Best Soccer Movies & Documentaries to Stream
If you have ever wondered which are the best soccer movies and documentaries to stream, you have landed in the right place!
Soccer can be a difficult subject for producers to tackle, with many making the mistake of overdoing cliches and stereotypes rather than doing justice to the sport.
Films such as She’s the Man, Kicking and Screaming, Bend it Like Beckham and Air Bud: World Pup demonstrate that filmmakers often have a hard time with soccer.
However, the past couple of decades has seen in increasing number of producers create movies and documentaries that are well worth streaming. Here are some of our favourites.
Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In
Given the nature of his personality and career achievements in professional soccer, it would have been difficult to mess up a documentary about Sir Alex Ferguson.
Never Given In provides an excellent insight into Ferguson’s journey from shipyard apprentice to becoming the greatest soccer manager of all time.
The film is structured around Ferguson’s near-fatal brain haemorrhage in 2018, which left him slightly more fragile but with his razor-sharp mind thankfully intact.
The documentary is unashamedly a loving tribute to a Manchester United legend who will always be remembered for knocking Liverpool off their perch.
I Believe in Miracles
I Believe in Miracles charts the unlikely rise of Nottingham Forest from soccer obscurity to two-time European champions under manager Brian Clough.
Forest won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, during a time when clubs did not have the safety net of group games to mask their deficiencies.
The documentary features archive footage from Forest’s glory years, along with interviews with some of the key people involved during that period.
Forest’s success was the ultimate vindication for Clough, whose unfortunate spell in charge of another club during the 1970s had left him with a point to prove.
The Damned United
Clough’s decision to join Leeds United in 1974 ultimately proved to be the worst move he made during his managerial career.
He lasted just 44 days at Elland Road, with the club’s players doing their utmost to undermine him throughout his short stay in Yorkshire.
The Damned United takes an in-depth look at that period in a documentary that expertly delves into Clough’s multi-layered personality.
Michael Sheen is absolutely superb in the lead role, while Stephen Graham perfectly captures Leeds captain Billy Bremner’s snidey behaviour.
Bad Sport: Footballgate
Footballgate offers a comprehensive look at the role former Juventus director Luciano Moggi played in match-fixing within Italian soccer.
The Calciopoli scandal broke ahead of the 2006 World Cup and saw some of the biggest clubs in Italy accused of bribing match officials to influence results.
Moggi was widely viewed as the ring-leader in a wave of corruption that also infiltrated other elements of soccer including the mainstream media.
He was banned from Italian football for life following an investigation that uncovered some of the worst underhanded behaviour ever seen in the sport.
Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait
Soccer meets art in this wonderful documentary that focuses solely on Zinedine Zidane during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and Villarreal in 2005.
Shot at the Bernabeu Stadium, A 21st Century Portrait was filmed in real-time using 17 synchronised cameras to track Zidane’s every move.
The legendary French playmaker was dismissed late in the game for his part in a brawl, giving the documentary more drama than the producers had bargained for.
With the benefit of hindsight, the film can even be viewed as a warm-up for Zidane’s infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup Final, an event that blew up on football blogs online and almost overshadowed Italy lifting the trophy.
All or Nothing: Manchester City
Amazon’s All or Nothing series has gone behind the scenes of numerous sports clubs including Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus and Toronto Maple Leafs.
One of the best All or Nothing documentaries is the eight-part look at Manchester City during their memorable 2017/18 campaign.
The club’s progress was charted throughout a season in which they won two trophies and broke a series of performance-related records in the Premier League.
Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley narrates the series which received rave reviews from soccer fans and critics alike.
Matthews
While Sir Stanley Matthews is well-known for his performances on the soccer pitch, his impact off the field has often been overlooked.
‘The Wizard of the Dribble’ was a hugely talented player, staying fit enough to compete at the top level until after his 50th birthday.
However, his contribution to breaking down apartheid barriers in South Africa by teaching soccer in the all-black townships of Johannesburg is sometimes ignored.
The superb Matthews documentary seeks to address this glaring issue, highlighting that the great man was clued in about diversity long before many people wised up to why it is important.
