Joe Cole and Ashley Cole’s new FA Cup podcast has seen success, with content from the show hitting 12 million video views in just three episodes.
Full podcast episodes of Football’s Greatest: Could It Be Magic? have been streamed well over 150,000 times, with the show also appearing in the top 20 sports podcasts charts on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Released by Platform Media, Dentsu, Story Lab and Carling, the seven-part series sees former England internationals Joe and Ashley joined by former players and some of those involved in this season’s competition.
An eighth episode later this year will focus on the women’s FA Cup with some more top names. The series continues the themes that have been part of the Football’s Greatest brand so far: insight, nostalgia and hilarious stories.
Joe and Ashley both have a rich history with the men’s FA Cup: Joe won it twice with Chelsea (2007, 2010), while Ashley has seven victories to his name – the most ever by a male player – with Arsenal (2002, 2003, 2005) and Chelsea (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012).
New episodes are released on the Wednesday before each round of this season’s competition. The first episode saw the friends and former team-mates discuss some of their favourite FA Cup memories as both fans and players.
The second episode featured Teddy Sheringham, an FA Cup winner with Manchester United in 1999, as well as Tamworth goalkeeper Jas Singh and Accrington Stanley manager John Doolan ahead of their 3rd round ties against Tottenham and Liverpool respectively.
Episode three features England hero Stuart Pearce and Plymouth captain Joe Edwards discussing their 4th round match with Liverpool.
Joe Cole says: “I’ve loved the FA Cup since I was a kid. Winning it twice was a dream come true and to be able to talk about it on a show with my old team-mate Ashley is the next best thing.
“It’s brilliant to relive some of those fantastic moments and to talk to some of the guys hoping to make their own memories has been special as well.”
Ashley Cole adds: “I don’t think there’s a competition quite like the FA Cup anywhere else in the world. It has meant so much to me down the years and I’m very proud of my record.
“To get the chance to sit down with Joe and our guests is an amazing opportunity. Some of the stories we’ve heard already have been so good and there’s lots more to come.”
Lee Willett, Carling Brand Director at Molson Coors Beverage Company comments: “We are extremely proud of our association with the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup, and we believe this series with Joe and Ashley is a fantastic addition to that.
“As the beer of football, Carling is all about bringing mates together and that’s what we have in Joe and Ashley – two friends talking about the beautiful game.”
Football’s Greatest: Could It Be Magic? is available to watch on YouTube and Spotify, or you can listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
