The 14 Best Soccer Movies, Ranked
The World Cup only happens every four years, and each tournament brings with it its own ups, downs, trials, tribulations, surprise contenders, and thrilling finales. The 2019 Women's World Cup saw the USA win the trophy for a second consecutive tournament; Qatar 2022 gave Lionel Messi a fairy tale ending at last.
Almost sounds like something out of a movie, doesn't it?
Luckily, soccer (or football, or fútbol — whichever you prefer, they're all valid) has been the topic of many films through the years. In this article, we will detail 14 of the best-known, including comedies, biopics, romance, murder mysteries, and documents of real-life tragedies. Along the way, you'll find everyone from the legends of the sport, including the sadly departed Pelé and Diego Maradona, to Hollywood superstars such as Sylvester Stallone and Will Ferrell. Within the bounds of "The Beautiful Game," almost anything is possible.
14. Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001)
Our first movie, "Mike Bassett: England Manager," is a mockumentary that stars Ricky Tomlinson as the titular Mike Bassett, the manager of Norwich City who's somehow appointed to guide England to the World Cup. The story delves into the nuts and bolts of football management, and every sort of hijinx that can ensue. If this seems a bit familiar, that's because the movie is a parody of the 1994 documentary, "An Impossible Job," which focused on Graham Taylor, England's manager from 1990 to 1993.
The film is a cult classic, and spawned a spinoff TV series called "Mike Bassett: Manager" in 2005. (A crowdfunding campaignfor another film launched in 2014, but failed to meet its funding goal.) That said, many of its jokes are pretty dated, both in terms of taste (one plot thread involves a player and a trans sex worker, which would have been topical in the early '00s thanks to Hugh Grant and Eddie Murphy's scandals, but now simply feels transphobic) and the ways that the world of soccer has changed in the 21st century. Nevertheless, a classic sequence in which Bassett recites "If–" by Rudyard Kipling and ends it with the declaration that "England will play 4-4-f***ing-2!" is worth a watch, as are the cameos from Pelé, Ronaldo, and pop group Atomic Kitten.
13. The Game of Their Lives (2005)
As unlikely as it may seem, the U.S. Men's National Team has a winning record against England in the World Cup: one win, two draws, and no losses. "The Game of Their Lives" is the story of their single victory, a 1-0 triumph over the Three Lions in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1950. Angelo Pizzo ("Hoosiers," "Rudy") wrote the screenplay based on Geoffrey Douglas' 1996 book, and David Anspaugh directed. "The Game of Their Lives" stars Gerard Butler as Frank Borghi, the U.S. goalkeeper, Wes Bentley as passer Walter Behr, and Jimmy Jean-Louis as goal-scorer Joe Gaetjens. There are also a few former players in the cast, like John Harkes, as well as appearances from Patrick Stewart, John Rhys-Davies, and the singer from Bush, Gavin Rossdale.
The film performed poorly at the box office and was negatively reviewed by critics, with Roger Ebert describing it as "more like a eulogy than an adventure." There are also a few historical inaccuracies in the film (for example, Bahr is depicted as the USA captain, when it was Ed McIlvenny who wore the armband against England); however, this is hardly the only soccer movie that doesn't stick solely to the facts. Still, it is good that this monumental achievement for soccer in the USA has been memorialized on film.
12. United (2011)
"United" tells the tale of the tragic Munich Air Disaster of 1958, which claimed the lives of 23 people, including eight players and three club staff members for Manchester United. Written by former "Doctor Who" showrunner and "Broadchurch" creator Chris Chibnall, this James Strong-directed tale follows the crash's immediate aftermath, which unfolded when the team was led by Matt Busby (Dougray Scott). Another "Doctor Who" alum, David Tennant, stars in this BBC 2 film as Jimmy Murphy, who has the unenviable responsibility of trying to rebuild the team while Busby recovers from his injuries. Jack O'Connell also appears as Sir Bobby Charlton, who would survive the crash and not only go on to join England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad, but also become a pivotal figure in Manchester United's history.
Not everyone was happy about the movie. Sandy Busby, Matt's son, felt the film should have concentrated more on the players who had died in the crash, some of whom were not even mentioned. Other critiques focused on Scott's costumes and the portrayal of former Football Association chief Alan Hardaker, who's cast as a villainfor no good reason. Even so, many reviews were very positive, and "United" was nominated for best European TV production at the 2011 Prix Europa awards.
11. Goal! (2005)
Given that the sport is tailor-made for so-called "Disney endings," it makes sense that Disney — or, rather, its then-subsidiary Touchstone Pictures — eventually got around to making a soccer movie. In "Goal!," which would spawn a trilogy of films, Santiago Muñez (Kuno Becker) is an undocumented immigrant living in LA. He's a talented player who works two jobs, including one with his father. However, when Santiago is unexpectedly scouted by English club Newcastle United, he decides to follow his dream of being a professional soccer player. The movie details the trials and tribulations that follow, including Santiago's difficulty fitting in at the Toon and the disapproval of his father, and how they all build to one shining moment of glory.
