In Part 1 and Part 2 of our list of the best soccer movies of all time we have covered some fantastic films about soccer including Fever Pitch, Mean Machine, Escape to Victory, Bend It Like Beckham, Goal! The Dream Begins, and United. In Part 3 of the best soccer movies of all time we will continue to discuss the films that have shaped and inspired the soccer world for years to come.

The Damned United (2009)

This film is based off of the 2006 book The Damned Utd written by David Peace. This story follows Brian Clough and his brief career as the manager of the 1974 Leeds United A.F.C. soccer club. Clough was the former manager of the Derby County, who had a long time beef with the physical style of play that former Leeds manager Don Revie taught to his squad. Clough accepts a job offer to manage the Leeds soccer club, and parts ways with his former assistant coach, Peter Taylor.

The first day on the job as manager of the Leeds United A.F.C soccer club is quite a dramatic one. Clough tells the players that they can throw away any awards they won, because they never won any of them fairly. This instills feelings of tension and contempt into the players towards their new coach. Leeds’s first match with Clough at the helm ends in mayhem as their team captain, Billy Bremner, gets into a fight and is ejected from the match. The fight ultimately leads to a 2 month suspension for Bremner. With their captain suspended, the season gets off to an absolutely dismal start. The players ultimately air their grievances to the board members of the Leeds United A.F.C. in regard to Clough as the manager, and he is terminated.

After hearing of the termination, Yorkshire Television asks Clough for an interview where he is confronted by former Leeds United manager, Don Revie. Clough accuses Revie of being fundamentally dishonest. In the end Clough’s ability to maintain his set of high morals land him the title of ‘The best manager that the English national side never had’ making The Damned United an easy pick for our list of the best soccer movies of all time.

The Football Factory (2004)

Making it into our list of the Best Soccer Movies of all time is the 2004 film, The Football Factory. Loosely based off of the 1997 novel of the same name written by John King, The Football Factory is Rockstar Games’ first venture into the film making world as executive producers. This film takes a look at the English obsession with violence in soccer, focusing on a small group of friends that are part of a violent fan club for the Chelsea FC soccer club, known as a hooligan firm. Tommy Johnson, the main character, is accompanied by his friends, Rod King, Billy Bright, Zeberdee & Raf. During a violent outburst with another hooligan firm that supports Tottenham, Tommy begins to question the path that he is on after him and his friends are all arrested. Ultimately tommy secures his place within the hooligan firm despite several events that make him question if it’s really worth it.

This extreme fanaticism that can be seen throughout the movie is what lands it on our list of the best soccer movies. There are few other sports with fans as committed and dedicated to supporting their teams as soccer fans are. Despite the violence associated with the group, fans are arguably the most important part of any soccer club, and organized sport would not be what it is today without the support of the fans.

That brings Part 3 of the best soccer movies of all time to a close, make sure you stay tuned for part 4 of our list of the best soccer movies!

In The Best Soccer Movies – Part 1, we discussed some of the greatest soccer movies of all time including Bend It Like Beckham, United, and Goal! The Dream Begins. Today we are going to take a further look into some of the best soccer movies throughout history, and what makes them so important.

Escape To Victory (1981)

Escape to Victory

Escape to victory is easily one of the best soccer movies of all time. It takes place in a German prison camp during World War II, and stars professional soccer players such as Pele, Paul Van Himst, Mike Summerbee, Osvaldo Ardiles, Kazimierz Deyna, Booby Moore & Werner Roth. In this movie, Captain John Colby (Played by Michael Caine) is the coach of a group of Allied POW’s that will play a soccer game against a German team in a propaganda stunt. The POW’s ultimately devise a plan to escape during the game at halftime, however they decide to play the entire game despite losing 4-1 at the half. The allied POW’s battle back to tie the game after their game winning goal was disallowed by the biased German referees. Through the confusion that ensues after the game ends, the allied POW’s are able to escape their captors. Escape to Victory is the story of good triumphing over evil, making it an easy pick for our list of the best soccer movies of all time.

