<description>&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guest: &lt;/strong&gt;James Gheerbrant, football reporter, The Times.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Host: &lt;/strong&gt;Luke Jones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Producer: &lt;/strong&gt;Dave Creasey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We want to hear from you - email:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="mailto:thestory@thetimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;thestory@thetimes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read more: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/world-cup/article/48-countries-48-players-world-cup-through-eyes-of-men-who-played-in-it-0ztv97bg0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;48 countries, 48 players: World Cup through eyes of men who played in it.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Further listening: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://pod.fo/e/43287f" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Who is the “king of soccer" Gianni Infantino?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clips:&lt;/strong&gt; ITN, BBC, CNN.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photo:&lt;/strong&gt; Getty Images.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;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&amp;nbsp;subscribe&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;here&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

48 players from 48 nations at this years tournament 

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: <a href="mailto:thestory@thetimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thestory@thetimes.com</a> Read more: <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/world-cup/article/48-countries-48-players-world-cup-through-eyes-of-men-who-played-in-it-0ztv97bg0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">48 countries, 48 players: World Cup through eyes of men who played in it.</a>Further listening: <a href="https://pod.fo/e/43287f" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Who is the “king of soccer" Gianni Infantino?</a>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&nbsp;subscribe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The men who made the World Cup - The Sunday Story 

<description>&lt;p&gt;Sophia Greenwood was adopted as a baby and spent years searching for her biological parents. When she finally met her father at the age of 24, neither could have predicted what happened next. Their relationship would spark controversy, lead to criminal proceedings, and shape the rest of their lives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;http://thetimes.com/thestory&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Written by: &lt;/strong&gt;Sophia Greenwood and Helen Croydon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read by: &lt;/strong&gt;Molly Guinness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Producer: &lt;/strong&gt;Dave Creasey.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We want to hear from you - email:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="mailto:thestory@thetimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;thestory@thetimes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read more: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/sex-relationships/article/i-was-24-when-i-met-my-biological-father-then-we-had-an-affair-676c356px" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;I was 24 when I met my biological father. Then we had an affair&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photo:&lt;/strong&gt; Getty Images.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;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&amp;nbsp;subscribe&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;here&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

A rare case of 'genetic sexual attraction'

Sophia Greenwood was adopted as a baby and spent years searching for her biological parents. When she finally met her father at the age of 24, neither could have predicted what happened next. Their relationship would spark controversy, lead to criminal proceedings, and shape the rest of their lives. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: <a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://thetimes.com/thestory</a> Written by: Sophia Greenwood and Helen Croydon.Read by: Molly Guinness.Producer: Dave Creasey.We want to hear from you - email: <a href="mailto:thestory@thetimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thestory@thetimes.com</a> Read more: <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/sex-relationships/article/i-was-24-when-i-met-my-biological-father-then-we-had-an-affair-676c356px" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">I was 24 when I met my biological father. Then we had an affair</a>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&nbsp;subscribe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

I found my birth father at 24. Then we fell in love - The Saturday Story

<description>&lt;p&gt;Andy Burnham's victory in Makerfield makes him Labour leader and prime minister in waiting. How will the next days and weeks play out? Keir Starmer has said he will stand in a leadership contest if one is triggered. So does that mean a bloody contest rather than a coronation? In a special episode recorded live on Times Radio with Ed Vaizey, we go through the possible scenarios.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hosts:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ed Vaizey, presenter, Times Radio&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Producers:&lt;/strong&gt; Harry Kitson, Erin Carney&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Executive producer:&lt;/strong&gt; Molly Guinness&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Picture: &lt;/strong&gt;Getty Images&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;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&amp;nbsp;subscribe&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;here&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Andy Burnham's victory in Makerfield makes him Labour leader and prime minister in waiting. How will the next days and weeks play out? Keir Starmer has said he will stand in a leadership contest if one is triggered. So does that mean a bloody contest rather than a coronation? In a special episode recorded live on Times Radio with Ed Vaizey, we go through the possible scenarios. Hosts: <ul><li>Ed Vaizey, presenter, Times Radio</li><li>Steven Swinford, political editor, The Times</li><li>Lara Spirit, deputy political editor, The Sunday Times</li></ul> Producers: Harry Kitson, Erin CarneyExecutive producer: Molly Guinness Picture: Getty ImagesThis podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism&nbsp;subscribe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The State of It: Andy Burnham wins Makerfield: what happens now?

