10 Best Soccer/Football Movies of all Time

In this riveting documentary, the unpredictable Argentine football legend Diego Maradona opens up about his life for the equally surprising Serbian director Emir Kusturica. Kusturica followed the Pibe de Oro around Buenos Aires as they went about their daily lives.

The director could be charged with getting too close to his subject matter; the mutual understanding between the two temperamental artists can be irritating at times, as Kusturica willfully glosses over the less desirable details of Diego's life to present the myth.

However, he is redeemed by several genuinely memorable scenes. A particular highlight is an interview with Maradona that takes place inside one of the most infamous "cabaret" bars in Buenos Aires, surrounded by dancers who are only partially clothed. 

As is the filming of the wedding of two people of the Church of Maradona in the middle of the field where Argentinos Juniors play, the bride takes a football and drops it into a crowd of people who have gathered to watch the ceremony.

The explosive and erratic personality of legendary English manager Brian Clough is nearly as well known as his brilliant work behind the bench.

This is even though Clough was one of the most victorious managers in English football history. The film The Damned United seeks to depict both sides of the late former trainer of Nottingham Forest and Derby County by concentrating on one of the most challenging periods in Cloughie's professional life.

The movie's plot revolves around the 44 days that Brian Clough served as the manager of Leeds United in 1974. This period is one of football's most infamous and controversial stretches.

The explosive and erratic personality of legendary English manager Brian Clough is nearly as well known as his brilliant work behind the bench.

The new manager's techniques and abrasive nature led to practically open conflict in the dressing room before he was fired barely over a month into his tenure. This contributed to the new manager's unpopularity with the Elland Road players and supporters.

Michael Sheen is in complete form in the lead part, portraying Clough's fears and bravado as he pushes against the tide with his new club while maintaining his human side. In this performance, Michael Sheen is a force of nature.

Others, however, were not as pleased: Dave Mackay filed a lawsuit against the film's creators because, in his opinion, the movie presented an incorrect depiction of him.

An excellent case study of the phenomenon of middle-class fanaticism, according to several reviewers, is this investigation of an Arsenal supporter whose entire life is centered on his favorite team.

The events that have transpired in football over the last 20 years have forced the sport to diversify from its traditional working-class base.

The film Fever Pitch is based on Nick Hornby's novel, which goes by the same name. It follows Paul as he juggles his profession as a teacher, a romance that is just beginning to develop, and his love for the Gunners, which causes him to become immobile on matchday.

Several scholars and commentators consider this case study of an Arsenal supporter whose life is centered on his favorite team as an excellent example of the phenomenon of middle-class fanaticism.

The movie's story gets a headstart when Paul watches his favorite team play Liverpool in the last game of the season. This game is a replay of the championship match from 1989, in which the London club scored in the final minute of play to win the championship.

Not to be mistaken with a terrible remake starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore that shifts the story's focus to Boston and the Red Sox, this film is riveting and fascinating. It should not be confused with that remake.

Not every movie about football focuses on the action that takes place on the field.

The undesirable elements of our sport, known as hooligans, have been the focus of some of the most successful video games released in recent years.

Green Street, starring Frodo Baggins, was the most well-known film worldwide. Nonetheless, the film's Hollywood depiction of football brutality did not fully resonate with the reality of the sport. 

A dystopian depiction of the Chelsea company filled with petty theft, cocaine usage, and casual racism is shown in the film The Football Factory, which is based on the novel written by John King.

The film chronicles Danny Dyer's spiral into a state of severe paranoia following an unpleasant contact with the family of Tamer Hassan, the leader of the hooligan outfit for Millwall's bitter rivals. Tamer Hassan is the head of the hooligan outfit for Millwall's bitter rivals. The video focuses on Millwall's most hated competitors.

The movie finishes with a bloody pitched fight that was staged before a cup match between Chelsea and Millwall, and a performance of "Going Underground" by The Jam is the ideal way to bring any movie to a finale.

Vinnie Jones portrays a former England captain who is dogged by match-fixing charges as his career goes into a tailspin in this version of the American football movie The Longest Yard.

Jones's character's life has been turned upside down as a result. Following his involvement in the assault on a law enforcement officer, he was beaten up by other inmates who resented his betrayal and champagne lifestyle. However, he found redemption after being coerced into helping his inmate friends fight the guards.

From that point on, the story is relatively predictable and follows the formula of an underdog who comes through to win, which has been done to death in millions of sports movies. The travel, as well as the misfits that inhabit the jail, help to keep the mood upbeat and the pace quick.

