The Top 10 Best Soccer Movies
5. Mean Machine
Usually, it’s the Americans who remake foreign films to earn a quick buck not the other way around. I’m not going to hold that against Mean Machine though since it’s actually one of my favorite soccer movies. Just like the American version, it follows a pro-footballer (Vinnie Jones) who finds himself in trouble with the law and shipped off to serve his time in prison. Once he arrives, he’s forced into leading a team of convicts against the guards. Luckily, he’s able to pull together a decent squad of colorful characters, including a crazed Scott with a history of violence and an ax to grind against the guards (Jason Statham). Mean Machine has all the charm of a Guy Richie film with the added bonus of it being a perfect addition to this list.
4. Shaolin Soccer
A lot of people might remember Stephen Chow for his comedic opus Kung-Fu Hustle. For the sake of this list though, I’m going to honor one of his earlier, though equally outrageous, flicks, Shaolin Soccer. The film follows a kung-fu master (Chow) who sets out to teach the public the benefits of the martial art. However, no one really wants to listen until he discovers that masters of kung-fu are actually pretty good at soccer (kicking is a universal skill set apparently). He pulls together a team of his former brothers in the art to teach the world that kung-fu is no joke. The only thing standing in their way is an evil team of players (named Team Evil) pumped full of a performance-enhancing drug. Shaolin Soccer is basically a live-action anime with awesome effects and lots of laughs. A must-see for any soccer fan.
3. Bend It Like Beckham
When I sat down to pull together this list of soccer movies, the first film that jumped to mind was Bend It Like Beckham. It follows the daughter of British Indian Sikhs named Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) who is a brilliant football player but has to hide it from her strict parents. Reluctantly, she joins an all-girls team and discovers that she loves the sport more than life itself and becomes best friends with her fellow player, Jules (Kiera Knightly). Unfortunately, Jess’ family’s devout beliefs mean that she’s supposed to put family above everything else and should be preparing herself to become a bride. It’s a terrific coming of age film that deals with Jess’ struggle to follow the path determined for her or set out on her own. Anyone who loves soccer will definitely enjoy Bend It Like Beckham.
2. Goal!
At some point, every kid has probably dreamed of becoming a professional athlete (even if that dream only existed between wanting to be Spider-Man and wanting to be a Ninja Turtle). In America, those kids probably want to be basketball or football stars. However, the rest of the world loves the other football. That’s why Goal! Is earning the number two spot on this list of soccer movies. It follows a young kid from a rough neighborhood in LA that gets a chance to try out for an English pro soccer team. It’s a dream come true and a bit of a nightmare at the same time as the young man is riddled with nerves and feels immense pressure to succeed. The rookie experiences highs and lows as he learns to navigate the big leagues. Goal! is an inspiring film that spawned two sequels and definitely worth seeing if you’re a fan of the sport.
1. The Damned United
Coming in at number one on this list of soccer movies is a historical drama about the disastrous career of Brian Clough as manager of Leeds United in 1974. Of course, it didn’t start there and the film cuts between past and “present” in order to establish everything that led to Clough gaining that position and how he mucked it up from there. Sure, a lot of things went wrong for Clough from the get go, but the film portrays him as a cold hearted SOB that has no idea how to inspire his team or gain their trust in him. It’s a realistic look behind the scenes of professional soccer and what goes into getting the players out on the pitch. Produced by the BBC with an incredible cast( including Michael Sheen as Clough), The Damned United is a must watch movie for any true soccer fan.
Honorable Mention: Early Man
Usually, these lists are reserved for live-action movies, but I had to give a shout out to the stop motion movie Early Man. It features a bunch of cavemen playing a soccer match against bronze age invaders. It’s a fun family film that both parents and kids will get a kick out of. Then again, Aardman Animations usually makes pretty great films.
As I mentioned before, I’m not the most knowledgeable soccer fan out there (I mean, I call it soccer afterall), but I think that those are definitely the best soccer movies I’ve ever seen. Let me know what you think in the comments below, especially if you have a film I should check out for this list. As always, I’ll be updating this list as new soccer movies hit the big screen. So, be sure to check back to see how the rankings might change in the future.