in '82, and in the '90s, football was very much a part of my life," he comments.