Every major footballer has gone through struggles. Every football team has experienced the good, bad and ugly of the sport. The stakes are high and the rewards are euphoric. And that's why football has always been an exhilarating backdrop for documentary filmmakers. As 'Pele' finally arrives on Netflix, we take a look at 10 football documentaries (in reverse chronological order) to add to your queue.
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'PELE' (2021): New on Netflix is ‘Pele’, a recently arrived documentary that chronicles the Brazilian footballing icon Pele, also known as the only man to win three World Cup titles. Tracking his hardships, perseverance and the prejudice he came up against in his journey to become one of the sport’s greatest ever figures, it features unprecedented interview access to Pele himself – as well as his former teammates – and chronicles a critical 12-year period in his life, from young super stardom in 1958 to icon status in 1970.
Image Credit: Netflix
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'HECTOR BELLERIN: UNSEEN JOURNEY' (2021): Arsenal defender and Spain international Hector Bellerin has always played by his own rules, dismantling dated ideas and giving the institution of football a contemporary voice. In a way, this introspective and intimate docuseries uploaded to Bellerin's own YouTube channel, chronicling his recovery from a season-ending ACL tear, is a testament to that.
Image Credit: YouTube/Hector Bellerin
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'ALL OR NOTHING: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR' (2020): Each season, Prime Video's sports docuseries 'All or Nothing' moves its focus onto a different sports team, and last year the Spurs took centre-stage in one of the series' most popular seasons. It's not difficult to see why: Jose Mourinho's love-him-or-hate-him explosive personality, and the Spurs fight to claim a spot among Europe's best, makes for compelling viewing. Other seasons include Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, as well as FC Bayern Munich and Juventus.
Image Credit: Prime Video
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'ANELKA: MISUNDERSTOOD' (2020): French footballer Nicolas Anelka can't be put in a box, it seems. The 'bad boy of French football' has been described as 'arrogant, precocious, misunderstood, scorer, unclassifiable, genius, unmanageable', according to this film's synopsis. Here, Anelka reflects back on his legacy and tries to get the story straight once and for all, zooming out to give viewers the bigger picture.
Image Credit: Netflix
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'TAKE US HOME: LEEDS UNITED' (2019): Fans of the club have called it 'soul-crushing' and 'devastating'. This intense, all-or-nothing look at Leeds United, the 'fallen giant' of English football, tracks the team as they ferociously try to fight their way back into the Premier League league, after new owner Andrea Radrizzani recruits big boss Marcelo Bielsa in hopes he would take the team home. Narrated by actor Russell Crowe, it's available on Prime Video.
Image Credit: Prime Video
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'THIS IS FOOTBALL' (2019): In this Amazon Prime original series driven by heartfelt human stories and raw emotions, the creators explore football's ability to overcome social, cultural and even financial barriers to connect the world and becoming known as the 'beautiful game'. Touted as a must-watch for any football fan, it's streaming on Prime Video.
Image Credit: Prime Video
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'ANTOINE GRIEZMANN: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND' (2019): Though perhaps not the most revelatory documentary out there, it offers a human glimpse into the French player's journey and struggle to break into football, particularly with his stature and physique, and how he proved himself to various clubs and on an international level. Available on Netflix.
Image Credit: Netflix
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'MAKE US DREAM' (2018): Steven Gerrard's stern, no-nonsense disposition has become as affectionately iconic as anything else that this Liverpool legend has offered fans, and here Gerrard frankly revisits some of the high highs and brutal lows that made him into the player he was with the Reds. Dare we say, it's enough to disarm any club's supporters for its hour and forty-four minute running time.
Image Credit: Prime Video
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'BECOMING CHAMPIONS' (2018): Only eight countries have ever won the World Cup, and this docuseries wants you to know the story behind each one's trials and triumphs, from their greatest stars to the historical context of their wins. Available on Netflix.
Image Credit: Netflix
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'BARCA DREAMS' (2015): A comprehensive look into one of the most popular football clubs of all time, FC Barcelona, 'Barca Dreams' delves into the history and rise of the club worldwide, with a little help from transformative players such as Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, as well as integral bosses such as Pep Guardiola. Available on Netflix.
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