Be wary of Jason Statham, who plays the crazy, martial arts-obsessed goalie with a hatred for the team. Statham plays the role with a Scottish accent that is practically unrecognizable.

What can you say about a movie starring Sylvester Stallone, Pele, and Michael Caine that takes place in a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp during World War II?

Those viewers ready to let part of their disbelief go will have a good time with Escape to Victory, even though it may not be the most professionally produced piece of cinema ever seen on a large cinematic screen.

Caine plays the character of a British prisoner of war who used to play football professionally. He is pressured into organizing an exhibition game against the guards, swiftly becoming a PR gimmick for the German authorities.

Pele and most Ipswich Town first-team players from the early 1980s were part of the motley team that managed to fight back from being down 4-1 and achieve an agonizing draw.

This feat defied all chances and was unforgettable in English football history. Not only so, but the heroes can escape the hands of their captors by taking advantage of an invasion of the playing field just before the final whistle.

This causes Stallone to provoke lunacy by making a genuinely unbelievable save that keeps the score even.

A shrewd piece of filmmaking that takes great pleasure in undermining the conventional assumptions of films about underdog sports teams.

Mike Bassett tells the story of an unrefined and foul-mouthed lower league coach who finds himself in England's top post, and as he prepares them for the World Cup, all hell breaks loose.

As the protagonist, portrayed by Ricky Tomlinson in a role that was made for him perfectly, makes one gaffe after another while steering the ship, a comedy of errors develops. Nothing seems to go right for the hapless manager.

Whether it be the romantic involvement of the team's star player with a Brazilian transsexual or the decision to call up two ineffective midfielders named Benson and Hedges because of a mix-up caused by a team list that was written on the back of a cigarette packet.

In the end, there is hope for atonement. Bassett's reputation is restored, and his family is allowed to once again venture outside without fear of being harassed or attacked with fruit when they do so as a result of England's respectable loss to Brazil in the World Cup semi-final.

England does not go on to win the tournament. The manager returns home with his head held high and announces that he will not resign from his position as manager of the Three Lions but will continue working there.

This film, directed by Ken Loach, is not so much about the action that takes place on the field as it is an essay on the nature of fanaticism in general and how the game may give an escape from the monotony of day-to-day life.

Cantona-obsessed Eric Bishop is forced to deal with a dead-end career, a complicated relationship with his ex-wife, and a kid who looks to be falling more under the wing of a local drug king as he watches helplessly as his life slowly falls apart around him.

After consuming some of his friend's marijuana, however, things start to turn around for him when he sees the French genius show up and give him advice.

Cantona continues to be at Eric's side and assists while he makes adjustments to the boring life he has been leading up to that point. From that point on, everything is better for Eric.

The film manages to be both realistic and fantastical simultaneously, and the former Manchester United legend's hilariously over-the-top performance makes each of his appearances a highlight of the movie.

Zinedine Zidane is widely known as the best football player in the history of France, so it was perhaps inevitable that a film about his life would be made in his native country at some point.

The conclusion reached in A 21st Century Portrait, on the other hand, is not a gushing praise of the former Real Madrid player in any way, shape, or form.

Zidane narrows the narrative of his subject's career down to only one game, which took place in 2005 during a La Liga match versus Villarreal. During this match, the midfielder was ejected for participating in a melee that broke out during the game.

Zizou is followed around by 17 synchronized cameras for every minute of the match. As a result, the filmmakers can construct a portrait of the player that is stunningly minimalistic and recorded on video in a way that has never been seen before.

When you combine these gorgeous pictures with the modest acoustic soundtrack produced by Mogwai, you get a potent piece of arthouse film that is well deserving of your time and attention.

This three-and-a-half-hour slog may very well be called the Lord of the Rings of the professional football world.

The narrative of Santiago Munez, a Mexican immigrant residing in Los Angeles who works as a gardener but has ambitions of making the most of his spectacular skills on the field, is told in the film series Goal! throughout three films.

His dreams come true when he is allowed to try out for Newcastle United, and even though he has trouble adjusting to the wet and cold weather of the British North East, Munez gradually builds a reputation for himself in the country that he has come to regard as his home even though he struggles with the climate there.

As Santi secures Newcastle a place in the Champions League and demonstrates his value, there are many painful slow-motion moments and many agonizing last-minute goals.

The following videos feature a transfer to Real Madrid, participation in the finals of the World Cup, and, as the title undoubtedly implies, an abundance of goals, goals, and even more goals.

Although the trilogy will not appear on the shortlists of any reviewers, the worldwide receipts of more than $35 million for the first two films alone demonstrate that football can pull in spectators.