The men who made the World Cup - The Sunday Story

Nearly 7,000 men have played in the World Cup since it began in 1930. To capture some of their extraordinary stories, The Times' football reporter James Gheerbrant set out on a quest to track down 48 players from the 48 countries playing in this year's tournament. We hear the remarkable memories of 3 of them: One of the old surviving players, another who trained under the shadow of gunfire in Vietnam, and a final player whose team endured death threats.

Guest: James Gheerbrant, football reporter, The Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: 48 countries, 48 players: World Cup through eyes of men who played in it.

Further listening: Who is the “king of soccer" Gianni Infantino?

Clips: ITN, BBC, CNN.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.