The Best Football Movies of All Time

Football is the most popular sport in Europe and probably the world and there have been a few movies made on the subject.

We have seen the release of many football-based movies over the past 40 years.

If you were to search through a catalogue of football movies, you will find over 50 titles from which to choose but what are the best football movies of all time?

The beautiful game on the big screen

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We have to begin with the oldest football movie in this list, Escape To Victory.

The film is set during the Second World War and follows a group of allies in a Nazi prison camp who must play a football match against the guards.

The allied team use the match as a means to plan their escape from the prison and although the plot may seem a little far-fetched, if there is only one reason to watch this football movie, it is the cast.

Seasoned actors, Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine are joined by football legends, including Pelé, Osvaldo Ardiles, Mike Summerbee, and Bobby Moore.

There was a great selection of football legends used in the film, who never actually played together during their careers.

However, if they did, you would be tempted to back them to win any match and you can find out more about where to bet on football and other sports at https://www.betting.co.uk/.

Moving from the 1980s to the early 2000s and we come to Bend It Like Beckham.

Much like Escape To Victory, this is a football-based movie but uses the sport as way to tell a different story.

David Beckham was an iconic player at the time, renowned for his set-piece delivery and that is the inspiration for the title of the film.

The movie follows a British Indian girl who loves playing football but is forbidden to play by her family as the sport is seen as a man’s game.

Cultural traditions, sexuality, coming of age, and stereotypes are all explored in this football-based movie, starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

We go back to 1997 for the next instalment in our rundown of the best football movies of all time.

Fever Pitch plays out during Arsenal’s league title win in the 1988/1989 season but an Arsenal fan finds himself in a tough situation.

He wants to support the club he loves but has a new relationship with a woman he loves.

The movie is based loosely on the memoir, Fever Pitch: A Fan’s Life by Nick Hornby and stars Colin Firth, Ruth Gemmell, and Mark Strong.

Capturing the controversy of the Colombian Football team

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Moving away from the mainstream cinema releases, we come to 30 for 30 – The Two Escobars.

This is an award-winning documentary based on the Colombian National Football team at the 1994 World Cup and Pablo Escobar, the leader of Medellin’s drug cartel.

The second Escobar in the story is Andres Escobar, a defender who scored an own goal in a group game against USA and the defeat saw the Colombian team head home from the competition.

Just two weeks later, Escobar was murdered and the own goal has been cited as the reason for his killing.

The movie looks back at the lives of both men and the possible link between their deaths.

The most recent film to make an entry in the best football movies of all time is Maradona.

Another documentary-style film, director Asif Kapadia looks back at the life of arguably the most talented player of all time, Diego Maradona.

The movie focuses on his life both on and off the pitch following his move from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984.

The Argentine legend takes Napoli to two Serie A titles and the UEFA Cup but success on the pitch comes at a huge cost off the field.

Some of the other football movies worth watching include Green Street, Looking For Eric, and The Damned United.

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