Finding a good film out there nowadays is a task in itself. Better yet, finding a good film about football is another task altogether. With the abundance of movies that are produced and made annually, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. Furthermore, if you are searching for a sports flick that is a bang for your buck, well, hope you are up to the task. There are plenty of sports films out there; movies about cricket, football, and even golf, you will find plenty of them. But are they really worth it?
-- Advertisement --Usually, it’s the same story over and over again, and occasionally the ‘actors’ will put forth such a performance that will actually make you doubt your sanity.
Making a good football film requires hard work. The story is about an underdog or a bunch of underdogs finding their place in their world, making the audience care about the protagonists, the unfancied team triumphing against all odds and making it big, and of course, convincing performances are all bits and pieces which make a good soccer film.
-- Advertisement --Luckily, there are quite a few of them out there. So let us go through the top 10 best movies on Football.
Top 50 Best Football Movies
| Rank | Football Movies |
| 1 | Escape to Victory |
| 2 | The Damned United |
| 3 | Bend it like Beckham |
| 4 | Goal |
| 5 | Mean Machine |
| 6 | Goal II: Living the Dream |
| 7 | Pele: Birth of a legend |
| 8 | Maradona, the hand of God |
| 9 | Ronaldo |
| 10 | Shaolin Soccer |
| 11 | Looking for Eric |
| 12 | The Arsenal stadium mystery |
| 13 | Air Bud: World Pup |
| 14 | The Football Factory |
| 15 | Victory |
| 16 | Goal! |
| 17 | Kicking and screaming |
| 18 | will |
| 19 | Ladybugs |
| 20 | The Big Green |
| 21 | The Game of Their Lives |
| 22 | There’s only one Jimmy Grimble |
| 23 | The Miracle of Bern |
| 24 | Two half times in hell |
| 25 | Playing for keeps |
| 26 | The Cup |
| 27 | When saturday comes |
| 28 | Mike Bassett: England Manager |
| 29 | Offside |
| 30 | A shot at glory |
| 31 | Draft Day |
| 32 | Safety |
| 33 | Invincible |
| 34 | Paper Lion |
| 35 | Undefeated |
| 36 | Gridiron Gang |
| 37 | The Blind Side |
| 38 | Little Giants |
| 39 | Necessary Roughness |
| 40 | North Dallas Forty |
| 41 | Lucas |
| 42 | All the right moves |
| 43 | The waterboy |
| 44 | The replacements |
| 45 | The longest yard |
| 46 | Brian’s song |
| 47 | The problem |
| 48 | Concussion |
| 49 | We are Marshall |
| 50 | Any given Sunday |
Shaolin Soccer
Starting off the list we have Shaolin Soccer. This flick, directed and starring Stephen Chow, follows the tale of Kung fu master Sing, as he gathers his fellow Kung fu masters and forms a football team. The film is a result of a simple story being told uncharacteristically and is a pleasure to watch. The actors put forward brilliant performances and their comedic timing is a pleasure to watch. The combination of football and kung fu though may seem unconventional but it really does get the job done.
At the time of release, Shaolin Soccer was the highest-grossing movie in the history of Hong Kong, before being toppled by Kung fu Hustle.
Ronaldo
At number nine, we have Ronaldo, a 2015 British documentary film on the life of the Portuguese great, Christiano Ronaldo. It was directed by Anthony Wonke. The filmmakers gained access to Ronaldo’s private life and his inner circle of friends and family. The audience got to witness how the megastar of football came to be. From a tough childhood to success and fame and accolades, Ronaldo captures it all.
Maradona, the hand of God
Coming in at number eight we have Maradona – La mano de Dios, internationally known as Maradona, the hand of God. It is a 2007 Italian Argentine biographical film directed by Marco Risi. It captures and tells the life of the great Argentinian footballer, Diego Maradona. Through this flick, fans could catch a glimpse of the footballer’s life and how he created his legacy and established himself as one of the greatest of all time. The film received much acclaim and praise for the depiction of Maradona’s life.
Pele: Birth of a legend
Pele: the birth of a legend is an American biographical movie on the life of the Brazilian football legend, Pele. The film depicts Pele’s early life and his journey to go on to win the 1958 FIFA World Cup. The movie was directed and written by brothers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist. The plot of the movie follows a young Pele under the guidance of his manager Vicente Fiola (played by Vincent D’Onorio) put his football skills to use to secure a place in the Brazilian football team and win the World Cup.
Goal II: Living the Dream
Goal II: Living the Dream (or simply Goal II) was the 2007 sequel to the movie Goal, which was released in 2005. It followed the life of the protagonist, Santiago Munez after he joins the club Real Madrid, and the problems that he has to face due to the sudden shift in his life. The movie was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.
Mean Machine
At number 5, we have the Mean Machine. The movie follows the life of disgraced former England captain Danny ‘Mean Machine’ Meehan (played by Vinnie Jones), and his fall from grace due to match-fixing and going to jail because of assaulting a pair of police officers.
In jail, he starts to train his fellow inmates and forms a football team as they take on the team formed by the prison guards. The movie is an adaptation of the 1974 American football comedy The Longest Yard, and also stars Jason Statham and a brief cameo by Ryan Giggs.
Goal
One of the rather popular football films to have ever been made, the first installment of the Goal trilogy sees a poor Mexican busboy Santiago Munez go through hardships and make it big in Newcastle. The movie depicts his struggles of having to deal with bullies, his asthma, problems within his family, and the death of his father. The film also sees multiple cameos from noted football stars such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldo to name a few.
Bend it like Beckham
The third entry in the list is Bend it Like Beckham which stars Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, and it was both a critical and commercial hit, receiving much acclaim. The story follows teenager Jesminder ‘Jess’ Bhamra, who goes against her conservative Sikh family’s wishes and joins a football team to follow her dreams and show what she is capable of.
The Damned United
At number two, we have The Damned United, a movie adaptation of David Peace’s best-selling novel, which follows the rise and fall of the protagonist, Brian Clough. The star of the show is Michael Sheen, whose portrayal of the lead character blew everyone away. It is a well-paced story, and you have got yourself a sports drama that is bound to keep you captivated and fixed.
Escape to Victory
And the number one position is occupied by the 1981 movie Escape to Victory. The movie follows American Prisoners of War, as they plan a daring escape from a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp. While the initial plan was to escape, the prisoners initially trailing, decide to give it their all and win the match, in the end heroically securing a draw and managing to escape nonetheless. The movie stars Micael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, Pele, and Bobby Moore.