<description>&lt;p&gt;The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding this week to begin negotiations toward a broader peace agreement in the Middle East. But what does the deal look like inside Iran? And how are ordinary Iranians responding to this moment?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;http://thetimes.com/thestory&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guest: &lt;/strong&gt;Fatemeh Jamalpour, Iranian journalist in exile and author of &lt;em&gt;For the Sun After Long Nights.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Host: &lt;/strong&gt;Luke Jones&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Producers: &lt;/strong&gt;Sophie McNulty, Elle Scott.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We want to hear from you - email:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="mailto:thestory@thetimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;thestory@thetimes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read more:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/iran-us-peace-deal-reaction-70svxdt53" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;In Tehran, Iranians dare to hope this is the death of the regime&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Further listening: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://podfollow.com/the-story/episode/7a2e3e7bdb6a0aafe1a4e9cec18b8e65d41f5305/view" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Will Trump’s Iran peace deal hold?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clips:&lt;/strong&gt; NBC, CNN, The Guardian, Donald Trump - Truth Social, PBS, Al Jazeera.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photo:&lt;/strong&gt; Getty Images.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;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&amp;nbsp;subscribe&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;here&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

How are ordinary Iranians responding to the moment?

The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding this week to begin negotiations toward a broader peace agreement in the Middle East. But what does the deal look like inside Iran? And how are ordinary Iranians responding to this moment? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: <a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://thetimes.com/thestory</a> Guest: Fatemeh Jamalpour, Iranian journalist in exile and author of For the Sun After Long Nights.&nbsp;Host: Luke JonesProducers: Sophie McNulty, Elle Scott.&nbsp;We want to hear from you - email: <a href="mailto:thestory@thetimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thestory@thetimes.com</a> Read more: <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/iran-us-peace-deal-reaction-70svxdt53" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In Tehran, Iranians dare to hope this is the death of the regime</a>Further listening: <a href="https://podfollow.com/the-story/episode/7a2e3e7bdb6a0aafe1a4e9cec18b8e65d41f5305/view" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Will Trump’s Iran peace deal hold?</a>Clips: NBC, CNN, The Guardian, Donald Trump - Truth Social, PBS, Al Jazeera.&nbsp;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&nbsp;subscribe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

 What Iranians really think of Trump's peace deal

<description>&lt;p&gt;Eighteen firebombings across Europe, including in London, have all been allegedly traced back to one man. Iranian-backed Mohammed al-Saadi was finally caught by the FBI last month. But how did a man no one had heard of come to allegedly execute these orders? And how was he finally caught?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;http://thetimes.com/thestory&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guest:&lt;/strong&gt; Dipesh Gadher, home affairs correspondent, The Sunday Times.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Host: &lt;/strong&gt;Luke Jones.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Producer: &lt;/strong&gt;Olivia Case.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We want to hear from you - email:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="mailto:thestory@thetimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;thestory@thetimes.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read more:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/how-net-closed-in-on-mastermind-behind-uk-arson-attacks-5k6wjrdn6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt; How net closed in on ‘mastermind behind UK arson attacks’&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clips:&lt;/strong&gt; ABC, i24News.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Photo:&lt;/strong&gt; FBI, Instagram.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;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&amp;nbsp;subscribe&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;here&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr&gt;&lt;p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'&gt; Hosted on Acast. See &lt;a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'&gt;acast.com/privacy&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Who is the man allegedly directing arson attacks on Europe via FaceTime?

Eighteen firebombings across Europe, including in London, have all been allegedly traced back to one man. Iranian-backed Mohammed al-Saadi was finally caught by the FBI last month. But how did a man no one had heard of come to allegedly execute these orders? And how was he finally caught?&nbsp; This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: <a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://thetimes.com/thestory</a> Guest: Dipesh Gadher, home affairs correspondent, The Sunday Times.Host: Luke Jones.&nbsp;Producer: Olivia Case. We want to hear from you - email: <a href="mailto:thestory@thetimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thestory@thetimes.com</a>Read more:<a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/how-net-closed-in-on-mastermind-behind-uk-arson-attacks-5k6wjrdn6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> How net closed in on ‘mastermind behind UK arson attacks’</a>Clips: ABC, i24News.&nbsp;Photo: FBI, Instagram.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&nbsp;subscribe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The 'mastermind behind UK arson attacks'

The biggest stories, told in depth, daily. Join the world's best journalists to uncover what really matters. Hosted by Manveen Rana and Luke Jones. Published seven days a week and ready for you every morning. The Story is brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/digital/?utm_source=podcasts&amp;utm_medium=audio&amp;utm_campaign=FY24_TML_The-Story-subscription-promo_" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe today</a><hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

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