Top 10 best football movies

Football brings joyful moments, tense moments, sad moments, and angry moments. More than just a sport, for its fans, it's something far deeper and truly connected to their mood and feelings. Some film directors and producers have succeeded in adapting films that capture some of those moments and emotions, and we've compiled them in this article. As universal as football is, there are films from all over the world, and just as football evokes all kinds of emotions, we have films of diverse genres and styles.

Éric Cantona is playing himself in the movie Looking for Eric

Looking for Eric (2009)

Looking for Eric has a unique quality that few football films have: the starring role of a former football star like Éric Cantona. The film centers on Eric Bishop, a postman who is a huge Manchester United fan but is going through a difficult time in his personal life. This is where his great idol, Cantona (playing himself), appears and begins a kind of training to get Eric's life back on track. The film captures your interest as it progresses, especially because it's not just about the French star but also makes the development of Eric (the postman) noticeable and compelling.

Diamantes Negros (2013)

This Iberian production isn't as well-known as others on this list, but it's one worth keeping an eye on, as it tells a story that aims to portray real-life situations surrounding football. The story takes us to Mali, where two young boys, Amadou and Moussa, are discovered by a scout who takes them to Europe. The young Africans are eager to become professional football players, but as they explore football in countries like Spain and Portugal, they discover a side of the sport that isn't as glamorous and enjoyable as it's often portrayed.

Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)

In contrast, here we have one of the most famous football films, Goal!, which is actually a trilogy, although we highlight the first one here. While it's not a very realistic work, either in its plot or in the way certain aspects are portrayed, especially the matches, Goal! offers an entertaining story that draws the viewer into some very realistic elements, through Newcastle United. Ultimately, Goal! is a story that dreams can come true, even if you're Santiago Muniz, a young Mexican who crossed the border into the United States with his family and had an unbridled love for football. Despite the fact that the environment wasn't very favorable for Santiago, his talent allowed him to go far in the sport he loved so much.

The Traveler (1974)

This Iranian film (with its original name Mossafer) came out several decades ago, and despite not being well-known, it hides a great story based on an adventure that could almost seem everyday. Our protagonist, Ghassem, is an Iranian boy who doesn't really have much interest in studies or school, but he does have a great interest in football. One day, he finds out that the Iran national team is going to play a match in Tehran. The film shows us everything Ghassem does (not always the right things) to be able to attend the match. The message, beyond our protagonist's actions, leads us to see the effort that football generates and what a child, without much awareness of his actions, can do to fulfill his dream.

The Damned United (2009)

Here we enter a story based on real and well-known events starring Brian Clough, one of the most important managers in the history of English football. Although it doesn't tell us one of his success stories, rather it takes us to possibly his worst period as a manager. Many will remember Clough from his time at Nottingham Forest and perhaps some from his time at Derby County, but The Damned United takes us back to his 44 days as Leeds manager. Office management, football rivalries, and personal and psychological elements set the stage for a work that tells a story that has a hook from the beginning.

Fever Pitch (1997)

This is where football blends with comedy to create a fun story that, while not a masterpiece, offers good entertainment for an hour and a half. Paul, an English teacher and a huge Arsenal fan, starts dating Sarah, a girl who doesn't like football, and basically finds himself at a funny crossroads between his love for this girl and his love for his favorite club. Football fans will relate to Paul in one way or another, and that helps make the film very enjoyable.

Elijah Wood

Green Street Hooligans (2005)

While Elijah Wood seems more like a hobbit (for whatever reason) than a hooligan, he gives a great performance in this film. The protagonist, Matt, obviously unwittingly swaps Harvard for a group of West Ham United hooligans, and this draws us into a world of street gangs and rivalries between fans. The film manages to capture Matt's transformation from a young American with little knowledge of football to a radical hooligan. The realism, along with the way it demystifies some of the elements surrounding these practices, is very interesting and captivating.

United (2011)

Based on one of the greatest tragedies to ever shake the world of football, the Munich air disaster, in which part of the Manchester United team nicknamed the Busby Babes, a young team destined to dominate British and European football, would die. The play takes us through interviews and testimonies from people involved in the events and simultaneously tells the story, spectacularly immersing us in the era. It's a must-see for anyone who loves football and for anyone who wants to enjoy a tremendous story about one of the most important clubs in the world.

Das Wunder von Bern (2003)

Known in English as The Miracle of Bern, it's a story that uses football to tell us about a particular situation between a man and his family. We go back to 1954, when the World Cup was being played in Switzerland, and Richard, a prisoner of war released by the Soviet Union, tries to resume his life with his family. However, things aren't as simple as they might seem at first glance. Additionally, his son, Matthias, a football fanatic, awaits the world's top competition, while for Richard, it's of no consequence. The story boasts a realism that perfectly sets the era, and Helmut Rahn guides us through those days of the World Cup.

Pelé is participating in the movie Escape to Victory

Escape to Victory (1981)

This is possibly one of the classics that first comes to mind when thinking of football movies. A film set in the midst of World War II, specifically in the Gensdorff concentration camp, where a football-mad commander decides to organize a match between a group of prisoners and a German national team. The cast includes illustrious acting names like Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine, as well as some world football stars like Osvaldo Ardiles, Bobby Moore, and Pele himself.

Which movies are the best according to IMDb?

All the movies on this list have an IMDb score above 6.0, where Fever Pitch has the lowest score of 6.2 (it is a nice movie though, but as usual the book by Nick Hornby is better). The highest score is 7.5, which both The Traveler and The Damned United have, closely followed by Green Street Hooligans with 7.4 and then United with 7.3.

So, in conclusion, none of the movies on our list have a really high IMDb score. However, bare in mind that a score from an IMDB user that doesn't love football will obviously give it a lower score, so these scores does not fully reflect the appreciation of the movies from a true football lover.