IT’S TIME FOR another episode of our sportswriting podcast, Behind the Lines.

The show is exclusive to members of The42, and if you’d like to get involved, then head on over to members.the42.ie to sign up for €5 per month or, alternatively, €42 per year.

This week’s guest is Paddy Agnew, who has been living in Rome since 1985, and in that time has covered the religion that makes the world tick… along with Vatican affairs and the Catholic Church.

Paddy is the long-time Italian correspondent for World Soccer magazine, and has also written a fabulous book on Italian football titled Forza Italia.

Throughout our chat, we remember his dealings with a host of the great names of Italian football: Maradona, Capello, Brady, and, eh, Sven.

We also chat about what it’s like covering Vatican affairs and jetting around the world with the Pope, his experience of writing about the Troubles for Magill magazine, and of growing up as the neighbour whom Martin O’Neill wouldn’t meet until football brought them together.

You can get in touch with the show by emailing behindthelines@the42.ie, and you can find some highlights from the show’s first 12 episodes here.