A special episode of The Rest Is Football has been streamed more than 1.4 million times in under 48 hours, making it one of Goalhanger’s most successful podcast releases to date.
The video-led show, hosted by Gary Lineker and Micah Richards, also generated more than 48.8 million social media views through clips that spread globally.
The episode was released ahead of 19 August, when Goalhanger launches The Rest Is Football: LALIGA, a new video-first edition of the series hosted by Lineker alongside Alex Aljoe.
This pre-launch special has already captured attention across international media, with coverage appearing in The New York Times, AFP, Reuters, BBC News, ESPN, The Guardian, Daily Mail and The Sun.
Filmed in Barcelona, the 40-minute show combines an in-depth conversation with Marcus Rashford and the podcast’s hosts alongside archive material.
Licensed extracts from the 1987 BBC One documentary It’s Lineker For Barcelona were used to draw a parallel between Rashford’s move to FC Barcelona and Lineker’s own transfer nearly four decades earlier.
Tony Pastor, Co-Founder of Goalhanger, said: “We’re thrilled that Marcus Rashford chose to share his story with Gary and Micah on The Rest Is Football.
“The podcast format gave him the space for an honest, in-depth conversation about the game and the life of a modern footballer.
“The incredible engagement across Spotify, YouTube, and our social platforms shows just how much appetite there is for intelligent, entertaining content like this. And this is just the start – fans can expect plenty more big interviews on The Rest Is Football this season.”
The world-exclusive interview saw Rashford discuss his arrival at Barcelona, what it meant to join one of the most exciting clubs in world football, and his hopes for the team’s younger generation.
He also addressed Manchester United’s current challenges, questioning whether the club had lost touch with its foundations. The candid conversation has been widely praised as one of the most open interviews of his career.
