Record-Breaking Audience for Marcus Rashford’s The Rest Is Football Interview
In less than 48 hours, the special episode of The Rest Is Football was streamed over 1.4 million times across YouTube, Spotify Video, and all podcast platforms, with clips attracting more than 48.8 million views on social media.
Timed ahead of the 19 Aug launch of Goalhanger’s new spin-off — The Rest Is Football: LALIGA, a video-first edition of the hit podcast hosted by Gary Lineker and Alex Aljoe — the special pre-launch episode is already on track to be one of Goalhanger’s biggest pieces of content to date. Within a single day, it created global headlines in outlets including The New York Times, AFP, Reuters, BBC News, ESPN, The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Sun and many more.
Filmed and edited on location in Barcelona, the 40-minute episode combines a world-class interview with The Rest Is Football co-hosts Gary Lineker and Micah Richards, intercut with licensed footage from the 1987 BBC One documentary It’s Lineker For Barcelona, which charted Lineker’s own move to FC Barcelona - a journey that closely mirrors Rashford’s.
Speaking on the news, 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.”
In the world-exclusive interview, Rashford reflected on his blockbuster move to Barcelona, what it was like to play for one of the most electrifying teams in world football, and the incredible young talent emerging there. He also spoke candidly about Manchester United’s recent struggles, questioning whether the club had lost sight of its core principles - making for a raw and revealing conversation with one of England’s top talents.
About Goalhanger
Goalhanger is the UK’s largest independent podcast producer and the biggest outside the US. We make chart-topping, story-first shows across history, politics, sport, business, entertainment, current affairs, and audio drama, reaching tens of millions around the world each month. Our podcasts include The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, Empire, The Rest Is Entertainment, The Rest Is Politics: US, Leading, The Rest Is Money, Journey Through Time, The Rest Is Football, Sherlock & Co., The Rest Is Classified, The Rest Is Football: Daly Brightness, and We Have Ways of Making You Talk. In 2024 alone, our programmes were downloaded over 400 million times. But Goalhanger is more than just a podcast network. We’re a new-generation cultural media brand producing across YouTube, live events, and long-form audio. From in-depth interviews and cultural commentary to immersive storytelling, everything we create is rooted in trust, talent, and curiosity. Goalhanger is shaping the future of media, one great conversation at a time. Read more here: https://www.goalhangerpodcasts.com/
This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.