This feel-good story had significant investment from FIFA and Adidas, which reportedly invested $50 million in the film. It also features cameos from David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer, and music by none other than Oasis's Noel Gallagher, himself a Manchester City die-hard. Ironically, in 2021, Newcastle signed a player named Santiago Muñoz, whose name is very similar to that of the film's lead. While the movie was labeled as "can-do nonsense" by Variety and a "fantasy" by BBC Film, the idea of the Magpies being any sort of contenders doesn't seem so far-fetched nowadays, especially given Newcastle United's new Saudi ownership...
10. Kicking & Screaming (2005)
Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall star in "Kicking & Screaming," which follows Phil Weston (Ferrell), who takes over coaching the Tigers, a kids' soccer team. He brings his son with him after his father, Buck Weston (Duvall), coach of the successful Gladiators, refuses to play his own grandson. Desperate to improve the Tigers, Phil recruits his neighbor, whom Buck despises, to help him out. That neighbor just happens to be Chicago Bears legend Mike Ditka, who plays a comedy version of himself. Cue the eventual showdown between the Tigers and the Gladiators, Phil and Buck, and father and son.
While this is not the greatest comedy, and generally received mixed reviews, it certainly has funny moments. It has some subtle commentary on the over-competitiveness of youth sports and the toxic culture often lying underneath it all, and some thematic discussion about making up for lost time and how families can be torn asunder. Critics and awards organizations were mixed. On the plus side, it was up for four Teen Choice Awards; on the other, it almost earned Will Farrell a Razzie. The film's biggest punchline, perhaps? "Kicking & Screaming" is actually the highest-grossing soccer movie of all time, with $56.1 million.
9. Escape to Victory (1981)
"Escape to Victory" is a direct remake of a 1961 Hungarian film, "Two Half-Times in Hell," about Hungarian POWs who are forced to play an exhibition match against their Nazi oppressors in honor of Hitler's birthday. In this version, the prisoners are from a wide array of Allied countries, and there is a plot to flee the camp thrown in, a la "The Great Escape." Between its director, John Huston, and its main cast, which includes Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, and Max von Sydow, this is likely the most star-studded movie about soccer ever committed to film.
There are quite a few (former) footballers in this movie as well, playing for both the Allied and German sides. In "Escape to Victory," you'll see Argentinean legend Osvaldo Ardiles, England's 1966 World Cup-winning captain, Bobby Moore, and — receiving star billing — a certain Brazilian known the world over as Pelé. Quite a few then-current players for Ipswich Town FC also appear.
Both movies are inspired by the story of the Death Match, a mythical game between FC Start and Flakelf, a squad made up of Luftwaffe members, on August 9, 1942. As the legend goes, the Start players refused to intentionally lose to the Nazis, and were executed because of their rebellion. In recent years, however, the story has been discredited, with many details dismissed as Soviet propaganda.
8. The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939)
Adapted from a crime novel by British author Leonard Gribble, much of "The Arsenal Stadium Mystery" was filmed on location at Arsenal Football Club's former stadium, Highbury. More crucially, it also features cameos by Arsenal's manager at the time, George Allison, and several players. The plot focuses on a friendly game between Arsenal and the fictitious amateur Trojans, which is derailed when a Trojans player suddenly drops dead in the middle of the match! (Since this movie debuted, several players have actually died on the pitch, or came close to it.)
When it's determined that the victim was poisoned, suspicion falls not only on his teammates, but also on a former mistress. The mystery ramps up, however, when the mistress succumbs to poison herself. We also get to see some vintage footage of Arsenal playing pre-WWII, which should be of interest to historically-minded viewers.
As an aside, the movie's director, Thorold Dickinson, was very well regarded in the British filmmaking industry. He eventually became Britain's first university professor of film, and established the film studies department at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London in 1960.
7. Diego Maradona (2019)
The late Diego Maradona is one of the most colorful, controversial, and overall greatest players the game has ever seen. Who else could score the diabolical Hand of God and the Goal of the Century in the same match? Nobody else, that's who.
When Asif Kapadia took on El Pibe de Oro as subject for this documentary, he didn't have a shortage of material to choose from. The director chose to focus on Maradona's time at Italian club SSC Napoli, where he played from 1984 to 1989, winning two Serie A titles, the 1988-89 UEFA Cup, and the World Cup. The movie's production received major help from Maradona's ex-wife, Claudia, who discovered a treasure trove of footage that had been locked away in a trunk for 30 years. The result is a critically acclaimed documentary with a unique perspective on its topic, a true legend of the sport. Highly recommended viewing.
6. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Directed and co-written by Gurinder Chadha, "Bend It Like Beckham" was a bit of a cultural phenomenon on release, dealing with South Asian family life in Britain, women's soccer, and LGBTQ themes at a time when those topics received fairly little attention. This film also helped vault Keira Knightley into the spotlight; she plays Jules, friend and mentor to Parminder Nagra's Jess, a young South Asian woman obsessed with football who wants to play on an amateur women's team despite her parents' disapproval.
Of course, the film also helped to make David Beckham a household name in the USA, even though he doesn't appear in the movie at all (although Gary Lineker, John Barnes and Alan Hansen do). The movie was critically acclaimed and one of the highest grossing movies of its kind in both the UK and the USA, winning several awards, including an ESPY and a GLAAD Media Award.
