Football is an incredibly cinematic game. It is full of constant drama and conflict, vibrant heroes, and situations that demand extraordinary efforts, revealing both the best and worst qualities of a person. That is why there are so many films about football. We have created a list of the best football films that went unnoticed.
Content
Green Street
IMDb: 7.4/10
2005, Crime, Drama, Sport, War
UK, USA, R
Director: Lexi Alexander
Top cast: Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Claire Forlani
Matt Buckner, a journalism student, is expelled from Harvard for a crime he did not commit. With his promising career shattered and his future uncertain, he escapes to London to stay with his married sister, Shannon. Her husband introduces Matt to his younger brother, Pete, who soon draws him into the world of football. Here, Matt finds new friends, new troubles, and gets mixed up with a group of fanatical football fans willing to do anything for the love of the game. The filmmakers were given permission to shoot at West Ham’s stadium because the club’s management believed the film would be about football. However, once they found out (after filming had wrapped) that the movie was actually about football hooligans, they quickly distanced themselves from the project.
Mean Machine
IMDb: 6.4/10
2001, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Sport
UK, USA, R
Director: Barry Skolnick
Top cast: Vinnie Jones, David Kelly, David Hemmings
Danny Meehan has money, fame, and expensive cars. It is no surprise, as he is the captain of the England national football team. But one day, his perfect life is shattered when Danny is sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a police officer. The prison warden, who has invested a lot of his own money into creating a football team, sees an opportunity to get the star player to coach his team. His dream is to win the “prison league”. Danny forms a team of inmates. The warden doesn’t object, as he does not believe the prisoners stand a chance of winning.
Trener
IMDb: 6.3/10
2018, Drama, Sport
Russia, Not rated
Director: Danila Kozlovskiy
Top cast: Danila Kozlovskiy, Andrey Smolyakov, Vladimir Ilin
Trener is an inspiring film that tells the story of footballer Yuri Stolesnikov, who missed a crucial penalty at a critical moment. This mistake cost him his spot on the national team. He ended his playing career and became the coach of a small provincial team. It’s with this club that Stolesnikov must work a miracle and learn to believe in himself again. All the crew members on set were dressed in the official jackets of the “Meteor” team. If the camera happened to catch any of them during a shot, they blended into the scene as club staff. Interestingly, the filming took place at night, from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Goal!
IMDb: 6.7/10
2005, Drama, Romance, Sport
UK, USA, PG
Director: Danny Cannon
Top cast: Kuno Becker, Alessandro Nivola, Anna Friel
In Goal, Santiago Muñez heads to England with one ambitious dream — to become a professional footballer. Along the way, he finds love, makes new friends, and discovers his own courage and charm. The lead singer of the famous rock band AC/DC, Brian Johnson, makes a cameo appearance as one of Newcastle’s fans. In England, supporters of this team are often called “Geordies”. Before joining AC/DC, Brian Johnson sang for a band called Geordie for a time.
Shaolin Soccer
IMDb: 7.3/10
2001, Drama
Hong Kong, China, PG
Director: Stephen Chow
Top cast: Stephen Chow, Wei Zhao, Yat-Fei Wong
Football is a hugely popular game, even played in Shaolin. The movie Shaolin Soccer follows six brothers who form an unbeatable team, with the help of an experienced coach. Their style of play is unique — they blend the ancient skills of kung fu with modern football tactics. Now, they are ready to compete in a prestigious tournament with a million-dollar prize at stake. This film is a must-see for fans of Eastern martial arts, especially Bruce Lee. It is filled with nods to the legendary martial artist, from his iconic costume and signature moves to memorable quotes.
The Dream Team
IMDb: 5.4/10
2012, Comedy, Sport
France, Not rated
Director: Olivier Dahan
Top cast: José Garcia, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Franck Dubosc
The Dream Team tells a story we have all seen before, but it is one that will leave you laughing out loud. It is an hour and a half of pure joy that’s relatable to everyone, not just football fans. Patrick, a former football star turned drunk, now finds himself coaching an amateur team of postmen, fishermen, and accountants in northern France. He cannot refuse the job — without it, he will lose custody of his daughter. Fortunately, Patrick has a brilliant idea: to recruit former football stars who have long since hung up their boots to join the team.
United Passions
IMDb: 2.1/10
2014, Drama, History, Sport
France, Not rated
Director: Jay Carson, Kerry Ehrin
Top cast: Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup
At the beginning of the last century, football fans from various European countries decided to create an organization that would unite the world through football. They called it the International Federation of Association Football, or FIFA. Jules Rimet, João Havelange, and the current FIFA president, Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, were three very different men, living in different times and places. They made enemies, struck compromises, and faced betrayal, but they were determined to make the World Cup a reality. United Passions tells the controversial yet true story of how the World Cup came to be and the three passionate figures who brought it to life.
Click to copy 