Mean Machine (2001)

Mean Machine

The next film on our list of the best soccer movies is the 2001 British comedy/drama Mean Machine. This movie falls into the same prison genre as Escape To Victory and is an adaptation of the 1974 American film The Longest Yard. The story of Mean Machine focuses on the former captain of the English National Soccer team, Danny “The Mean Machine” Meehan. Meehan was banned from playing soccer ever again after throwing a match between England and Germany, and was sentenced to three years in Longmarsh prison after drunkenly assaulting police offers. Once he is locked up, the governor of the prison gives him the offer to coach the warden’s soccer team. He refuses to do so but offers to assemble and coach a group of prisoners to take on the guards in a practice soccer match. Meehan with the help of an older convict name Doc, and a contraband dealer named Massive, begins to train his team for the practice match against the Warden’s team. During the final game, the prisoners are up at half time by a score of 1-0. The Prison Governor bribes Meehan into throwing the game. At first he complies, but ultimately gets the assist for the game winning goal over the Prison Warden’s. This classic tale of the underdog prevailing makes Mean Machine an easy addition to our list of the best soccer movies of all time.

Fever Pitch (1997)

Fever Pitch

Another great addition to our list of the best soccer movies of all time is the 1997 romantic comedy, Fever Pitch. This movie is based on the 1992 book written by Nick Hornby. Fever pitch tells the story of Paul Ashworth an English teacher in London whose love for the Arsenal Soccer team is border line obsessive. Paul falls in love with Sarah Hughes, a new teacher at the school Paul teaches at who is nearly perfect in every way for Paul except for the fact that she doesn’t like soccer. The film follows the story of this burgeoning romance and how Paul’s love of soccer & the Arsenal team may ultimately drive the two apart. Sarah becomes pregnant and issues an ultimatum to Paul to decide which is more important to him – Sarah & the baby, or the Arsenal soccer team. Fever Pitch is an excellent addition to our list of the best soccer movies of all time. Make sure to check out this great film and see what Paul decides to do!

Stay tuned for Part 3 of our list of the best soccer movies!

Throughout the years Hollywood has often times tried to capture the heart and soul of soccer, the most popular game in the world. Just like any other genre of movie, there are some soccer movies that rise to the top, and others that fizzle out. Today we are going to take a look at some of the best soccer movies of all time.

United (2011)

United Soccer Movie

Some of the best soccer movies of all time tell the story of the underdog rising above and overcoming adversity through hard work and dedication. United is a true story that tells the tale of the Busby Babes, a Manchester United soccer squad that was the youngest ever to win the European Cup. Initially aired on BBC, United is now distributed internationally as a theatrical picture. The movie primarily follows in the footsteps of assistant manager Jimmy Murphy (Played by David Tennant) and of player Bobby Charlton (played by Jack O’Connell). Murphy gives Charlton the opportunity to play his first match on the Manchester United Squad. And this ultimately serves as his stepping stone to success. The story becomes more dramatic when a plane carrying members of the Manchester United team crashes killing 8 members of the team. This amazing true story surely makes for a great watch and is why it’s found it’s way onto our list of the Best Soccer Movies.

Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)

Goal! The Dream Begins

Following suit just like the rest of the best soccer movies of all time, Goal! The Dream Begins tells a story of young man by the name of Santiago Munez following his dream to become one of the best soccer players of all time. Working as a gardener alongside his father, Santiago plays for a local soccer club and doesn’t think he’ll ever have the chance of becoming anything more. Noticed by former Newcastle United player, a tryout is arranged for Santiago in England. After a failed tryout and almost giving up, Santiago is offered a second chance and takes it. His perseverance eventually pays off and he makes his way onto the first team for Newcastle. Goal! The Dream Begins follows the hopes and dreams of a young man, ultimately coming to fruition due to hard work and overcoming adversity, making it another great addition to our list of the best soccer movies of all time.

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Bend It Like Beckham

Bend It Like Beckham is an inspirational story about a young woman who follows her dreams of playing soccer despite being forbidden to by her parents, earning it a spot among our list of the best soccer movies ever. The main character, Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra, comes from a conservative Indian family living in England. She is discovered to be a natural talent in soccer and must overcome resistance from her family to compete on the local team, The Harriers. Eventually after winning a local championship and securing a scholarship to play soccer in the United States, she gains her parents acceptance and is able to pursue her dreams. This film is truly an inspiration to anyone that has ever been faced with adversity and intolerance, making it a welcomed favorite on our list of the best soccer movies.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our list of the best soccer movies!