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Featured Sport News

Top ten footy flicks

Author: Craig Williams
Date: 30/03/2009

With the release of Tom Hooper's film The Damned United, based on the bestselling novel of the same name by David Peace, the eyes of the cinematic world have been cast upon the genre of sporting films.

A widely covered variety of cinema, some of the most widely acclaimed films of all-time have had a sporting base, for example Raging Bull, This Sporting Life or even Gladiator.

Yet, we are told, all football has provided to the big screen is the sight of Sly Stallone in a goalkeeper's jersey.

Is it true that football is incapable of providing the depth of plot required for a feature film, or are the pompous film critics overlooking a subtle, underrated sub-genre? Perhaps this list of must-see football films will help provide an answer.

1. Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait

Considering the criticisms of football and cinema - that not enough happens in the sport to make a 90 minute feature about it - it is perhaps unsurprising that three documentary films make the top five.

For Zidane coming out on top much credit must go to the production team, as the style of the film is its backbone, and the mercurial footballer himself.

If it wasn't for his fascinating character this documentary, which consists of shots of Zinedine Zidane playing one match for Real Madrid mixed in with clips of an interview with him, would fall flat on its face. It doesn't though and it's a unique experience.

2. In the Hands of the Gods

The second documentary in the list completes a trick that most football films ignore - don't show a football match. It is long, often boring and watching actors attempt to play the sport is frankly embarrassing.

Instead this film follows a group of young, working-class teenagers busking around America to pay for a trip to meet their idol, Diego Maradona. Their freestyle ability is thrilling and their personalities compelling enough to make an excellent road-trip documentary.

3. Shaolin Soccer

Probably the only, and certainly the best, martial arts film about football. The 'soccer' CGI can at times look weak but the film is fully tongue-in-cheek and its comedy far outweighs the dodgy footballing scenes.

4. The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty

The oldest film on the list and perhaps the most serious - and least football-related - 'The Goalkeeper' is a crime drama that follows a distraught keeper who, after getting sent off in a key match, commits murder and is tracked down for it.

5. Once in a Lifetime

A much more traditional documentary than Zidane or In the Hands of the Gods, this film covers the story of the New York Cosmos as they attempt to buy an all-star team that will transform soccer into the next big US sport. They failed.

6. The Firm

One football film not based around players, The Firm displays the brutal world of football hooliganism, not shying away from its violence and being all the better for it.

7. Mike Bassett: England Manager

Another football comedy, Mike Bassett is a decent satire of life at the bureaucratic, media obsessed Football Association, where life is made harder after they bring in lower league manager and betting outsider Mike Bassett to take control of the national team.

8. When Saturday Comes

A typical rags-to-riches football tale, which pips other similar films due to its recognition of the working-class base of the sport.

9. Bend It Like Beckham

The well-known, groundbreaking film touches on issues of race, sexism and the future of the women's game. Its aims are admirable, but the action scenes are poor and the acting is mixed.

10. Fever Pitch

Based on the Nick Hornby book of the same name this film avoids having footballers as the main characters. Instead the sport acts as a background to a growing romance, which is a decent change of pace.

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