5. The Damned United (2009)
Michael Sheen gives a standout performance in "The Damned United," an extremely fictionalized account of Brian Clough's infamous 44-day stint as manager of Leeds United in 1974. Based on David Peace's novel "The Damned Utd," the story goes back and forth between Clough's rocky tenure at Leeds and happier times as manager at Derby County. The main plot concerns a misunderstanding in a 1968 FA Cup match between Clough and then-Leeds manager Don Revie (played by Colm Meaney) that leads to a one-sided vendetta by Clough against Revie, Leeds, and everything the Whites ever accomplished. When Revien takes the England job, Clough is offered the Leeds hotseat, and all hell breaks loose.
Despite high praise, particularly for Sheen and Timothy Spall (who plays Clough's long-time assistant Peter Taylor), there are quite a number of inaccuracies in the film. Former Derby player and manager David Mackay sued Left Bank Pictures (and won) for defamation over implications that Mackay stabbed Clough in the back by taking the Derby job. Indeed, former Leeds and Ireland midfielder Johnny Giles previously sued the publishers of the original novel for very similar reasons. In the real world, however, Clough had a happy ending, going on to win numerous trophies, including two consecutive European Cups in 1979 and 1980 at Nottingham Forest, with Peter Taylor in tow alongside him.
4. Green Street (2005)
Lexi Alexander made her feature film directorial debut with "Green Street," which she co-wrote with former soccer hooligan turned author Dougie Brimson and Joshua Shelov. The story follows journalism major Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood), who is wrongfully expelled from Harvard after his roommate sets him up to take the fall for cocaine possession. Visiting his sister and her family in East London, Matt falls in with his sister's husband's brother (Charlie Hunnam), leader of the Green Street Elite, a fictitious hooligan firm made up of supporters of West Ham United. Thus begins a journey for Buckner of both brotherhood and violence in the darkest corners of football support.
Although the film received mixed reviews at the time (Roger Ebert liked it, the BBC did not), it did end up winning several awards, including the Special Jury Award at the SXSW Film Festival in 2005, where it screened under the name "Hooligans." The movie also spawned several direct-to-video sequels. Just try to excuse Hunnam's attempt at a Cockney accent.
3. Fever Pitch (1997)
"Fever Pitch" is a romantic comedy written by author Nick Hornby, who fictionalized his 1992 memoir of the same name. Colin Firth plays Paul Ashworth, who's in love with a new teacher (Ruth Gemmell) at the school where he works. The problem is that Paul is also completely enamored with Arsenal; the movie takes place during Arsenal's surprise title-winning season of 1988 and 1989, which saw the Gunners unseat the almighty Liverpool at the top of English football. Will Paul be able to choose between the two loves of his life?
If the title of the film seems familiar, it's because an American adaptation starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore was released in 2005, with the Boston Red Sox taking Arsenal's place; ironically, the movie was filming when the Red Sox finally got their first World Series title since 1918, and the crew was able to incorporate it into the film! Of course, there are more parallels between Arsenal's 1988-1989 season and the Red Sox's 2004, but those are for another article.
2. Shaolin Soccer (2001)
Stephen Chow co-wrote, directed, and starred in the martial arts sports comedy vehicle "Shaolin Soccer." The movie follows Sing, a kung fu master who seeks to build the profile of his beloved martial art. After a chance encounter on the streets, Sing is recruited by "Golden Leg" Fung (Ng Man-tat), a retired soccer player, to build a team to take on Fung's former teammate Hung. Hung made Fung to throw a championship match; as a result, Fung was beaten by angry fans, leaving him with a limp and forcing him out of the sport. Sing enlists his former Shaolin brothers to form this new squad, hoping to eventually phase Hung's Team Evil. But Team Evil is not without resources, nor martial arts masters, of its own!
"Shaolin Soccer" is a raucous comedy that's partially inspired by the Japanese soccer manga "Captain Tsubasa," and features an amazing dance routine. The movie was Hong Kong's highest grossing film until Chow's 2004 masterpiece "Kung Fu Hustle" unseated it, and helped launch Chow to international fame. The movie also won a whole host of awards at the 21st Hong Kong Film Awards, including best picture, best actor (Chow) and best director.
1. The Two Escobars (2010)
A high point for the ESPN "30 for 30" documentary series, "The Two Escobars" details the intertwined lives of two unrelated lads from Medellin, Colombia who share the name Escobar. The first is Andres Escobar, star soccer player for Atletico Nacional. The second? Pablo Escobar, reviled gangster, head of the Medellin cartel ... and patron of Nacional.
The two men couldn't have been more different, but the documentary shows how they are linked forever, especially after their violent deaths within a year of one another. While Pablo was killed in a police raid, Andres' murder is believed to be a punishment for scoring an own goalagainst the USA during the 1994 World Cup. It's a stunning portrait of football, greed, crime, and death, showing the world of "narco-futbol" in Colombia at the height of both the sport and the cartels in the country. The film is generally considered one of the very best of the "30 for 30" series, and one of the top documentaries of its kind.