Guillem Balagué on storytelling, protecting sources, Messi’s biography, what drives Guardiola

Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Charlie Davies and Mo Edu welcome in award-winning author, journalist and analyst Guillem Balagué to talk about his big career break, building trust with players and managers, and getting on David Beckham's bad side. Guillem discusses the process of writing a biography, Lionel Messi’s English skills, and how his relationship with José Mourinho changed over time. Then, the crew reflect on Grant Wahl’s tragic passing at the Qatar World Cup before speculating on what Pep Guardiola’s next job will be. Kickin’ It is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Follow the Kickin’ It team on Twitter: @CBSSportsGolazo , @kate_abdo , @CharlieDavies9 , @MauriceEdu , @clint_dempsey Watch Kickin’ It on the CBS Sports Golazo Network , the 24-hour soccer streaming network that is available for free on connected TV and mobile devices through the CBS Sports App and Pluto TV, and on CBSSports.com , as well as Paramount+ . For more soccer coverage from CBS Sports, visit https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ Watch UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, Serie A, Coppa Italia, CONCACAF Nations League, NWSL, Scottish Premiership, Brasileiro, Argentine Primera División, soccer documentaries and more by subscribing Paramount Plus: https://www.paramountplus.com/home/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices